by Joshua Wingo // Staff Writer
There’s a new Love & Hip Hop fable being written on social media. Hot on the Bloody heels of Dominican rapper Cardi B, whose career got a boost from the VH1 show, another Dominican artist is raising awareness about Afro-Latino identity.
Amara La Negra is the breakout star of Love & Hip Hop Miami, which premiered on Jan. 1 to much controversy. In its first episode, La Negra — born Dana Danelys De Los Santos — defended her identity to producer Young Hollywood, who questioned her decision to be unapologetically Afro-Latina.
“All because of my looks or because I am dark-skinned,” she said. “But, that doesn’t make me less Latina.” The producer replied asking, “Afro-Latina. Elaborate. Is that because you’re African or is that because you have an Afro?”
He later went on to say the music industry prefers Latina singers who fit the typical mold, but La Negra was not having it. “Not all Latinas look like JLo or Sofia Vergara or Shakira,” she said. “So, where are the women that look like myself?”
Many people agree with La Negra, and she firmly believes in her ethnicity and is a proud dark skin Latina.
11th grader Estela Hernandez at AEE feels that “Amara should have been seen as for who she is and not for what people think she should be perceived as.”
Amara La Negra is a big Latina artist who wanted to expand her music to America. She has done great so far from where she has been in her life.
Dominican artist Amara La Negra earned her first award in 1991 — she was born in 1990. After winning at a child’s beauty pageant, Amara grew up knowing one thing was for certain: performing on a global stage would be her calling. Fast forward to 2017, and Amara emerges as a poster child for black Latinas worldwide, repping hard for Afro-Caribeñas and plump derrières all the while destabilizing traditional modes of sexuality in genres like reggaeton and favela funk.
CHS junior Jeremiah Wingo said “People should not be concerned about her color because she is a great artists. It’s hard for someone to thrive in the hiphop industry when people are so focused on what you look like than the music that you are making.”
People should not be concerned about the color of her skin because she is a beautiful women thats helping others the best way she knows how,” stated AEE junior Kaitlyn Sajonas.
In a society worried about looks and pleasing a certain aesthetic, it’s hard for anyone trying to make a difference in the industry. Yet, in an ever-changing world, there’s always an opportunity for something new.