Radio Menea Podcasts

The year is coming to a wrap pero la música nunca para! This week, we have some fun new releases that offer a little tropical calorcito that will warm you up even as the temps drop. Featuring music by Gustavo Elis, Helado Negro, Arcángel, Peso Pluma, Esty, Baby Rasta & Gringo, Zion y Lennox, Jarina de Marco, Cali y El Dandee, Marshmello, LiL CaKe, …

We are unexpectedly out this week, so we are re-running our Protest episode, inspired by some of the beautiful acts of resistance we have been witnessing the last few weeks calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. We’ll be back in your feeds on December 1. In the meantime, we hope these songs fuel your fight - whether it’s calling your reps or putting your…

Did you know that Yamilet is the most referenced name in Latinx music? Okay probably not, but this week we’ve got FOUR songs for you that talk about her. Who is she?? Why is she such a presence? We’ve got lots of theories for you, and a surprisingly deep discussion of this musically famous name. Featuring music by Daddy Yankee, La Gillette, Onguito…

This week, we’re bringing you with us on our trip to Tucson, Arizona, where we gathered with other members of Mijente - a Latinx political home for those who seek racial, economic, gender and climate justice. We can’t remember a time where it didn’t feel appropriate to say it’s a politically rough moment, pero ajá. It’s rough times. And because we …

It’s become an annual tradition, so we are digging into our espooky catalog in search of festive selections pa celebrar. Get into the mood with harps from Veracruz, killer novela-style boleros, dia de los muertos songs and more. Featuring music by Kali Uchis, Lila Downs, Tainy, Young Miko, J Balvin, Jowell y Randy, Cafe Tacvba, Ana Tijoux, Shadia M…

As we have moved to cell phones, silent mode, and Do Not Disturb life, the phone ring is slowly losing its ubiquity, pero eráse una vez it was a part of daily life — so naturally producers and songwriters creatively incorporated it into beats and song plot lines. This week, we dedicate the episode to a disappearing classic: the phone ring.Featuring…

Bad Bunny has a new album out today, but he’s not the only one with new music right now. On this week’s episode we’ve got more artists hopping on the Mexican regional bandwagon, sweet indie tracks, new music from our favorite political Chilena and much more. Featuring music by Bad Bunny, Shakira, Fuerza Regida, Mar, Tomasito García, Ana Tijoux, Oma…

Mare Advertencia has been making feminist hip hop that addresses revolutionary politics and uncomfortable topics from her home in Oaxaca for years, but the Zapoteca rapper has had some big come ups recently. Join us in anticipation of Indigenous Peoples’ day as we talk about her musical trajectory, what it was like to get the news that her song was…

We’re mixing it up and breaking our only rule this week! We’ve got songs by non-Latinx artists — because they include a sample of a Latinx song. Foundational hip hop, 90s house, fun pop throwbacks, and more sorpresitas.Featuring music by Deee-Lite, Boogie Down Productions, Wyclef Jean, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Celia Cruz, Jeni Fujita, Cibo Matto, DJ Khaled…

Familia can be complicated, but they almost always play a huge role in who we are. Esta semana, songs that feature familial ties - abues, madres, titis, primos y más.Featuring music by Becky G, Sofia Kourtesis, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Carlos Rivera, Los Inquietos del Norte, Olga y Tony, and Aventura.Show notes: bit.ly/457ZPXPFollow us:instagr…

Have you ever been lied to so bad you’ve started to question your reality? We hope not, pero this week we talk gaslighting. Songs about mentirosos, cheating revenge fantasies, remixes of gaslighting classics y más!Featuring music by Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Ozuna, Karol G, Anuel AA, Luli en Saturno, Aventura, Judy Santos, Snow Tha Product, Amigos In…

Buenas buenassss!!!! We’re back from nuestras vacaciones de verano and ready with some new music for y’all! Our tastes remain as wild as ever, and we’re here to welcome you back into the fold with chart-topping Mexican regional, experimental Caribbean electronica, indigenous futurism, Latin jazz y más.Featuring music by Grupo Frontera, Manuel Turiz…

