Speaker 1: Picture this. It's summer, New York City. All the windows
Speaker 1: of your apartment are open. While you're trying to fight
Speaker 1: off that relentless heat. In the distance, you hear the
Speaker 1: sound of music blasting from someone's car speakers. You know
Speaker 1: who they're.
Speaker 2: Playing to, Alipa.
Speaker 1: What part of the city do you live in? Okay, bad, bunny, warm,
Speaker 1: but not quite Try a different genre, a little more
Speaker 1: on theme for today's episode.
Speaker 2: Okay, but how is from La bar Radia?
Speaker 1: Not on theme with me, Joseph, It's Verano. We're in
Speaker 1: New York City. Mark Anthony da Than, otherwise known as
Speaker 1: Marco Anton, the proud Puerto Rican singer that changed the
Speaker 1: music game and salsa as we know.
Speaker 2: It, Born and raised in New York to the rhythm
Speaker 2: of the trumpet, the double bass, and the gongas.
Speaker 1: Named one of the best singers of all time by
Speaker 1: Rolling Stone. Mind you iconic if you ask me, we
Speaker 1: only know who Mark is. But I'm going to go
Speaker 1: out on a limb here and say that most of
Speaker 1: us aren't quite as familiar with how he actually got here.
Speaker 1: And it tracks because how a man that keeps such
Speaker 1: a low profile manage to transcend to the iconic, How
Speaker 1: did he become a household name Jada recognized around the.
Speaker 2: Globe and why does the eye all that genius find
Speaker 2: those damn aviators.
Speaker 1: Today, we're looking back on his humble beginnings before all
Speaker 1: the Grammys to uncover the secret to his success.
Speaker 2: From his start as a backup vocalist for hire to
Speaker 2: being one of the most in demand touring acts of
Speaker 2: all time.
Speaker 1: We'll also explore how Mark managed to make salsa a
Speaker 1: universal sound that has the whole world dancing.
Speaker 2: So get your dancing shoes on, because we're looking back
Speaker 2: on the phenomenal career of one of the best, Mark Anthony.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Liliana Oscuez and I'm Joseph Carrio and
Speaker 1: this is Becoming an icon a weekly podcast where we
Speaker 1: give you the rundown on how today's most famous latinv
Speaker 1: stars have shaped pop culture.
Speaker 2: And given the world some extra tubble.
Speaker 1: Sit back and get comfortable.
Speaker 2: Because we are going in the only way we know how,
Speaker 2: with buenas vis.
Speaker 1: Buenasriesas and a lot of opinions as we relive their
Speaker 1: greatest achievements on our journey to find out what makes
Speaker 1: them so iconic. Okay, so before you dive into your
Speaker 1: Walter mcgado persona. Let the listeners know where we're recording
Speaker 1: today in New Yo, which is so appropriate for the
Speaker 1: artist we're going to be talking about today. Tell me
Speaker 1: a bit about your relationship with Mark Anthony.
Speaker 2: Okay, well, you've never been romantically involved that I know.
Speaker 1: Of your impressions of him before we started researching and
Speaker 1: planning for these episodes.
Speaker 2: Oh, he's an amazing singer. Facts. I know he sings
Speaker 2: salsa and I saw him in the movie in.
Speaker 1: The Heights for like one second.
Speaker 2: That's that's That's what I That's what happened.
Speaker 1: That's all. Is that prior to recording this and prior
Speaker 1: to researching the show, that is all you knew of Mark?
Speaker 2: Like, I knew he had a very sexy voice. I
Speaker 2: knew he was married to j Lo, I knew he
Speaker 2: was very skinny.
Speaker 1: Yes, Now, when was the first time you heard Mark?
Speaker 1: Not heard of? Like, what was the first song that
Speaker 1: brought you into Mark Anthony as an artist?
Speaker 2: Oh, my gosh, really really it would be Viva Me Viva,
Speaker 2: Like I never knew anything about him honestly before what
Speaker 2: I know, but my parents didn't listen to this music.
