Encore: The Meteoric Rise Of Latin Urban Explained

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This week, the Alt.Latino team revisits one of our classic episodes from 2020 and takes a closer look at the genre that has become known as Latin Urban, which, for the past decade, has become the dominant influence in Latin pop music.

We're joined by three legends: Leila Cobo (VP of Latin Music for Billboard), Maria Elena Cepeda (Chair and Professor of Latino and Latina Studies at Williams College) and Ivy Queen, a Puerto Rican reggaeton pioneer who continues to chart.

The story of Latin America has always been reflected in music and Latin Urban is no exception. Here, we follow the trail from Panama to Puerto Rico to the world stage. At the same time, we also look at how a marginalized Afro-Latin community was adopted — some say commandeered — by Latinx performers far from the shores of Puerto Rico.