Happy Independence Day, Dominican Republic! On February 27, 1844, this Caribbean country gained independence from the Spanish. To celebrate, we are exploring 6 artists and content creators of Dominican descent. Let’s jump right in!
In the 1490s, Christopher Columbus brought the first Senelagese and Gambian captives to the Dominican Republic. Slavery in the country was abolished in 1822. Today, Dominicans are mostly of mixed heritage and exist in a creole culture that blends indigenous Taino, African, and Spanish cultural ancestry. The Dominican Republic borders Haiti.
( Image by Katie Krause via Wikimedia Commons )
Cardi B, the 29-year-old entertainer, was born in New York to a Trinidadian mother and a Dominican father. The Afro-Caribbean singer honored her Dominican roots through her 2018 song and music video ‘I Like It’, which featured Colombian artist J. Balvin and Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny. In 2020, Cardi B spoke out against Dominican’s discriminatory treatment of their neighbors, Haiti.
( Image by jenni993 via Wikimedia Commons )
Fabulous, the New York-born and raised rapper known for hits such as “Make Me Better”, “Throw It In The Bag”, “So Into You”, and “You Be Killin Em”, is Afro-Dominican.
(MonicaStyleMuse with traditional Dominican breakfast. Image via MonicaStyleMuse via Instagram )
Monica Veloz, also known as MonicaStyleMuse, is a Bronx, New York-raised, Dominican-American beauty and fashion blogger who is proud of her Dominican heritage. Her makeup and style videos often mix Spanish with English. In her “I am too dark to be Dominican” video, which has 534,000 views, MonicaStyleMuse discusses her experience being a dark-skinned Afro-Latina in the beauty industry, and discrimination from Latina communities. Some of her videos provide education on Dominican culture, and include content like “Dominican slang”, Dominican recipes, and vlogs to the Dominican Republic, where she and her Afro-Dominican family proclaim “Soy Dominicano/I am Dominican”.
Watch “The Realest Dominican Vlog You’ve Ever Seen!/El Vlog Dominicano Mas Real Que Hayas Visto!
( Image by Lesliesmrosales via Wikimedia Commons )
Dave East, a New York rapper of Bajan and Dominican descent, is known for his hits “Phone Jumpin”, “Alone” and “Perfect”. The rapper showcases his acting skills on the tv show Being Mary Jane, Megan the Stallion’s Hottieween series, and the films Boogie, Beats, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga.
( Image by via Wikimedia Commons )
Brent Faiyaz, the Maryland born singer and songwriter known for his songs ‘Gravity’, ‘Wasting Time’, ‘Gang Over Luv’ and ‘Dead Man Walking’ is of a Dominican father. In 2017, Faiyaz and other music members traveled to the Dominican Republic to work on their music.
( Image by Justin Higuchi via Wikimedia Commons )
DaniLeigh, the Miami-born Dominican singer, is known for her songs “Lil Bebe”, “Easy”, ‘“Levi High” and “Cravin”, and for her relationship with rapper DaBaby. DaniLeigh celebrated her Dominican heritage in her song “Dominican Mami”, featuring Fivio Foreign.
Who are your favorite Dominican artists or creators?
Works Cited
https://dailyrapfacts.com/15391/island-vibes-dr-8-artists-dominican
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201117-santo-domingo-the-city-that-kept-slavery-silent
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/monica-veloz-style-muse-afro-latina-heritage
https://www.aldianews.com/culture/heritage-and-history/cardi-b-feud-dr-history
