Being bilingual is truly a blessing for a variety of reasons, but one of the main reasons that make me thankful for knowing two languages is that I get to listen to a variety of different music that isn’t just in different genres but in different languages. Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world and in the U.S., so it isn’t hard to believe that Spanish-speaking artists are just as popular as English-speaking artists nowadays.
El Alfa, 33, Nicky Jam, 42, and Arcangel, 38, are three of the hottest Latin artists in recent years and today. These artists are also some of my personal favorites as being a person of Latin-Caribbean descent we absolutely love and create music from the following genres: Dembow, Reggaeton, Bachata, Merengue, and Salsa. These 3 artists make Reggaeton and Dembow to be specific.
Nicky Jam, 42, was born March 17, 1981, in Lawrence, Massachusetts to a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father. This Latin mega-star is known for his singles “Travesuras” (2014) and “Hasta La Amanecer” (2017) to name a few. Nicky is for those who love a more traditional or “old” sounding reggaeton, he is known for his sensual voice and lyrics. One of the many things I love about him is that he not only has a superb rapping ability, but an equally as amazing voice!
His voice above a good old-fashioned Reggaeton or even Dembow, Latin Trap, and Dancehall (as he experiments with these genres as well) beat will have you bopping your head and singing along. His music is usually upbeat, happy, sensual, and catchy so if you’re into that by all means…listen!
El Alfa, 33, was born December 18, 1990, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and this Dominican Dembow King is known for his singles: “La Mama de la Mama” (2022) and Muevete Jevi” (2013). If you’re a party animal that’s into an upbeat track with an extremely fast tempo then hunny, Dembow is the genre for you!
El Alfa is popularizing Dembow and making it mainstream as he (like Nicky Jam and Arcangel) has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Latin Music history. What I love about this Dembow star is that you can not sit down and listen to his music, his music literally makes you want to dance, he is extremely hilarious as well as he makes a ton of witty remarks in his music. El Alfa is known for his light-hearted, witty, sexually explicit, sometimes violent, and boastful lyrics.
Arcangel, 38, was born December 23, 1985, in New York City, to Dominican parents, and this Reggaeton-star is known for his hits: “Me Prefieres a Mi” (2012) and “Feliz Navidad 8” (2023). Arcangel, like the other two artists mentioned, has an astounding rapping ability, and a unique yet beautiful singing voice. His instrumentals range from an old-sounding reggaeton to a more contemporary borderline Latin Trap kind of sound. He is similar to El Alfa as he also raps and sings about a variety of topics that include mostly romance, sex, violence, partying, and heartbreak. He is also very witty and humorous lyrically as well. Even if you may not understand completely what he is saying you will love his unique-sounding synths and pads coupled with his raspy voice and hardcore rapping.
