Bad Bunny
Música urbana acts like Bad Bunny and J Balvin — who, respectively, are standard-bearers for Latin trap and reggaetón within that broader genre distinction — continue to take over streaming services. Even so, Latin America’s biggest hitmakers remain a rarity on the festival circuit. And Bonnaroo, which kicks off Thursday and is poised to sell out for the first time since 2013, is no exception to this trend.
While there is some Latinx representation in the mix — like Balvin and Bunny collaborator Cardi B and genre-blending cumbia band Las Cafeteras — reggaeton and Latin trap are missing from the show bill. (Which was also the case in 2017 and 2018.)
Bonnaroo's lack of música urbana reflects similar trends in other longstanding festivals. The 2019 Governors Ball was devoid of Latin representation, and while Lollapalooza gave J Balvin a headliner spot, that’s about it for similar acts. More recently established events like Boston Calling also featured the usual slate of alternative and indie faves, with a few rap and pop performers sprinkled in.
Rolling Stone's Elias Leight explored the disparity, and the factors behind it vary. Latin superstars do big numbers without the festivals. Their shows are easier to book in cities with large Latinx populations. And festivals are full of upper-income white dudes who prefer rock and pop.
But still, the lineups have diversified in recent years. As Leight noted, these more inclusive billings coincided with an increase in popular acts on the festival circuits. So black and brown singers and rappers with enough star power could break onto a scene usually focused on indie and alternative acts.
It’s hard to argue there’s anyone with more star power than today’s top tier of traperos and reggaetóneros. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s 2017 summer smash “Despacito,” which mixed Latin pop and reggaetón, was a worldwide phenomenon before it hit stateside. (That track just left Hot Latin charts after 110 weeks, ousted in part by Daddy Yankee’s “Con Calma.”) Two years later, it’s clear their success was more than a fluke, and North American artists have taken note. As música urbana expert Gary Suarez noted, it feels like every hit song today gets a dembow-driven remix.
Crossing over has never been easy. Latin artists have often been an enigma to industry folks, who have historically been overwhelmingly white. "Latin rap," for example, was an ambiguous late-’80s term that never fit all Latino spitters, more suited for West Coast Chicanos with Spanglish bars like Kid Frost than East Coast Dominicans and Nuyoricans. As sociologist Raquel Z. Rivera noted in an essay on identity and hip-hop, even physical appearances and preferred language could complicate the matters — where do artists who present as white or black, or who don’t rap in Spanish, fit into such labels? The climate has been somewhat friendlier to Latin pop performers, especially those who could sing English lyrics, but even crossover stars like Shakira and Enrique Iglesias have embraced reggaetón and trap.
While it’s somewhat understandable that promoters may hesitate to book Latin acts for mostly white audience, the fact is you don’t need to know a syllable of Spanish to wild out to “Mi Gente” or couple up to Ozuna’s smooth “Baila Baila Baila.” Organizers at Coachella have seemed to take note, upping the number of Latin acts from 11 in 2017 to 15 in 2019. And they didn’t limit it to música urbana artists, either. For example, they brought in neoflamenco performer Rosalía and dance-pop artist Javiera Mena. Most notably, Los Tucanes de Tijuana became the first norteño band to take Coachella’s stage. It's still a small selection for a weekend featuring over 150 acts, but it reflects an effort.
Whether Bonnaroo grows its roster of Latin acts next year may depend on the sustained success of the genres stateside. After all, Latin explosions have fizzled in past generations. But at this point, it may also depend on whether those world-wide popular artists think the trip to Tennessee is worth their time.
