S. Samuel
With rappers like Pitbull redefining hip-hop by mixing Latin and dance records together, SOHH recently reached out to "Love & Hip Hop" star/rapper Somaya Reece for her take on the genre's evolution.
Embracing a rising trend in the hip hop community, Reece said records like what she and Pitbull are releasing help to destroy stereotypes and crush cliches.
“Being a Latin woman, I really wanted to always make sure to add Latin culture to my music,” Reece told SOHH. “I just did my first Latin single which is going over really well in Latin America. When people think of artists, they try to box you in a certain genre. I don’t want to do that. When you hear my music, you understand, ‘OK, I hear hip-hop, I hear Europe-style music and I hear Latin flavor.’ I don’t want to be put in a box. That’s why I’ve called my latest project Blurr The Lines because I’m blurring that line. I’m not walking in your line of a box. So it’s really important because since I’m Latin, people think, ‘Oh, she must do reggaeton,’ because you think of rappers that are Latin and do reggaeton. But why is that? It’s because so many people have made labels and boxes but I can’t be defined that way.” (SOHH)
Reece also admitted that after years of campaigning a new sound, she is glad to see their style of Hip Hop and Latin fusion finally get recognition and acclaim by the masses.
“So what I’m really focused on is putting my Latin influence on my records with rap, a little hip-hop and definitely a dubstep European feel,” Reece added. “I’m very heavily Latin-influenced. I’ve been doing this and talking about it for so long but now, this year, it’s really taken off and people thought I was crazy for doing this. Look at the Top 10 records, they’re Pitbull and that’s really the epitome of where I’m going with my music.” (SOHH)
In January, the Latin hip-hop diva dropped her new Blurr The Lines mixtape.
A few weeks back, we showed off a video featuring the collaboration between Louis James and Somaya Reece for a song called “Eh Mama,” and now the song is finally available in iTunes. But Miss Reece isn’t done, she let us know that part two of the Rebel With A Cause mixtape series she’s been working on is also ready for download. This new compilation, called Blurr The Lines, is available for download here. Personally, we think she’s looking fierce on this cover, but then again, we always think she looks fierce. (VIP Music)
Recently, Pitbull showed off his rapping skills at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and spoke about fans embracing his music.
Pitbull sure knows how to put on a show, and during his halftime performance at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Mr. Worldwide brought out a few of his famous friends. During his medley of hits including “Rain Over Me,” “International Love” and “Give Me Everything,” the Miami rapper shared the stage with Nayer, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown. “For me, what it’s about is showing that music is the universal language. It shows you that no matter where you’re from, what you represent, where you grew up or no matter what your culture or background may be, music brings everybody together,” Pitbull told MTV News from his dressing room at the Amway Center in Orlando after his performance. “To have Chris Brown come out, to have Ne-Yo come out, Nayer come out — we’re all from different backgrounds, but music brings us together.” (MTV)
Check out some recent Somaya Reece footage below:
