Tuesday, February 2, 2010

LatiNegr@s Project: DLG



I remember being asked on formspring what my favorite salsa album was and responding that I have lots of love for DLGs album Swing On!

For those of you new to DLG (Dark Latin Groove) they were one of the first hip-hop/soul/r&b/reaggeaton blend that I was exposed to in the 90s. Here's some of their videos:



I'd go as far as to say that lead singer Huey also played with ideas of masculinity for Latino men at the same time perpetuating oversexualization that demonstrates how complicated and layered we all are.



In this video we have a love interest who I read as racially Black and possibly a LatiNegra.



I think in this live video there is a lot of eroticizing of Huey, the lead singer, and lightest. It's not obvious when you are a young girl watching such images, but as an adult who has grappled with identity and probably will because I'm committed to learning and knowledge production, it is so apparent in this video.



You may have heard of DLG from these last two videos which I think many people remember them the most. Muévete from their first self-titled album:



Also No Morira (No Matter What) was on that album. Here's the video:



Now, DLG broke up when Huey wanted to pursue a solo career. New one of them kept the name and came back with a new lead singer, a woman, and I have to admit I'm not that into their new lead or sound. They have fulfilled their purpose in my life and I appreciate them for that.

No comments:

Post a Comment