Speaker 1: See you bring up such an interesting point. So Joseph
Speaker 1: recap for our listeners that have not been listening the
Speaker 1: whole time here you I know, I can't believe we
Speaker 1: have listeners that have not listened to the podcast from
Speaker 1: day one. But in case you're new, here here's a
Speaker 1: little background. I am half Mexican and half Puerto Rican.
Speaker 2: And I am all Mexican from Wednesday.
Speaker 1: And I'm so happy that you are so honest about
Speaker 1: your experience with salza because sometimes I think that non
Speaker 1: Latinos put all Latinos in the same box musically, culturally,
Speaker 1: language meet lit and you think that, oh, all Latin
Speaker 1: music is just Latin music. Yes, I know there's a
Speaker 1: Latin Grammys, but on the Latin Grammys there are so
Speaker 1: many categories, and salsa is very different than reggaeton, then mambo,
Speaker 1: then pop, then Colombian rock, then Shakira's alt rock. And
Speaker 1: I think depending on where you grew up, that really
Speaker 1: informs your playlist as you're developing your ear and your
Speaker 1: sound as like a young person, right, And salsa, don't
Speaker 1: hate me salsa people, but salsa is our parents' music,
Speaker 1: specifically my Puerto Rican dad's music.
Speaker 2: I was gonna say that because it was not my parents' music.
Speaker 2: You know, I knew Celia Cruz. And when it's so
Speaker 2: funny that you're saying New York, New York salsa is
Speaker 2: so fucking New York, it's crazy they play it everywhere.
Speaker 2: But I never grew up to that sound.
Speaker 1: And I think what you're talking about specifically, and we're
Speaker 1: going to get into this anyone that is new to salsa,
Speaker 1: or new to Mark Anthony or just kind of finding
Speaker 1: this podcast because they want to uncover a little bit
Speaker 1: more about Latin music. We're starting in a really good place.
Speaker 1: There's this real distance divide in like elder salsa and
Speaker 1: salsa as we know it now perfected by Mark Anthony.
Speaker 1: So Elder Salsa for you guys listening, that is the
Speaker 1: sound of Hector Levo, Willi Colonne, Celia Cruz. Those are
Speaker 1: like the people I grew up listening to. My mom
Speaker 1: specifically loved Celia always, like Gardnaval is her anthem, it's
Speaker 1: her pump up song, like my dad Puerto Rican is
Speaker 1: more of like the Hector Levo, Willi Colonne, who's actually
Speaker 1: his favorite which might be names that you've never heard of,
Speaker 1: but by the way, I have to shout out my dad.
Speaker 1: There's a song from WILLI colon Call Television. It is
Speaker 1: my pump up song, Like that is the song that
Speaker 1: Santi's gonna be like, Oh my god, I'll turn it off. No,
Speaker 1: it's so good. So anyway, let's go back to our podcast.
Speaker 1: Now that we've talked about salsa, let's focus in on
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony, the man that changed the game when it
Speaker 1: came to this genre of music.
Speaker 2: Can I do my bit now?
Speaker 1: Please go crazy?
Speaker 2: Cue the music? Mm hmmm, yes, yes, I see it all.
Speaker 2: He was born September sixteenth, nineteen sixty eight. What excuse.
Speaker 2: He's a virgo and his moon is in cancer. Please
Speaker 2: hold I'm tapping into the universe and to my cranial
Speaker 2: sacral therapy. Okay, he's observant and realistic, but he's also
Speaker 2: got a little bit of mystery to him those fucking glasses.
Speaker 2: He also can be surprisingly nurturing and soft.
Speaker 1: I get sweet.
Speaker 2: It checks out just listen to those lyrics.
Speaker 1: And he's always been in touch with that more sensitive,
Speaker 1: sensual side of his. I mean he just got married
Speaker 1: again for the fourth time, and he has a type y'all,
Speaker 1: beauty queens He just got married again to former Miss Paraguay,
Speaker 1: Nadia Ferre.
Speaker 2: Mark has a thing for the beauty quaints and she's.
