For both American and international music, Hispanic artists have contributed to some of the most popular sounds from the past century. The various genres in which these artists have showcased their talents range from pop, reggaeton, rock, experimental electronica, and so much more. In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, KLSU commemorates 10 Hispanic artists that have largely influenced their genres and continue to inspire modern artists.From popular artists to lesser-known trendsetters, these artists have set new standards for music that continue to endure even today.
Shakira
Easily one of the most recognizable Hispanic artists, Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira has become a Latin pop and reggaeton icon on a scale that very few artists in her lane can match. Since her debut in the 1990s at age13, Shakira has performed at events like the World Cup (twice) and the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Singles such as “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” “She-Wolf” and “Loca” have become monolithic in their popularity and have solidified the singer as one of the best-selling artists in the world. Her accolades are endless and transcend her career as a musician, garnering praise from governmental bodies and organizations for her philanthropic ventures. Pop stars as successful as Rihanna, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and Selena Gomez have cited her as an influence on their music, and she has no shortage of collaborators stumbling over one another for a chance to work with her. She’s also lent her talents to acting for various shows and movies, notably The Voice and Zootopia. Her consistent relevancy in popular culture certainly does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and she has undoubtedly made her mark upon the world of reggaeton in a way that is impossible to recapture; a one of a kind artist whose success is on a level of no other.
Arca
Born in Venezuela and based in Barcelona, Spain, Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez – known formally as Arca – is a modern day producer and artist recognized for her unique and abrasive blend of electronica, avant-pop, IDM, reggaeton, and hip-hop. Prior to her solo career, Arca lent her talents to a number of enduring albums in popular culture such as Kanye West’s Yeezus, FKA twigs’ EP2 & LP1, Björk’s Vulnicura & Utopia, and many others like The Weeknd, Lil Uzi Vert and Shygirl. Her experimental electronic music transcends the genre label of hyperpop that artists such as SOPHIE or Charli XCX tend to fall into, and her evolution as a producer into a full-fledged solo artist has been nothing short of impressive. From her debut records Xen and Mutant to their critically acclaimed Kick series, the complex themes of psychosexuality, non-binary gender identity and transhumanism that detail her albums reflect the equally layered genre fusions of some of the most challenging modern electronic music. The first two Kick albums feature some of her most accessible solo work, and their music, while not for the faint of heart, ultimately provides an incredibly rewarding experience that demolishes boundaries for many electronic and reggaeton artists to follow suit.
Rosalía
Born in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Catalonia in 1992, Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía has shown an impressive amount of versatility since the beginnings of her career in 2013. She boasts a captivating fusion of art pop, flamenco, reggaeton and Latin pop that welcomes all sorts of collaborators such as Arca, Björk, The Weeknd and James Blake. While her first two records date back to 2017 and 2018, her 2022 release Motomami remains her most popular work. It showcases an impressive amount of personality by exploring vulnerability in the face of increasing fame, while still providing a healthy dose of experimental attitude. With this album, Rosalía joined a growing collective of avant-garde electronic artists that challenge conventions in pop music with otherworldly production and a unique voice that contrasts from the more popular reggaeton artists. The sound established on Motomami retains a modern edge that will most likely endure for years to come, leaving audiences satisfied but eager for the next full-length project from one of reggaeton’s most exciting new faces.
Pitbull
A nickname like “Mr. Worldwide” certainly boasts a significant amount of recognition, which couldn’t be more apt for Pitbull. Born Armando Christian Perez to Cuban immigrants in 1981 in Miami, Florida, Pitbull’s contributions to popular music in the 2000’s were as inescapable as they were frequent. He is mostly recognized for the hype energy he brings to his features and the daunting list of collaborators spanning two and a half decades. His career initially blended Latin hip-hop and reggaeton into iconic club hits that defined Latin pop for the millennium. As the 2010s came, Pitbull further highlighted his capabilities as a pop artist with collaborations involving Fifth Harmony, Nile Rodgers, T-Pain, Shakira and Christina Aguilera among countless others. Like Shakira, his talents have extended to the world of voice acting and numerous commercials and iconic live performances as well. Though his music is reflective as a product of its time in the 2000s, his impact and voice continues to reverberate in the 2020s and influence a number of popular reggaeton and hispanic artists. His brand has dipped its hand into a number of ventures and facets of popular culture that have all but ensured his popularity for quite some time.
Cedric Bixler-Zavala / Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
One of the most iconic duos of post-hardcore punk, Puerto Rican guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and American singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala (born to a Mexican-American mother and partial German father) have given the genre its most progressive rock-influenced and winding tracks. Primarily known for their work in the post-hardcore band At The Drive-In and the more progressive post-hardcore band The Mars Volta, these two have expertly complemented each other’s styles of songwriting since they met in the late 80s and early 90s. They have collaborated on numerous projects outside of their two most popular bands such as Antemasque and De Facto, and they have been separately featured on an even larger number of bands such as Big Sir, Anywhere, Bosnian Rainbows and Le Butcherettes. Their style of cerebral, complex and meditative rock has garnered respect from critics, fans, and fellow rock musicians like Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The dynamic duo is a creative maelstrom to be reckoned with that has gifted audiences some of the most engaging post-hardcore of the 2000s and onward.
