Hear Sofar’s Hispanic + Latine Voices playlist here
To embrace Latinx culture is to embrace the array of cultures that make up our identity. Historically speaking, mainstream media portrayals of our communities are often pigeon-holed and one-dimensional, when in reality our communities are rich in diversity. The dialects across the vast countries that make up Latin America differ greatly. As a group, we’re often categorized as “Brown,” we have just as many brothers and sisters with Black or white skin. There is certainly overlap between cultures, but we’re far from being monolithic, as each region of Latin America can trace customs to all back to different parts of the world; the Middle East, West Africa, Europe, East Asia, and of course the Indigenous nations that have resided in the Americas long before 1492.
To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sofar has created a playlist that captures the wide spectrum of voices in our community. The songs featured here vary greatly in style and influence, whether it be fast-paced reggaeton, rock en Español, boom-bap rap, EDM, pop or melodic folk music. No two songs sound the same, and there’s sure to be something for everyone to resonate with and appreciate beyond the next 30 days.
Words by Alejandro Hernandez