Speaker 1: Gorgina tomorrow a word from Joseph like she's stunning. And
Speaker 1: he was in tears when he saw her walking down
Speaker 1: the aisle. It was almost as if he'd never been
Speaker 1: married before. Were like, Mark, you've been here, buddy, three times.
Speaker 1: But whatever, she took his breath away and brought him
Speaker 1: to tears.
Speaker 2: Listen, at least he puts a ring on it. We
Speaker 2: got to respect it.
Speaker 1: But before we get into any of his many romantic relationships,
Speaker 1: because you know, I'm always down to chat about those,
Speaker 1: let's first focus on the artistry. He's been named the
Speaker 1: top selling tropical salza artist of all time, holding the
Speaker 1: most number one songs on the Billboard Latin Tropical airplay.
Speaker 1: Can you guess how many sixteen m double it?
Speaker 2: I don't do math very well.
Speaker 1: That's thirty two.
Speaker 2: Oh he knows how it makes some hit. At thirty two.
Speaker 1: With over twelve million albums sold worldwide, you can't picture
Speaker 1: salsa without him, his face and those aviators popping up
Speaker 1: in your head.
Speaker 2: Which, to be honest, it gets very weird. If you're
Speaker 2: listening to his balance in the shower or wonderful. It
Speaker 2: kind of depends on you as real.
Speaker 1: It back Joseph and I wonder if our listeners are
Speaker 1: thinking the same thing that we were thinking when we
Speaker 1: started to talk about Mark Anthony. How did it all start?
Speaker 2: Mark Anthony was born Marco Antonio Monice. His namesake was
Speaker 2: the Mexican.
Speaker 1: Singer who was born and raised in Halisco. But that
Speaker 1: Marco spent a lot of time on a very special
Speaker 1: island in the Caribbean.
Speaker 2: Dam Girl, Puerto Ricosta. Alla.
Speaker 1: I mean, there is a reason the hottest artist in
Speaker 1: the world right now is bad Money.
Speaker 2: Okay, now you really back?
Speaker 1: And Girl, by the way, if you haven't listened to
Speaker 1: those episodes, go back, but not right now. Finish this
Speaker 1: episode and then go back.
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 1: So let's talk about the Mexican singer. So he would
Speaker 1: travel to the Garibe Hilton Hotel in San Juan to
Speaker 1: perform so much, it's almost like he had a Vegas residency.
Speaker 1: But in San Juan. It was around the during the
Speaker 1: sixties and seventies that the saltsa boom really caught fire,
Speaker 1: and he loved it so much that he never wanted
Speaker 1: to leave, often performing salsa with live bands to the
Speaker 1: hotel crowd.
Speaker 2: So it's almost like Mark Anthony's parents manifested his singing
Speaker 2: career just by naming their kid after him.
Speaker 1: His parents definitely set up baby Mark for a bright future,
Speaker 1: whether they knew it at the time or not. His father,
Speaker 1: Felippe Munize, worked at a hospital cafeteria, but he was
Speaker 1: also a talented musician.
Speaker 2: I love me a side gig moment. I mean my
Speaker 2: facial sculpting, okay.
Speaker 1: His mother, geyerm Nakignonez, on the other hand, was a housewife.
Speaker 1: According to Mark, he says that growing up he was
Speaker 1: a pain in the ass to his mom. To his dad,
Speaker 1: though baby Mark was the light of his eyes. But
Speaker 1: Mark says he was an awkward kid. They raised him
Speaker 1: in East Harlem aka Spanish Harlem ak El Barrio, and
Speaker 1: he was the youngest of eight.
Speaker 2: Children, giving strong Bruno mars.
Speaker 1: Vibes now, I want him to clab wait a second,
Speaker 1: though Brunito got it from him. Respetos okay. But like Brunito,
Speaker 1: Mark's love for music began at home, except Mark learned
Speaker 1: how to sing in both Spanish and English. His father
Speaker 1: was a professional guitarist and had dreams of being a
Speaker 1: great musician. But he had bills to pay and a
Speaker 1: family to take care of, so he passed down everything
Speaker 1: he knew to Mark.
Speaker 2: His father also learned from some of the best teachers
Speaker 2: out there, Osse Felicianovo, Willie Cologne and Rubin Blades.
