Latin Music: Dominant But Not Prominent?

Rita Indiana, who performs Latin music combining gaga, merengue, and urban edginess.

Latin music has always been a part of New York City culture. The genre played a prominent role in the evolution of early jazz in the first decade of the 20th century, experienced its own glory days through the massively popular Tejano, Tango and Tex-Mex music movements and went on to become a crucial influence on hip-hop and American pop music, with a global reach through mega-stars like Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony.

But has the time finally came for Latin Music to become fully mainstream?

Read music writer Julian Escobedo Shepherd’s take on Latin Music’s place in today’s culture.