Show Notes
Created on the streets by young Nuyoricans in the mid-1980s, freestyle music became the soundtrack for the lives of second-generation Puerto Ricans. Hip-hop and pop, Latin Caribbean rhythms and instruments — it all came together in freestyle. The sound was ubiquitous in New York, and later in Orlando, Florida, where many of these Boricuas were charting new ground and new lives across the diaspora. Artists, many of whom were young Puerto Rican women, ultimately became the face of the genre; and for the listeners that so resembled them, the music provided an opportunity to dance to the beat of someone who looked and sounded like them. Young freestyle artists sang about love, heartbreak, and their sexual desires. In Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam’s “I Wonder If I Take You Home” — one of the genre’s biggest hits — a young woman sings about her sexual desire, on her own terms and without shame. As a Boricua born in the '90s, reporter Raquel Reichard didn’t experience the freestyle explosion in real time, but she’s felt its profound ripple effects. In this episode, we meet two mother-daughter duos — including Raquel and her mother — for whom “I Wonder if I Take You Home” is particularly special. The song opened intergenerational conversations around sexuality, respectability and empowerment, and while impacting their lives both personally and professionally, it also strengthened their relationships with each other. Learn more about the voices in this episode: • Stacey DiLiberto, lecturer at the University of Central Florida • Louie Ortiz-Fonseca, freestyle historian and former freestyle artist • Nic Lopez Rodriguez, DJ and performance studies scholar • Stephanie Loraine Piñeiro, Executive Director of Florida Access Network • Read Raquel Reichard’s reporting on the history of birth control trials. • Watch the documentary "La Operación,” about the sterilization of Puerto Rican women during the 1950s and 60s. Our cover of “I Wonder If I Take You Home” is by the artist RaiNao, featuring IFE (out this April). Listen to our Spotify playlist, featuring music from this episode — and this season. We’ll keep adding to it each week as new episodes come out. Special thanks this week to Zoe Colón, Angel Vendrell, Jackie and Emily Diaz, Richie Rosario, Cynthia Torres, DJ Dominick, and Maritza and Lizardo Reichard. Fact checking this season is by Istra Pacheco and María Soledad Dávila Calero. This season of La Brega is made possible by the Mellon Foundation. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts: futuro.supportingcast.fm/la-brega-plus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from La Brega
In August, the Puerto Rican government issued preliminary approvals for Esencia, a controversial $2.7 billion project in Cabo Rojo. This proposed luxury complex includes a private beach club, golf courses, and upscale residences and hotels. But experts, from scientists to government agencies and environmental groups, have all warned that the development would displace locals and threaten wildlife in the area, an ecologically sensitive part of Puerto Rico. In this episode, the La Brega team takes us through this landscape as we hear the natural and wildlife sounds that could be lost if Esencia is built.
En agosto, el gobierno de Puerto Rico aprobó permisos preliminares para un controversial proyecto multimillonario en Cabo Rojo conocido como Esencia. El complejo exclusivo incluiría un club de playa privado, campos de golf, hoteles y residencias de lujo. Pero expertos —desde científicos a grupos ambientalistas y agencias gubernamentales— han advertido que el proyecto desplazaría a los locales y amenaza la flora y fauna de un área de alto valor ecológico. En este episodio, el equipo de La Brega nos lleva en un paseo sonoro por ese entorno para escuchar lo que podríamos perder si Esencia se construye.
La Brega is back, and we’re here to stay! After three seasons, the show has established itself as a town square where people come to hear stories, laugh, and dream together. We’ll continue bringing you fascinating stories about our history and identity, important reports about the latest issues in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean, and exciting interviews with some of the most creative artists and thinkers of today. New episodes drop on Tuesdays, starting October 20th. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts: futuro.supportingcast.fm/la-brega-plus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
¡La Brega está de vuelta y estamos aquí para quedarnos! Durante tres temporadas nos convertimos en una plaza pública donde nos juntamos a escuchar historias, reír y soñar juntos. Y ahora volvemos para seguir compartiendo historias fascinantes sobre la puertorriqueñidad, reportajes sobre los retos en Puerto Rico y el Caribe y conversaciones urgentes con artistas y pensadores. A partir del 20 octubre busca episodios nuevos los martes. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts: futuro.supportingcast.fm/la-brega-plus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You’ve seen the Instagram posts and the headlines of Puerto Rican campeones in all kinds of arenas. For this special bonus episode we talk to Camila Lamerre Estevez, an athlete who competed on the Puerto Rican women’s ice hockey team. We share Camila’s story, how she turned into a young hockey star, and what she learned about Puerto Ricanness on the ice.