Speaker 1: Wait personally, well, no.
Speaker 2: But these were the artise. Thus he grew up with
Speaker 2: listening to blasting in the house. He may have been
Speaker 2: in Spanish Harlem, but this music took him from Puerto
Speaker 2: Rico to the sunny shores of Panama and beyond. Wait.
Speaker 1: Wait, there is one musician you forgot to mention in
Speaker 1: that list. Tito Puente, elre de los Timballes, or just
Speaker 1: for simplicity's sake, el Re fellow Puerto Rican t nol.
Speaker 2: You mean Hella famous fellow Puerto Rican musician.
Speaker 1: Thank you for correcting me. I need to put some
Speaker 1: respect on that name, okay. So Tito was known for
Speaker 1: his dance oriented mambo and Afro Cuban jazz compositions. Think
Speaker 1: of him as the godfather of Latin jazz.
Speaker 2: Oh, so he take care of the competition, a you
Speaker 2: know what I mean?
Speaker 1: No, no, no, not like that. He was called the
Speaker 1: mambo King often, but his music paved the way for
Speaker 1: the salsa we listened to now. He helped popularize the
Speaker 1: cha cha cha, mambo and salsa, celebrating the music and
Speaker 1: rhythm of his Caribbean heritage, inspiring countless other artists like Mark.
Speaker 2: Sansa as the sound has evolved so much since the.
Speaker 1: Nineteenth pies, hell since the nineteen twenties when it actually
Speaker 1: first began to emerge. According to a few musicologists at
Speaker 1: the core, salsa combines the rhythms of Cuba and Puerto
Speaker 1: Rico with influences from jazz, R and B, and yes,
Speaker 1: even rock.
Speaker 2: It mixes in a little bit of everything. You've got
Speaker 2: some mumbo, a.
Speaker 1: Little bomba plena. Bands identifying as sadza groups started to
Speaker 1: emerge in New York City in the seventies, composed of
Speaker 1: both Cuban and Puerto Rican players. So while salza was
Speaker 1: born elsewhere, much like reggaeton, it was latinos here in
Speaker 1: New York that breathed new life into the genre.
Speaker 2: It became a genre thanks to.
Speaker 1: The city and of course thanks to elre Diente. But
Speaker 1: going back to Mark's relationship with his dad for a second.
Speaker 1: Do you want to know the most important lesson he
Speaker 1: taught young Mark.
Speaker 2: Oh, always put down the seat.
Speaker 1: What No? But also yes, or you're never divided to
Speaker 1: my house.
Speaker 2: Okay, spell it.
Speaker 1: You're gonna die, like you know how, I'm brutally honest,
Speaker 1: Like I will tell you hod on.
Speaker 2: Y'all if y'all don't fucking know her for real. She
Speaker 2: is brutally it's bad, but she's your friend. She loves you.
Speaker 1: Okay, so take that and take it to like another level.
Speaker 2: Okay, say it.
Speaker 1: He said to Mark son, we're ugly, work on your personality.
Speaker 2: Shut your butt. No, he did not say that to
Speaker 2: his kid.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and now I cannot speak to how Mark felt
Speaker 1: at that very moment.
Speaker 2: Imagine being called ugly by your dad as a kid,
Speaker 2: and he's still talking about a girl that is real trauma.
Speaker 2: Come get that cranial sake, Wrell therapy.
Speaker 1: I mean, I have like trauma adjacent syndrome. Like I'm
Speaker 1: traumatized by that statement. And I'm a mom and like
Speaker 1: my kid could look like a kukaracha and he would
Speaker 1: be and feel like he was the most beautiful thing
Speaker 1: ever put on this planet Earth. But here's the thing.
Speaker 1: Mark didn't see it like that. During an interview with CBS,
Speaker 1: Mark shared that it was actually the best thing his
Speaker 1: dad could have told him. Mark recognized his weakness. He
Speaker 1: was awkward, he stuttered, but when he sang, it all
Speaker 1: went away. It was like he transformed into a whole
Speaker 1: different person. Oh like the King speech exactly. Mark's ability
Speaker 1: to disappear into something new gave him a new way
Speaker 1: to experience the world. He loved the person he became
Speaker 1: when he just gave into the music.
