The second major type of musica Latina is tropical. Tropical music is Latin America's dance music, a style that has been passed on for generations and is constantly evolving into new forms. It's indigenous both in its rhythms and instrumentation but derives influences from the African culture brought to "the new world." Lyrically, tropical music has a lot of sexual undertones and is the most sensual form of Latin music. The main sub groups are salsa, merengue, cumbia, and merengue hip-hop (with mambo, Latin jazz, soca, punta, sones, and rumba also falling under the tropical heading); these are usually best distinguished by differences in tempo, rhythm, and instruments.
Salsa is by far the most mainstream form of tropical music. It has the easiest rhythm to recognize (with only slight changes in tempo, this one's steady as a metronome) and is the most popular form of tropical music, with its fan base strongest among listeners 21 and up in the eastern U.S. (New York, Miami, Puerto Rico).
Key salsa artists are Celia Cruz, India, Willie Colon, and Rey Ruiz. Others include: Marc Anthony, Albita, Oscar De Leon, Jailene, Grupo Niche, Eddie Santiago, El Gran Combo, Jerry Rivera, Victor Manuelle, Tito Puente, Luis Enrique, and Gilberto Santa Rosa. You can hear several of these acts on Rhino's Salsa Fresca! Dance Hits Of The '90s.
Merengue differs from salsa only in that it has a much quicker tempo -- it's pretty hard to dance to if you're out of shape! The merengue audience is virtually identical to the salsa audience; in fact, if you were to go to a salsa club in all likelihood the playlist would feature a mixture of both meringue and salsa.
Key meringue acts include: Olga Tanon, Los Sabrosos Del Merengue, Pochi Y So Coco Band, Los Hermanos Rosario, Tito Rojas, Las Chicas Del Can, and Elvis Crespo.
Cumbia originated in Colombia and spread up through Central America, eventually ending up in Mexico in the 1950s. More recently, cumbia has been adopted by the Tejano scene, making it one of theonly tropical genres to cross over into the regional Mexican market. Popular in all regions and all ages, cumbia is omnipresent at parties, weddings, and quinceneras.
Key cumbia players include: La Sonora Dinamita, La Sonora Santanera, Aniceto Molina, Sonora Show, Selena, Sonora Tropicana, Tito Olivares, Rigo Tovar, and Los Hermanos Flores.
Merengue hip-hop is the newest member of the tropical music family. It is a hybrid of traditional merengue with hip-hop and also includes strong dancehall and reggae influences. It appeals to a young demographic (18 to 30 or so) and has tremendous crossover to second and third generation Latinos on the East Coast (primarily in New York and Miami) who would normally be into dance music. The lyrics are usually bilingual.
Key merengue hip-hop acts include: Proyecto Uno, Ilegales, Tito Puente Jr., El General, and MerenBooty Girls.
Stay Tuned for Part Three of Musica Latina!
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