Hey everyone, thanks for joining me again!
Glad all roads brought you back, here. Here’s this week’s blog and for the month of March, we shall be celebrating ‘Women’s History Month.’
I originally wrote this blog entry for a blog site, but in all honesty, I’ve wanted to do a podcast episode about this subject and I feel like this topic needs to be brought up again to inspire everyone reading this, especially women. After all, I am writing from the perspective of a man who’s simply trying to learn from and empower women’s experiences and voices.
We’ve all heard about how many male Reggaeton music producers there are.
We have a lot of talent making the hits that help people from all walks of life dance their problems away on dance floors all across the world, from LunyTunes to Tainy, Sky Rompiendo, and Subelo Neo. Female producers are missing from the most popular Latin genres.
I spent quite some time looking for female Latin Urban producers. There are a few names that have collaborated with some of the industry’s finest talents. What I noticed during my search is that there aren’t many female producers who specialize in Reggaeton or Latin Trap. Is it possible that the misogynistic lyrical content in certain genres discourages women from producing? I sincerely hope not, given the number of female singers and rappers who have achieved parity with their male counterparts.
“Why aren’t more female producers collaborating with female artists like Farina, Paloma Mami, Karol G, and others who are at the top of the game?”
In Hip Hop, we have superstar producers like Wundagurl from Brampton, ON. She has the ability to maintain her supremacy in the midst of male hitmakers. Travis Scott’s Antidote, Drake’s Fair Trade, Rihanna’s Bitch Better Have My Money, and a host of others are among her many accomplishments.
There’s also Eva Shaw from Toronto, Canada who’s a producer that I think deserves a lot more recognition. Her beats are dope. Almost every song I’ve heard that she’s featured in is a banger. She’s performed at some of the world’s biggest EDM festivals and clubs. But there is still so much room for other ladies who are on the come up.
According to Rolling Stone magazine,
the number of women in music in top songs dipped even lower than in 2019, the study found. From 2019 to 2020, female artists fell from 22.5% to 20.2%; female songwriters decreased from 14.4% to 12.9%; and female producers declined from 5% to just 2%. Producing positions consistently showed the most lopsided annual figures of all the measurements in the study — and across the nine-year sample, when searching for female producers of color in particular, researchers found a 180:1 ratio of non-white female producers to white male producers.
Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/women-artists-music-study-2021-1138094/
When most women are asked how it is to work in a musical atmosphere with men, they always express the same feelings of being harassed, feeling uneasy, and discriminated against. There’s also that major issue about pay inequality in almost every job out there. Music producing roles are no exception.
In EDM, the story isn’t quite the same. This, in my opinion, is the scene that embraces the most women of any genre or sub-genre. DJs like Solange Romero, Rosa Pistola, Mariana BO, and a bunch of others are part of the burgeoning EDM scene. DJ Anna, a Brazilian-born DJ/producer who has been killing it in the Techno scene for quite some time, is also included.
I came across an article about a few Reggaeton producers in the game and read about a dope human in particular.
Chocolate Remix (Romina Bernardo) is a producer and artist from Argentina who has been active since 2013. She is a lesbian artist who is pleased to be a part of her community. She fills a gap in Reggaeton by empowering women and demonstrating that they can compete with men in the genre.
Her lyrics are enough to make you blush because of how graphically she discusses how to please a lady, but I believe her music is powerful and informational enough to have men start taking notes on how to treat the women in their lives. “Lesbian Reggaeton,” she
calls it.
With her songs, she stomps on machismo. In a world where women are continuously objectified by men, she believes that women should be able to celebrate themselves and that revealing their bodies and discussing sexual themes should not be considered taboo. She considers herself a member of Reggaeton’s burgeoning “female movement.” Throughout her music, she talks about fun stuff but also meaningful lyrics to shed light on the reality of homophobia and gender violence. She is unquestionably a formidable lyrical opponent to any current artist in Latin urban music.