Speaker 2: Marquito't embraced that. It got to the point where if
Speaker 2: he could sing instead of just talking to you, he would.
Speaker 1: Soon enough, Anthony had figured out what he was meant
Speaker 1: to do with his life.
Speaker 2: Become a wolfam a salsa singer.
Speaker 1: Actually not yet. First he was going to become a
Speaker 1: Latin freestyle hit maker.
Speaker 2: Yo, the eighties are a whack neon everything, teased hair,
Speaker 2: the hideous fashion.
Speaker 1: But the eighties is the same decade that brought you
Speaker 1: and I into the world. And you cannot call the
Speaker 1: music of the eighties whack. Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney, Plus
Speaker 1: we can't talk eighties and not mention menudo. I mean
Speaker 1: they were my everything. And back then they were covering
Speaker 1: ABBA's bulevou while teenage Mark Anthony was busting his ass
Speaker 1: singing jingles and backup vocals for.
Speaker 2: Free, Free Bitch.
Speaker 1: I would never I know, but you know, we all
Speaker 1: have to start somewhere. And you know what is surprising.
Speaker 2: How this man's been able to bag so many baddies.
Speaker 1: That he didn't want to be a salsa singer.
Speaker 2: Okay, plot twist of the century. What did he want
Speaker 2: to do then?
Speaker 1: Vocalist for freestyle music?
Speaker 2: You mean so sa? Nope?
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony started in Latin freestyle.
Speaker 2: And what is that for the kiddos?
Speaker 1: And w okay? So freestyle is a form of electronic
Speaker 1: dance music eightym sea kids. I might be old, but
Speaker 1: I'm still.
Speaker 2: With it anyway. It emerged in New York and Philly,
Speaker 2: bringing together both Latino and Italian American communities in the eighties.
Speaker 1: Does the name Lisa Lisa ring a bell? She is
Speaker 1: like a freestyle icon?
Speaker 2: Oh my god. Yes, she was wondering if she could
Speaker 2: take you home with her and if that would change
Speaker 2: your mind of how you saw her. I mean, it
Speaker 2: was really scandalous.
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony started his career with underground New York house
Speaker 1: music acts, but he eventually worked his way into pop.
Speaker 1: Often he was collaborating with groups like Manudl and the
Speaker 1: Latin Rascals. It was also around this time that he
Speaker 1: switched up his name from Madicle to Mark to avoid
Speaker 1: any confusion with the other.
Speaker 2: Right the ones that by the beach.
Speaker 1: He wanted to make a name for himself, but that's
Speaker 1: not easy when another singer already has your exact name.
Speaker 2: Thanks Mammy, Pappy, Mark Anthony.
Speaker 1: Honestly, though, he was still getting great opportunities now that
Speaker 1: he was more focused on songwriting and singing back up.
Speaker 2: Why is he singing backup with those pipes?
Speaker 1: Great question. It turns out that he didn't believe he
Speaker 1: had the stage presence to be a front man from
Speaker 1: the start, and all of that were ugly talk from
Speaker 1: his dad probably didn't help either.
Speaker 2: That's very Selena Gomez of him, because Confienza.
Speaker 1: That's right, that's right. Because, by the way, if you
Speaker 1: are going to be a front man.
Speaker 2: Or front woman, I would do that too.
Speaker 1: Though, Joseph, Joseph, there is no situation that you were
Speaker 1: in the background.
Speaker 2: I do want to tell you something. I'm being very
Speaker 2: honest I would because I really like to learn, Like
Speaker 2: I assisted. I assisted Pat McGrath, and it was truly
Speaker 2: just to learn what she was doing, how she so great?
Speaker 2: What are these great people doing? And I want to
Speaker 2: develop a skill myself that's all my own, but I
Speaker 2: need someone to show me.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because you have such main character energy, you know
Speaker 1: what I mean. But I could see what you're saying.