Sepultura
Formed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Calavera, Sepultura’s novel blend of groove metal, thrash metal, and death metal has contributed to their reputation as a heavily influential metal band. From their debut record Morbid Visions in 1986 to their three album run of Arise, Chaos A.D. and Roots in the early to mid 90s, the sounds on these albums have influenced bands as big as Slipknot, Hatebreed and Korn as well as modern metal bands Nails, Code Orange and Xibalba. While later albums would take on a sound more influenced by nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial metal, they have consistently fused elements of samba, Brazilian folk and Latin music, giving them an edge over their North American contemporaries. With guitarist/vocalist Max leaving in 1996, and drummer Igor in 2006, the band has had multiple changes in members and has left bassist Paulo Jr. as the closest thing left to an original member. Regardless, the sound that Sepultura broke through with stands as a benchmark of abrasiveness and intensity for modern metal acts to look up to.
Curro Fuentes
A champion of the Colombian genre of music known as Cumbia, José María “Curro” Fuentes López was born in 1925 in Cartagena, Colombia. Cumbia as a genre incorporates many folk dance traditions of Latin America and American Indigenous cultures, creating a festive and extravagant arrangement of brass instrumentation and piano along with triple percussion. When looking at the history of the genre, there isn’t a name more popular than Curro Fuentes. His work has been immortalized in the compilation titled Cartagena! Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Cumbia And Descarga Sound Of Colombia 1962-1972. The arrangements and energy that Fuentes and company put into the tracks in this compilation continue to influence modern day bands like Ondatrópica that are eager to continue the tradition of cumbia music, even going so far as to dedicate a track named after him. His death in 2010 has cemented him as the movement’s most influential figure.
Ritchie Valens
Born in 1941 in Los Angeles as Richard Steven Valenzuela, Ritchie Valens’ impact upon the future of rock and roll and, more specifically, Chicano rock is undeniable. Up until his tragic death in a plane crash at 17, an accident that also took the lives of popular musicians Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson, Valens carved a name for himself with his blending of traditional Latin American music and Mexican mariachi with emerging rock and roll trends of the 1950s. Singles such as “Donna”, “La Bamba” and “Come On, Let’s Go” would drastically shape the progression of rock in the next decade and bring a brighter spotlight to Latin American music. His style has influenced some of the biggest names in music history such as Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and even The Beach Boys and The Beatles. For an artist whose day of death is remembered as “The Day That Music Died,” Valens’ impact upon rock and roll history is one that, while tragic, is nothing short of unique to him alone and is revered to this day.
Carlos Santana
One of rock’s most popular figures in the 1960s and 1970s, Carlos Santana became recognized for his work as a founding member in the group Santana. Born in Jalisco, Mexico in 1947, he showed an aptitude for music early on at ages 5 and 8 on violin and guitar. In the coming years, he developed a sound mixing blues rock with Latin rock and jazz to create a soothing, groovy style backed by percussion similar to that found in traditional Latin American music. Santana’s legacy as a band has made them one of the best-selling artists of all time, gaining recognition from acts like Crosby, Nash, and Stills and Fleetwood Mac. They are often grouped in with The Grateful Dead as having provided an alternative rock sound for the 70s, and Carlos Santana in particular went on to establish his name with a solo career separate from the band. His place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and acquisition of multiple Grammys speaks to the success and widespread popularity that his Latin American blues rock gained over the last few decades, making him a household name in rock history. His continuation of trends in Latin American music from the previous decades is both respectful towards idols of the past like Ritchie Valens, yet looks forward in its innovation and experimentation in new, exciting ways.
Dave Lombardo
One of rock’s most versatile drummers, Cuban-American Dave Lombardo has built quite the repertoire over his career spanning almost half a century since 1979. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1969, he is primarily recognized as the drummer and co-founder of thrash metal legends Slayer and contributed to some of their most iconic records. Lombardo continued to lend his talents to bands like Misfits, Mr. Bungle, Suicidal Tendencies and Fantômas long after Slayer’s heyday. His vicious drumming style utilizes double-bass drums to create a lethal combination of groovy, harsh-sounding percussion. His style has been respected and cited as influential by drummers of Slipknot, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold and countless other metal acts. Very few drummers can come close to achieving the level of impact that Lombardo has on extreme metal, let alone rock as a whole. Truly, it’s impossible to imagine the modern metal soundscape devoid of Lombardo’s artistry, which continues to stand on its own as technically impressive to learn about and intensely gratifying to listen to.
