In The Thick

The Unapologetic Music of Puerto Rico

Listen Later

This week, we’re talking about the second season of “La Brega,” a co-production from WNYC Studios and Futuro Studios. Julio is joined by Alana Casanova-Burgess, co-creator, host and producer of “La Brega,” and Jeanne Montalvo, grammy-nominated audio engineer and radio producer with Futuro Studios, to talk about the series, which takes us through the Puerto Rican experience in eight songs. They discuss how Puerto Rican artists, like Bad Bunny, have raised awareness for political and social issues on the island, and also get into the cultural and musical exchange between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. 

Subscribe here to La Brega so you don’t miss any new episodes!

ITT Staff Picks: 

  • In this episode of Code Switch, find out how Bad Bunny has become a megaphone for Puerto Rican politics and issues, which have been a major influence in his music career.

  • Alana Casanova-Burgess discusses Bad Bunny’s activism and love for his island in comparison to the song Preciosa, one of Puerto Rico’s unofficial anthems, in the first episode of season 2 of La Brega. 

  • George Varga unpacks the Grammy’s history of “playing it safe,” often rewarding white artists over artists of color, and details some of the new initiatives that will hopefully make the organization more diverse, in this article for The San Diego Tribune. 

    • Photo credit: Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    In The ThickBy Futuro Media
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    1,885 ratings

    More shows like In The Thick

    View all
    On the Media by WNYC Studios

    On the Media

    9,121 Listeners

    Latino USA by Futuro Media and PRX

    Latino USA

    3,748 Listeners

    Alt.Latino by NPR

    Alt.Latino

    668 Listeners

    Here & Now Anytime by WBUR

    Here & Now Anytime

    1,011 Listeners

    Radio Ambulante by My Cultura, Radio Ambulante and iHeartPodcasts

    Radio Ambulante

    4,404 Listeners

    Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

    Reveal

    8,244 Listeners

    Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts by Slate Podcasts

    Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts

    3,461 Listeners

    The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

    The NPR Politics Podcast

    25,744 Listeners

    Code Switch by NPR

    Code Switch

    14,508 Listeners

    1A by NPR

    1A

    4,620 Listeners

    It's Been a Minute by NPR

    It's Been a Minute

    8,910 Listeners

    Throughline by NPR

    Throughline

    15,968 Listeners

    The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

    The Ezra Klein Show

    15,321 Listeners

    Imperfect Paradise by LAist Studios

    Imperfect Paradise

    532 Listeners

    Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams by Crooked Media

    Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

    1,493 Listeners