Speaker 1: And I think Mark and Selena both kind of took
Speaker 1: a step back to then take a giant leap.
Speaker 2: It was easier to lend his voice and lyrics, gain
Speaker 2: the experience, and then eventually step into spotlight.
Speaker 1: He made vital connections this way, and soon enough when
Speaker 1: he felt ready to move from back up to lead,
Speaker 1: he had the confidence and the charisma.
Speaker 2: Plus he had the stacked rolodex from all the people
Speaker 2: he was working for.
Speaker 1: Do people know what a rolodex is? Kids? Again, with
Speaker 1: the rolodex, it was basic, a way of keeping people's
Speaker 1: contacts in like a spinning container.
Speaker 2: I get, no, don't don't even like an artifact. Let's
Speaker 2: go back to Mark too much, Go back back to Mark, bitch.
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony, with his stacked rolodex, was willing to do
Speaker 1: the work and it paid off. He released his debut single,
Speaker 1: Rebel in nineteen eighty eight under Blue Dog Records.
Speaker 2: And no, it wasn't Suldsa.
Speaker 1: Lyrically, Rebel was very much his version of Michael Jackson's Bad.
Speaker 2: Okay, I have to say it. We know Mark clearly
Speaker 2: didn't struggle to find work after this record, but this
Speaker 2: song was hashtag forgettable. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1: It's very of the eighties. Well it is, so there's that.
Speaker 1: That's a positive. I love eighties music, Okay, okay, And
Speaker 1: again like Mark does no wrong. Okay, Well, he maybe
Speaker 1: made one error, which we'll get to later in this episode,
Speaker 1: but not a song that's gonna bring you into the
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony universe. He'd be like, like you said, forgettable, right.
Speaker 1: And in nineteen eighty eight, he also wrote and produced
Speaker 1: A Boy I've Been Told for another freestyle artist, Wilma Cosme,
Speaker 1: also known as Safeede Boy.
Speaker 2: What okay? This episode is turning into the kind of
Speaker 2: history lesson I wish we learned in high school.
Speaker 1: You're telling me. Wilma or Safiede was born in San Juan,
Speaker 1: Puerto Rico, but she grew up in East Harlem, just
Speaker 1: like our boy Mark Anthony.
Speaker 2: It's insane how much of music history involving marginalized communities
Speaker 2: is just ignored.
Speaker 1: They both started out as session vocalist.
Speaker 2: This industry is all about networking, it sure is.
Speaker 1: And over the next few years he's sang backup for
Speaker 1: Anne Marie, produced with notable DJs like Little Louis Vega,
Speaker 1: who happened to be not only Puerto Rican but also
Speaker 1: the nephew of renowned salsa singer Hector Levo. Vega asked
Speaker 1: Mark to join on tracks as a featured art artist.
Speaker 2: And they were all club hits.
Speaker 1: Especially right on the Rhythm and When the Night Is Over,
Speaker 1: from his nineteen ninety one album.
Speaker 2: Mark's rising fame in the freestyle scene got the attention
Speaker 2: of very important people in the Latin scene, including someone
Speaker 2: he had listened to growing up.
Speaker 1: By nineteen ninety two, Mark Anthony was invited to be
Speaker 1: an opening act at Madison Square Garden in New York
Speaker 1: City for none other.
Speaker 2: Than Ito Gente. This is msg the world's most famous arena.
Speaker 2: Histor ree lives in those walls, and.
Speaker 1: In nineteen ninety two, Mark Anthony had the opportunity to
Speaker 1: add to that. He opened for Tito alongside little Louis
Speaker 1: Vega at Madison Square Garden and Mark was forever changed.
Speaker 2: His freestyle days were over and it was all about salsa. Now.
Speaker 1: We won't get into the full history of salsa. We've
Speaker 1: given you some great names to google and a little
Speaker 1: bit of the difference between elder salsa and the salsa
Speaker 1: that you know now. And it really started to evolve
Speaker 1: around the early nineties because back in the fifties and sixties,
Speaker 1: salsa was considered to be more socially conscious. Let's say,
Speaker 1: it was very much nationalist back then, taking pride in
Speaker 1: where you came from and talking about missing your home
Speaker 1: country if you traveled far away like my dad, and
Speaker 1: definitely leaning towards the more politically.