Washington, DC’s cultural scene is often overlooked in favor of its political reputation, but looking beyond that there’s a rich cultural history. This week, DMV local DJ kristy la rAt (@ratatomica) joins us to share about some of DC’s many and diverse music scenes. From post-punk to neoperreo to merengue and trapchata, this eclectic mix will give …

We just had the three hottest days ever recorded on earth, so let’s match the heat with the music, les parece? We chat about hot clubs, hot sex, hot weather….and an increasingly hot planet. Pero no se preocupen - we know hope is a discipline around here, and we believe we have the power to turn that around. Featuring songs by Hector El Father; Majo…

Turns out that being badly behaved has no gender. This week we’ve got songs all about those boos and baes that have screwed you over. Las tóxicas, los malportados, the bad girls and the fuck boys. Our people love to sing about these tipo/as, so listen in. Featuring music by Big Soto, Ecko, Mr. Pelon, Young Miko, Jowell & Randy, Victor Manuelle, Bad…

Revenge bachata, alt dembow, electro-tango, Chilean indie, y más make up our set of brand new bops for y’all esta semana. Featuring music by Yailin La Más Viral, Mediopicky, Jenn Morel, Joelii, Elíades Ochoa, Esty, Vico C, Niña Tormenta, Don Omar, and Ana Macho.Show notes: bit.ly/3JuSWImFollow us:instagram.com/RadioMeneatwitter.com/RadioMeneatinyle…

This week we have a very special invitada, Jenni Mota, who is hosting the upcoming NYC event Mujeres del Movimiento. This historic concert will feature an all Dominican women line up, and she joined us to talk about how this event came about, why it’s so historic, and the artists that will be featured. Y como siempre, the backlash she’s facing for …

Book bans, anti-trans legislation, abortion bans and restrictions...things are feeling more than a little fascist in the USA right now. Todo mal, pero no a falta de resistencia. This week we talk about the global rise of fascism, historical context around the ebbs and flows of progress and backlash, and of course, the soundtrack of resistance. Whet…

We are gay every month, but in June we like to give a little extra shine to nuestra gente cuir. In a dystopian twist, drag performers are under attack right now, so we’re giving some big love to our drag community and all of the songs that make their performances pop in this week’s episode. Featuring music by Gloria Trevi, Christina Aguilera, David…

We put together a few new finds for y’all, and it shaped up to be muuuyyy de verano! We are on the precipice of summer, we’ve had a few unseasonably warm days care of climate catastrophe, the Mr. Softee truck is starting to make its first few appearances… we can almost taste the raspados and smell the ocean air. Hope you’re as ready as we are!Featu…

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned es lo que dicen ¿no? We have had some momentos virales lately with women who have been done dirty by their boo - ::cough:: Shaki ::cough:: - so we decided to dig into the genre. We love a woman scorned señora vibe, so we dug up some older tracks for y’all, but people stay acting a fool throughout time, so we h…

How did the brassy sounds of the Mexican countryside suddenly start dominating the charts? For people who are new to following Mexican Regional music, this rise might seem out of left field. But the ascent of this new generation of Mexican Regional artists has been in the making for years. This week we delve into the Regional Mexican artists who ar…

Arguably North America’s first boy band, Menudo found epic success before the Backstreet Boys were even out of diapers. The group’s career spanned four decades and involved 32 young men, many albums and a lot of controversy. In this week’s episode we explore the impact, trajectory and dark side of Menudo. Trigger warning: This episode includes disc…

The rises on jeans were low, mp3 players were new, and the president was lying about the existence of weapons of mass destruction to invade a whole country to avenge his daddy and make his VP some cash. The year is 2003, and twenty years ago (!!!) the musical landscape looked….vastly different. We were coming off the end of the Latin boom era of th…

April 17th would have been Chavela Vargas’ 104th birthday. We’re taking this opportunity to do a deep dive into her legendary career. An unofficial queer icon, Chavela lived outside of gender norms during a time when it was risky to do so. Despite this, she made a name for herself in Mexico with her incredible voice, becoming especially known for h…

Hallelujah! Amen! Our Women’s History Month content is spilling into April, ¿y porqué no? The best kind of April shower this week - musiquita nueva by dope ass mujeres.Featuring music by Olga Tañon, Xenia Rubinos, Karol G, Tei Shi, La Santa Cecilia, Pedro Hidalgo, Salt Cathedral, Nicole Manzo, and Kali Uchis.Show notes: bit.ly/3UerVwVBecome a Radio…

