Jhoni Jackson

Politics
News and Politics
News and Politics

When Puerto Rican artist Sergio Vazquez was commissioned to create the concert poster for Bad Bunny’s much-anticipated March 2019 homecoming, he had no idea he’d eventually create the cover for his landmark debut album, X100PRE. It had been a pre-planned test – one which Vazquez passed – for gaining entry to the next stage. But maybe more surprising for Vazquez is that, in the process, he inadvertently inspired Benito to adopt what’s become an integral part of his persona: the third eye.
It w...

Contorted samples and live bass meld for futuristic pop-funk in Labajura, the solo project of Puerto Rican musician Derick Joel (also of Dan Siego and DOGOS), but on “Trágico/Mágico” he’s joined by Los Wálters – a collaboration that started months back, with vocals ultimately recorded in the Dominican Republic. Later, Christian Olmeda, a Boricua living in Philadelphia, mixed and mastered. The creative expanse and diasporic distance of “Trágico/Mágico” culminates back on the island, though, wi...

Any lingering doubts around Puerto Ricans’ acceptance of Colombian artist J Balvin’s place in reggaeton, a genre originated in large part by artists from the archipelago, and so beloved within and intrinsic to its modern culture, can now officially be put to rest. On Friday, Balvin sold out the opening night of his Arcoiris Tour at El Choli, San Juan’s largest indoor arena. It was a record-breaking event; he’d sold the most tickets at the venue out of any other non-Puerto Rican artist, ever.
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Puerto Rico’s government reports 378 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far. Among them, 15 people have died. The island’s already-frail healthcare system—which includes a shortage of doctors and nurses amid continued out-migration is a major problem—simply cannot withstand a large-scale pandemic. The smaller island of Vieques is still without a functioning hospital, adding to the need for all hands on deck.
Yet the island’s main airport remains open, albeit in decreased volume, with nearly 20...

It’s the end of an era for Puerto Rico’s Radiored. The genre-spanning, independent radio station announced the closure of its San Juan storefront yesterday.
Radiored was founded in 2015, and opened its coffee shop, record store and hangout spot from which local and guest DJs and hosts would transmit live, and where touring artists often perform ahead of concerts at local clubs, after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
“Now, in accordance with the times, we’re going underground to keep playing #músicafr...

El Conejo Malo is unfortunately joining the multitudes of artists canceling tours amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Puerto Ricans hoping for another Bad Bunny Concert Experience, originally scheduled for May, will have to wait. His Una Nueva Leyenda tour has been pushed to October 30 and 31.
Announced in December as a 360-degree performance at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium, the island’s iconic baseball park, promo promised the the venue would be transformed by the “biggest and most futuristic st...

Puerto Rico’s Governor Wanda Vázquez may sign a controversial new version of the U.S. territory’s civil code today, and many—basically, anyone who’s not a supporter of the conservative New Progressive Party that’s behind the update—are working hard to make their disapproval known. And so are a handful of the island’s most famous artists, from Bad Bunny to Residente to Dominican-born, San Juan denizen Rita Indiana.
En medio de una pandemia,más casos de violencia de género,una investigación por...

Residente hosted another political conversation on Instagram live last night, this time with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a consistent champion of his native Puerto Rico. The Nuyorican member of congress has repeatedly spoken out against the injustices on the island in regards to U.S. colonialism.
Just last week, in a forum organized by Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora, she declared Trump’s hate for the island as “personal,” which she repeated again in conversation with the rapper.
Conducted in Sp...

Next on the docket of Residente’s live Instagram interviews: New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The charla between the Puerto Rican rapper and the Nuyorican democratic socialist is slated to begin tonight at 6 p.m. Puerto Rico time (EST).
Like previous talks with Alberto Fernández, President of Argentina, and José
“Pepe” Mujica, former president of Uruguay, Residente will take questions sent by viewers during the live and, presumably, consider those already asked in the comments...

New York’s LGBTQIA+ community is mourning the loss of 60-year-old Lorena Borjas, a well-recognized activist and social worker of trans experience who for decades advocated for marginalized and oppressed communities in and around Queens. Borjas died on Monday morning after having contracted COVID-19.
Borjas began her work in the mid ‘90s and focused on helping trans women living with HIV/AIDS as well as sex workers. She created an advocacy platform, The Lorena Borjas Community Fund in 2008. Ju...

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