Mexico – Natalia Lafourcade – Hasta La Raíz
This Mexican-French-Chilean pop star’s new song is the lead from her forthcoming album, her first in three years. “Hasta la raíz” is not just symbolic: she’s literally gone back to her roots, recording throughout Mexico and reaching what she calls a newfound understanding of who she is and from whence she came. The lyric video for Hasta La Raíz not only illustrates how much of this journey was internal, but also how a spiritual quest can deepen a person’s voice as well as mind. The harmonies are light-footed and divine.
Colombia – Mickey Love feat Jeivy Dance – Para Mi Fanaticada
Mickey Love, the protégé of Cartagena superstar Mr Black El Presidente, has the voice of a dream, and this lovely single has been lauded for its positivity and the way in which it echoes the roots of champeta, the populist Afro-Colombian folk music. Love and fellow rising star Jeivy Dance sing about keeping your head up in the face of disparity and staying strong, “porque sigo siendo el rey.”
United States – Princess Nokia – Young Girls
This young Dominican-American rapper still seems to be feeling out her musical path (some might know her as the Bitch I’m Posh star, under the moniker Wavy Spice), but what’s certain is that she has a lot of range. She can unleash a pitch-perfect Foxy Brown vamp like it’s nothing, but the video for Young Girls shows a far more spiritual side, honouring the young women and children of Afro-Caribbean Latin America, paying homage to Nokia’s Taíno and Yoruba heritage on a loose beat that could be described as… conscious dembow? The video, comprised of a wide swathe of her own friends, pays homage to the aréito ceremonies of her upbringing, as well as illuminating the important inner lives and ancestries of city girls the world over.
Canada/Mexico – Boogat feat Javier Estrada – Maria
The French-Canadian vocalist Boogat, who sings in Español, had a hit with 2013’s acclaimed El Dorado Sunset, but his secret weapon might be the just-released Deluxe Edition. Maria is a new bonus track produced by talented Monterrey musician Javier Estrada, who’s known for melting disparate genres together in a way that updates Mexican traditional music for the younger generation. Here, he situates Boogat’s fawning raps in triple-time trap beats woven with mariachi brass, giving us added reason to swirl our skirts in the club. More accordion in the monitors, please? (Bonus track: Estrada’s super-weird, super-awesome, just released Satan Drum & Cumbia Bass).
Brazil – Karol Conka feat Tropikillaz – Tombei
Even if you’re not fluent in Portuguese (I’m not), you can appreciate the way Curitiba-born rapper Karol Conka rides the beat. Half the battle of great rapping is having an unorthodox sense of rhythm, and Conka weaves beyond the jerky club notions of Tropikillaz with a determined slither. Also not to miss: her 2014 debut, Batuk Freak.