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we wanted to highlight four trans Latina musicians. Especially given the increasing attacks on trans people, it felt important to celebrate and honor these women and their musical contributions. Featuring music by Linn da Quebrada, Liniker, Arca and Villano Antillano.Show notes: bit.ly/3TUUNKtBecome a Radi…

It’s been seven years of Radio Menea. Increíble no? This week, to celebrate our birthday, we go through our favorite songs on each of those seven years. It’s been some jams - travel in time con nosotres!Featuring music by Manuel Turizo, MULA, Daddy Yankee, Joyce Santana, Bad Bunny, Arca, Yahritza y Su Esencia, and Lucrecia Dalt.Show notes: bit.ly/4…

This week, Vero guides us through a dive into a Latinas making electronic music today. A genre - or set of genres! - that transcends boundaries of style and sound, music produced electronically has expanded how we perceive music, who can make it, and even what is sonically possible in endless and amazing ways.Show notes: bit.ly/3FxhpKZBecome a Radi…

A legendary artist, Susana Baca is also responsible for bringing Afro-Peruvian rhythms to the world stage. An incredible singer, dancer and activist, Baca’s extensive catalog honors the deep legacy of Afro-Peruvians both thematically and rhythmically. In honor of Black History Month, we take a deep dive into Baca’s life and career, bringing shine t…

In the USA, Valentine’s day is exclusively focused on romantic love. Pero en América Latina es el día del amor y la amistad, and this Valentine’s day we wanna honor the love and care in friendships. The way our social structures are set up, romantic relationships seem to be set up as the ones that deserve to become the most valuable ones in our liv…

This week we’re bringing you the awards categories you never knew you needed. The best song for cleaning your house? For getting ready to turn up? For feeling feelings that you aren’t actually feeling? We may never make it to the Latin Grammy’s, so we decided to bring the award show to you. Featuring music by Luisito Ayala y La Puerto Rican Power, …

This week we have a nice lil variedad of new finds for y’all: sentimental ballads, trippy morphing boleros, healing-vibes R&B y mucho más.Featuring music by Yahritza y su Esencia, Kali Uchis, Willy Chirino, NOIA, Buscabulla, Ximena Sariñana, Melov, Soy Emilia, Geogy Mills, Nicky Jam, and Andrea Bell.Show notes: bit.ly/3HBTuf4Follow us:instagram.com…

As Shaki breaks the internet with her BZRP freestyle dissing her cheating ex, we decided to explore the genre of the diss track. This week - in addition to the Shaki’s viral session with producer Biza por su puesto - we explore all manner of diss tracks and tiraeras. Do we love the mess o nos da pena ajena? But it’s more than beefs and pettiness - …

New year, new…hookups? 2023 is here and we are thirsty! Okay not really, but the songs we are bringing this week definitely are. It isn’t hard to find Latinx songs with horny undertones, and this week we have a few of our favorites. Featuring music by La Lupe, El Alfa, Nicky Jam, Tomasa de Real, Speedy, RaiNao, Brray, Leslie Grace, Noriel, Bad Bunn…

Last week you gave us your faves of 2022 - now it’s our turn. Featuring music by Bad Bunny, Lucrecia Dalt, Yahritza y Su Esencia, Oksana Linde, Manuel Turizo, Villano Antillano, Rauw Alejandro, Natti Natasha, Daddy Yankee, and Wisin y Yandel.Show notes: bit.ly/3V7WMKdFollow us:instagram.com/RadioMeneatwitter.com/RadioMeneatinyletter.com/RadioMenea…

This week, it’s about you. You told us your favorite song by a Latine artist from this year - in person at Lánzate in Philly - Latinx organizing hub Mijente’s conference - and via IG desde sus casitas. We can’t say we are surprised that y’all have impeccable taste.Featuring music by Elsa y Elmar, Bad Bunny, Shakira, Ozuna, Silvana Estrada, Arca, Sa…

2022 isn’t over yet, and we’re rounding it out with some new new for your end of year consideration! Ya saben, our usual combo of some weird shit and some pop.Featuring music by Grupo Firme, La Ventaja, Mala Fama, Karlos Rose, Mabe Fratti, Bacilos, Timo, Rauw Alejandro, Maricuir, and Lorena Orlando.Show notes: bit.ly/3iO4lZkFollow us:instagram.com/…