With a prominent female presence in the spotlight, we have made significant progress. However, not every young lady aspires to be the next Karol G, Farina, Cazzu, or Becky G. Some people are probably fascinated by the production side of music. Although production equipment is more widely available these days, we cannot presume that it is inexpensive to all.
LunyTunes, the “Kings of the Beats,” are already here. No woman has yet ascended to the title of “Queen of the Beats.” Producing music isn’t typically a job that will put you on stage in front of a crowd of screaming fans singing your songs.
But what if people were dancing to the beats you created, and you made them feel something that no words can describe?
I’d like to ask a question to the ladies who are reading this.
Do you ever wonder, “How was that beat made?” while listening to music? “What is it about the bassline that makes it sound so good?” “How can I get others to feel the same way I do when I listen to music?” “How can I compose a song that sounds like my favourite, which is constantly playing on my playlist?” Don’t be concerned with how much or how little you know about music production. Don’t be concerned about what others may say. Reggaeton and Latin Trap are in desperate need of you and your inventiveness!
If you’re in this situation and don’t know where to begin, here are some suggestions.
I’ve tested and suggested the following music software:
FL Studio (Mac & PC): User Friendly, affordable, most Reggaeton producers use this one. Producers who use this: Lunytunes, DJ Blass, DJ Urba, Vinylz who’s produced hits for Drake and Romeo Santos with this software.
Ableton Live (Mac & PC): Although this is a bit more sophisticated, there are lots of YouTube tutorials to get you started. You don’t really need anything else because this program comes with high-quality stock sounds and instruments. Here’s a channel to get you
started: www.youtube.com
Producers that use this: Tainy, Skrillex and most EDM producers.
Logic Pro (Mac Only)– User friendly, lots of stock sounds and instruments to get you started.
For a deeper look at what could be the best for you, check this out:
Choosing the Right DAW | SoundGirls.org
As I previously stated, there is currently no music production Queen of Reggaeton. If she was from Toronto, Canada, it would be fantastic.
Just a thought.
Written By: Mario Funes
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/may/07/chocolate-remix-lesbian-reggaeton-taking-on-supermacho
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Attached- Soares
REVIEW: 4/5
I’ve been following the journey of Brian Tony Soares aka “Soares,” for a couple of years.
From the days he released the song “Red Sangria,” I knew he was on to something.
Now that he’s released his latest song, you can hear the growth in his cadence and melodic flows. The vibe of the song reminded me of Ricky Hil Ft The Weeknd’s song “Nomads.”
Find it in this week’s playlist on Spotify.
The Art Of Staying Present- Sarah, The illstrumentalist
Review: 5/5
I think I’ve shared Sarah’s music, before. She has been consistently dropping music since I first came across her YouTube channel. She has mastered Native Instrument’s DAW called Maschine and makes some dope Lo-fi music. Her latest release is a gem, and the title sends a really nice message. “The Art Of Staying present.”
Find it in this week’s playlist on Spotify.
Loquera- Papi A.Q. Prod. By Rexyboy
Review: 4/5
Mexican-Canadian artist Papi, A.Q. is no stranger to the ‘Artist Spotlight’ of the newsletter. This song is catchy, Easy to sing along to and definitely makes me think about those summer nights walking by the lake in Toronto. The only thing that kept the track from being a 5/5 is the fact that I’m not a fan of what I consider an overuse of autotune. To each their own and that’s only a personal preference of mine and should not prevent you from checking out the song. If it made it to the newsletter for review, you could trust that it is a good song.
Find it in this week’s playlist on Spotify.
Written and reviewed by: Mario Funes
Send an e-mail to Info@wokeuparebel.com
Or
DM on IG @wokeuparebel
to submit your songs for review and to be added to the weekly playlist.
OLD SCHOOL SONG OF THE WEEK
You have no idea how happy I was when i heard that De La Soul’s music was coming to the streaming platforms after their long legal battle with their label Tommy Boy Records. My favourite song by these guys is Oooh ft Redman. The theme is sort of a ghetto version of Wizard Of OZ. With Flipmode Squad’s Rah Digga playing Dorothy