Latino USA

10/10/2025

Before tango was embraced, the quintessential Argentinian music genre was condemned, threatened, and buried by elites, the Catholic church, and military dictatorships.

Now it's being reclaimed by the very marginalized communities that first embraced it.

LISTEN ↘️

Discover the untold story of tango—born in Buenos Aires’ brothels and shaped by Argentina’s African and q***r communities.

10/10/2025

a Latino USA episode 🎧

Tango usually evokes images of a very regal couple: a man in a suit and a woman in a tight red dress, embraced in sensual moves. But the reality of the quintessential Argentinian music genre is strikingly different. Tango, in fact, was born in the brothels and dance halls of Buenos Aires’ lower cast and is rooted in Argentina’s African and q***r subcultures.

In this episode we’ll take you on a journey through tango’s history. It was first condemned by the elites and the Catholic church, threatened by the worldwide phenomenon of rock n’ roll, and buried by Argentina’s last military dictatorship. But then, in the 1980s and 1990s, it saw a revival. More recently, it’s being reclaimed by the very marginalized communities that first embraced it.

Listen now: bit.ly/lusatango

***r

10/07/2025

This week on Latino USA, in collaboration with El Tímpano, Hernan Hernandez Jr., the son of a Los Tigres del Norte legend, is teaching farmworkers who survived a shooting in California how to play the accordion. The sound of this cherished instrument has proven more healing than regular therapy.

Listen now ↘️

This episode was produced in collaboration with El Tímpano.

We travel to Half Moon Bay, where an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers victims of a shooting heal from their deepest wounds through the keys and wails of the accordion.

10/06/2025

When they realized traditional therapy wasn’t going to work, ALAS, a cultural organization in Half Moon Bay, CA, came up with a music program to help farmworkers heal from a shooting that left seven immigrants dead.

Story produced in collaboration with El Tímpano ↘️

We travel to Half Moon Bay, where an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers victims of a shooting heal from their deepest wounds through the keys and wails of the accordion.

10/06/2025

LOUD: The History of Reggaeton is back by popular demand! This iconic podcast from Futuro Media traces the origins of reggaeton—and we're sharing one episode with you this week!

Listen to how a Spanish-language hip-hop revolution was taking place in the mid-80s, as mixtapes flew back and forth between NYC and Puerto Rico ↘️

And remember, you can stream the entire series now on Spotify!

Discover the true story of El General, Brooklyn’s dancehall scene, and the rise of Spanish-language hip-hop connecting NYC, Panama, and Puerto Rico.

10/05/2025

Today on Latino USA, he survived a shooting at the farm where he worked, but his older brother didn’t. A music program centered on the accordion is helping Pedro and others in California heal from their deepest wounds.

Listen to the story here, produced in collaboration with El Tímpano ↘️

We travel to Half Moon Bay, where an unconventional music program is helping farmworkers victims of a shooting heal from their deepest wounds through the keys and wails of the accordion.

10/05/2025

a new Latino USA episode 🎧

A farmworker opened fire at two farms in Half Moon Bay, California, in January 2023. He killed seven men, six co-workers and a supervisor, all immigrants. He also shot a seventh man —five times— but he survived. The physical recovery for Pedro Romero Pérez has been a long one, but his emotional healing has been even longer. José, Pedro’s older brother and only family in the U.S., didn’t survive the shooting. In this episode, we go to Half Moon Bay, where an unconventional music program is helping Pedro and others heal from their deepest wounds through the keys and wails of the accordion.

Listen ➡️ bit.ly/lusacures

This episode was produced in partnership with El Tímpano.

10/04/2025

This week we're sharing an episode of LOUD: The History of Reggaeton.

Host Ivy Queen La Reina Del Reggaeton explains how El General arrived in Brooklyn in the mid-80s to a booming dancehall scene, and linked up with Jamaican producers who started recording and promoting Panamanian artists, changing reggaeton forever.

Listen ↘️

You can listen to the entire series now on Spotify.

Discover the true story of El General, Brooklyn’s dancehall scene, and the rise of Spanish-language hip-hop connecting NYC, Panama, and Puerto Rico.

10/03/2025

Brooklyn. Mid-80s. A Panamanian artist named El General walks into the Brooklyn dancehall scene… and reggaeton is never the same again.

🎧 Full story on Latino USA ↘️

This is an episode from LOUD; The History of Reggaeton. And remember, you can listen to all episodes of LOUD on Spotify.

Discover the true story of El General, Brooklyn’s dancehall scene, and the rise of Spanish-language hip-hop connecting NYC, Panama, and Puerto Rico.

10/03/2025

a Latino USA episode 🎧

Reggaeton is full of myths and legends, but this story is true: El General arrived in Brooklyn in the mid-80s and began performing in the dancehall scene, which was booming. He began working with Jamaican producers who were recording and promoting Panamanian artists. Around the same time, a Spanish-language hip-hop revolution was also taking place, as mixtapes flew back and forth between NYC and Puerto Rico.

New York became the crossroad that made reggaeton possible.

Listen to a special episode from our own Futuro Studios hit show “LOUD: The History of Reggaeton” hosted by Ivy Queen La Reina Del Reggaeton.

Listen now ➡️ bit.ly/lusaconnection

10/02/2025

On Democracy Now!, Maria L Hinojosa reflects on what she uncovered while reporting in El Salvador for the Latino USA episode, "From Pregnancy to Murder Charge: Living Under a Total Abortion Ban."

El Salvador’s total abortion ban offers a warning for the U.S., but there’s also resistance and hope. The women’s movement is still present, still fighting, and refuses to be silenced.

🎧 Hear the full story: bit.ly/lusaabortion

09/30/2025

Today on Latino USA, El Salvador’s total abortion ban sentences women to prison for miscarriage. We report on the ground how conservatives try to keep their grip on law and culture, and how feminist activists are fighting back.

Co-published in partnership with El Faro.

Listen ↘️

El Salvador’s strict anti-abortion laws and the stories of women jailed after miscarriages and stillbirths—and the human cost of a total abortion ban.