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What Is 'Latin Music' Anyway? : Code Switch The term 'Latin Music' can encompass everything from Celia Cruz to Bad Bunny to Selena Gomez to Los Tigres del Norte. It's rock, pop, hip hop, salsa, bachata, reggaeton, and so much more. So...what exactly is the connective tissue? Language? The ethnicity of the artist? Pure vibes? Or is it something else entirely?

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Code Switch

What Is 'Latin Music' Anyway?

What Is 'Latin Music' Anyway?

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What exactly is Latin music? And who makes it?
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LA Johnson/NPR
What exactly is Latin music? And who makes it?
LA Johnson/NPR

The term 'Latin Music' can encompass everything from Celia Cruz to Bad Bunny to Selena Gomez to Los Tigres del Norte. It's rock, pop, hip hop, salsa, bachata, reggaetón, and so much more. So...what exactly is the connective tissue? Language? Ethnicity of the artist? Pure vibes? Or is it something else entirely?

This week, Code Switch host emeritus Shereen Marisol Meraji is back on the show — and she's teaming up with Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre of NPR's AltLatino podcast to dig into these questions.