J Balvin and Cultura Profética Bring Latin Music and Cultural Unity to New York City
At Stage 48 stage in midtown Manhattan on Nov. 5, Colombian reggaeton artist J Balvin took the stage to an eagerly awaiting crowd of fanatics prepared for a night of reggaeton's biggest rising star.
The Medellín-born 30-year-old, was the main act of an exclusive concert sponsored by Coors Light in New York and featured special guests Cultura Profética, legends of Latin reggae in their own right.
With an ecstatic welcome from a crowd of young adults, who snatched tickets from sponsors like La Mega 97.9, the singer began his set with "Ginza," the record breaking tune whose music video earned 2.5 million views in 24 hours.
Balvin, born José Álvaro Osorio Balvin, followed it with hits and album staples that have made him one of the fastest growing artists to watch in reggaeton, as well as a Billboard charts topper.
This isn't Balvin's first show in New York, in fact he just finished his "La Familia" tour with fellow pop artist Becky G as his special guest.
On stage Balvin was in awe, grateful for the crowd's response to every song, including "Sola," 6 AM" and "Ay Vamos," that he, his band and backup dancers took on.
Even more exciting was Balvin's choice to freestyle to old school hip hop beats, showing off what he learned during his time being influenced on the streets of New York City.
The performer used the opportunity to call out Donald Trump, who he famously criticized and dropped out of performing at the 2015 Miss USA pageant for, and telling the audience that "we shouldn't care what he thinks."
Coors Light's moniker of "Refrescando el Negocio" (Refreshing the business) couldn't be more fit for Balvin, an artist who hit the music scene in the U.S. after he released "Yo te lo dije" in 2013 and began to create buzz not simply for the songs but for his new take on the dembow rhythm.
"J Balvin is at the forefront of a new wave of urban Latin artists, and we're excited to support him in his journey to refresh the music landscape," said Sonia Urintsev, brand manager at Coors Light.
The new wave is correct. Balvin's influence isn't simply in his music but the message he spreads to fans, through music, style and social media, and it is one for expression and unity.
With every break that Balvin took on stage, fans got to rejoice in their Latin identity by responding to DJ Kazzanova after every Latin nation was called.
Balvin's slogan of "La Familia" isn't just a rapper's name for his clique but his representation of what it means to be a Latino and sticking together.
"I want to try and make my own movement," Balvin told Billboard in 2013. "We are going to conquer the world."
His choice to take on reggaeton came from living in New York and getting exposed to hip hop but he wanted to make sure that what he produced was heavily influenced by his Colombian background.
"I was like I have to do something that really represents us. I want to make a special kind of reggaeton that's more like hip hop; a Spanish version of American hip hop," he said.
An influence of Balvin, Cultura Profética, took the stage to perform a few tunes and their lead singer, Willy Rodríguez, later joined Balvin on stage to perform raggae hits, a moment Balvin made sure to document on social media.
"Wowwwww. Thank you @versoterso Cultura Profética for sharing a moment that will remain in my soul. Great Admirer," he captioned a video on Instagram.
The band performed songs for a crowd that sang along to "Ritmo que pesa," "La Complicidad" and "Para Estar."
With a 15 year career, and a few lineup changes over the years, the group has managed to keep a cult following for their strong social and political lyrics discussing Latino identity, love and the environmental crisis.
Before the concert, Boris Bilbraut, the bands drummer who also did a little singing as well, dished to Latin Post about their upcoming album and revealed that it should be out by next summer.
"We are already working on the first half and are experimenting with different styles," he explained. "It's political. It's a combination of culture and lyrics that deal with the current political issues facing Latino America."
Along with making a statement, fans of the group should be excited to learn that they will be releasing a new single very soon and those in Chile can see the band participate in this year's W Festival along with rapper Method Man, singer Charly Black and reggae star Alika, among others.
For the group, performing in Chile means a much larger audience, while performing in New York mean diversity and a cult following, but regardless of where they perform, for Cultura Profética, representing and connecting with the Latino community, or as Balvin says, "La Familia," is all that matters.