Stop Calling Yourselves ‘Americans,’ Rapper Residente Says
“The whole project for ‘This Is Not America’ is to change the world,” says Residente. In the new episode of IndieLand Music Now, the Puerto Rican rap star – who’s won more Latin Grammys than any other artist – tells Julyssa Lopez about the concept behind his incendiary new song and video, which aim to convince residents of the U.S. to stop calling themselves “Americans.”
To hear the whole entire episode, press play above, or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The term “Americans,” Residente points out, claims an entire continent for one country, while essentially erasing all the nations of South and Central America, not to mention Canada. “I see it as an egocentric thing,” Residente says. “You think that you’re the center of the world and that’s why you’re ‘America.’ Anything that’s outside, you don’t care.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Residente talks about dealing with ADHD in his youth and looks back on his days in the legendary hip-hop duo Calle 13. He also offers a detailed preview of his upcoming, long-in-the-works new album, reminisces about the time he got Ricky Martin to join a protest, and more. (Read even more from Lopez’s interview with Residente here.)
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Download and subscribe to our weekly podcast, IndieLand Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out three years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many others — plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with IndieLand’s critics and reporters. Tune in every Friday at 1 p.m. ET to hear IndieLand Music Now broadcast on SiriusXM’s Volume, channel 106.