Legendary Brazilian singer Gal Costa passed away last week, leaving behind an incredible legacy of musical innovation. Along with others in the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s, they created a new genre that married traditional Brazilian rhythms with international sounds. Gal was a central voice in the tropicalimso movement, and that work laid…

Luzmila Carpio is a luminary of indigenous music in Latin America and beyond. Her songs, inspired by the sounds of bird song, streams, and the land she grew up on, have brought Quechua and Aymara sonic traditions and stories of indigenous resistance around the globe. This week, as we start a month rife with revisionist histories about colonization,…

On November 1, 2002, Tego Calderón released El Abayarde, his groundbreaking and genre-shifting debut album. 20 years later, we reflect on Tego’s legacy and what this album’s celebration of Blackness and enduring musical impact has meant for reggaeton, Puerto Rico and Latin music worldwide.Featuring music by Tego Calderón. Show notes: bit.ly/3E0uSuD…

You know what time it is. Spooky sounds, spooky themes, and general jaloguín vibes for one of our fave holidays! We have demons and devils, calaveras y muerte, and notorious ghosts. Spooky as sexy, spooky as a metaphor for moral panic, and some really beautiful spookiness too. Featuring music by Six Sex, Calle 13, La Lupe, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, …

We might be exaggerating a little bit, but we are running ragged from traveling, so this week we’re just haciendo lo que nos da la gana (thanks Bad Bunny!). We brought whatever songs we wanted to with no theme to unify them, and it’s a pretty great mix if we do say so ourselves. Show notes: bit.ly/3TorfDWFollow us:instagram.com/RadioMeneatwitter.co…

Esta semana it’s all about y’all: we asked for your picks, and you sent them! We love it when y’all put us on, and send us stuff that are outside of our purview or what we generally tend to seek - and y’all delivered. Featuring music by Tachi Waves, Mazzy Star, Laguna Pai, La Dame Blanche, Maria Gadu, and La Doña.Show notes: https://bit.ly/3T2MqLHF…

From good musiquita for the cooler months to fun collaborations, accessible pop, and explorations of love, this week we’ve got some cute new releases for your fall playlists.Featuring music by La Santa Cecilia, Dueto Dos Rosas, Daniela Lalita, Wisin y Yandel, Prince Royce, Lyanno, Young Miko, Kany Garcia, Christian Nodal, Anaís Azul, Bacilos, Chaci…

Each year, hurricane season gets more intense and more disastrous, particularly for folks in the Caribbean. As Puerto Rico is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Fiona, people in Cuba and Florida are now dealing with Hurricane Ian’s destructive impact. In this episode we explore the ways our changing climate is disproportionately impacti…

A deep abiding sadness. Existential dread. How would you describe melancholy? In this week’s episode we dive into the expressions of melancholy in Latine music. Unsurprisingly, hay mucho que escoger. Get ready to romanticize your melancholic solitude. Featuring music by Los Diablitos, La India, Goyo, Twin Shadow, Antony Santos, La Lupe, Sonora Sigu…

Vero took on the wild adventure of cooking a whole goat in a highly regional preparation that’s been passed down through family, so we obviously took this chance to talk about it and the GOATs of some of our fave Caribbean genres: Bachata, Salsa, Reggaeton, and Merengue. Shoutout our editor (and ghost producer apparently lol) Myte from Cabronas y C…

It’s time for some new musiquita again! And in the meantime we catch up on current chisme - besos escandalosos, posthumous Selenas y más. Featuring music by Natti Natasha, Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, Villano Antillano, Ptazeta, Selena, Beyonce, Ivy Queen, Tonga Conga, Mabiland, Los Rakas, and MULA.Show notes: https://bit.ly/3RwjyKsFollow us:insta…

We talk a lot about the influence of African people, instruments, and rhythms on Latinx music. But we know that indigenous peoples and musical traditions have also had an impact. This week we take a deep dive into one of the most iconic examples from Los Kjarkas, an Andean folk group from Bolivia, whose iconic song Llorando Se Fue (aka La Lambada) …