The Latin American Music scene is as vibrant as ever as it celebrates the first-ever Spotify Awards on Thursday in Mexico City. Artists who dominated the awards include Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga, Karol G, among others.
Latin music genres, with their varied influences from Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, were sewn, crafted and mended using unique rhythms and tribal beats. Those sounds made their way from their places of national origin to the United States, keeping with tradition, but gaining bits of modernity throughout time.
Smithsonian's Exhibit: American Sabor explores the influences of Latinos in popular American music, across a number of genres. The dynamic display and exhibition captures the presence and contribution of Latinos in punk rock, rock n' roll, hip hop, jazz, and rhythm and blues. And, it showcases how Carlos Sanata, Selena, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and many others motivated a Latin quality in music that isn't generally inclusive of Hispanics. Distinctive musical styles, such as salsa, rumba and mambo, penetrated the American music scene and helped to make Latinos visible.
