¡Azucar!By Kelvin Li, Michael Pavia, and Shantae Shaw

Celia Cruz

Born in Havana, Cuba

First female Salsa mega-star

Received her own star on Hollywood‟s “Walk of Fame” in 1987

Received numerous awards in the „90s

Frances Negrón-Muntaner, Celia’s Shoes

“If Celia‟s shoes stood in for her success as a Black working class Latina in „Gringolandia‟, for the fans, many of whom were women, Black, Latinos, queers, they offered both hope of reaching a similar stature and of upsetting the hierarchies that kept them down.”

Things to Think About

1. How is the woman walking around represented?

2. How is Celia Cruz represented?3. Is there a reason behind this

contrast?4. “… The fusion of seriedad and

extravagance allowed Celia to be seen both as a spectacle worth looking at and as a decent woman, in no way to be confused with the mujeres de la vida her father was worried about.” Can you think of any artists (Latina or otherwise) that have also done this? How?

La Negra TieneTumbao (Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imeXSRNRMeg

Things to Think About

1. What is represented in the video?2. How are women represented?3. How is the Cuban culture

represented?4. There is more of a connection of

Celia and the goings-on in this music video than in the previous video. Why do you think that is?

ContropuntoMusical (Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz7NdrWBs24&list=AL94UKMTqg-9D3TIDh85C7VI4DYPAh9n9o&index=9&feature=plcp

Ivy Queen

Born in Añasco, Puerto Rico

Also known as the Queen of Reggaeton

Celia’s Shoes (on Ivy Queen)

“Given the perception that she is not a conventionally attractive woman, she insists that in contrast to other divas she does not come to sell her nalgas, but her lyrics.”

Things to Think About

1. Like a lot of artists, Ivy Queen transformed her image from the typical 90‟s female rapper aesthetic to an extremely feminine one. Do you think her audience would have changed in any way if she hadn‟t chosen to „feminize‟ her image?

2. The second video is from her most recent album that she says is to inspire women to take the initiative and to not wait for Romeo. Do you feel she has succeeded? Why/why not?

PonganAtención(1997)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBKL-LO8Z9s

Peligro de Extinción(2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6PYolW-HHM

Final Thoughts

There is a message behind every song. What are the overall messages they are trying to get across through their music?

How are Celia Cruz and Ivy Queen similar? Different?

Are their representations exaggerated? Is it authentic?