Speaker 2: Radical when they opened the door first started, it's a
Speaker 2: heavyweights like Willie Colonne, se La Cruz and Hector Laon legends.
Speaker 1: But it wasn't until the seventies that the term salsa
Speaker 1: itself was actually introduced.
Speaker 2: Well, its origins were Caribbean af it really turned into
Speaker 2: the genre that encompassed Latin America as a whole.
Speaker 1: And up until the eighties, salsa had focused its attention
Speaker 1: on the instruments instead of the vocals. In the eighties, though,
Speaker 1: that's when we hear romantic sansasa sounds so good when
Speaker 1: you say it. Romantic salsa itself became especially popular in
Speaker 1: the nineties thanks to Mark Anthony exactly. Mark drew inspiration
Speaker 1: from romantic sansa for his own music, but he added
Speaker 1: his own touch by mixing it with what his contemporaries
Speaker 1: were doing in R and B, house and hip.
Speaker 2: Hop, and many salsa purists couldn't stand it.
Speaker 1: They felt like he was changing the genre that didn't
Speaker 1: need to be altered. And you know what, there's always
Speaker 1: this battle between the old guard and the new guard.
Speaker 1: But I'm going to take it back to one of
Speaker 1: my favorite films of all time, La La Land. Do
Speaker 1: you remember when John Legend's character is telling him in
Speaker 1: the film, listen, Ryan Gosling, if you love jazz so much,
Speaker 1: it's got to evolve as a genre, otherwise it'll die.
Speaker 1: And that's the same battle that was happening with salsa
Speaker 1: here in New York. If people like Mark Anthony didn't
Speaker 1: incorporate and infuse this modern sound, that salsa that we
Speaker 1: know and love was gonna go away. And like, what
Speaker 1: a sad moment for us to not have this more
Speaker 1: modern music, and it also eventually brought people together. And
Speaker 1: Mark had always been wary of becoming a salsa musician
Speaker 1: in the first place, so he was in for a fight.
Speaker 1: It even took some convincing. Beyond performing with Tito Puente,
Speaker 1: Ralph Mercado, president of r MM Records at the time,
Speaker 1: had to step in.
Speaker 2: He initially had approached Anthony to make a salsa album,
Speaker 2: but Mark had said gracias, spittle, no gracias.
Speaker 1: It wasn't until that night with Tito Puente that he
Speaker 1: was convinced. Well, that and a song blaring from a taxi.
Speaker 2: And that was Juan Gabriel's, and then it all clicked.
Speaker 1: He realized there was room for him to thrive in
Speaker 1: this space in his own style. Also, Wanga Forever. That
Speaker 1: man is a fucking legend, and that song is like
Speaker 1: when he sings that song, that is somebody singing from
Speaker 1: their heart, from like deep in their soul.
Speaker 2: So our boy called up Ralph Mercado and said, please
Speaker 2: forgive me. I didn't know what I was saying, Let's
Speaker 2: do the effing record.
Speaker 1: I don't think those were the exact words, but whatever
Speaker 1: he said, Mercado didn't hesitate because there was no time
Speaker 1: to waste. Mark released his Spanish language debut Otota in
Speaker 1: nineteen ninety three. Mark covered Wangabriel's song Asked to get
Speaker 1: the Guanosi as a salsa song, and from there through
Speaker 1: the rest of the album.
Speaker 2: Serchio George, the producer of the record, described it as
Speaker 2: a total experiment.
Speaker 1: They literally had zero budget and had to record one
Speaker 1: musician at a time.
Speaker 2: They didn't even have.
Speaker 1: A band podcast kind of He has very bare bones,
Speaker 1: inspired by the artist he grew up with. Ota was
Speaker 1: a strong day. Everyone quickly understood that Mark meant business.
Speaker 1: He then went on to open for Ruben Bladies.
Speaker 2: After opening for the Panamanian singer, word of mouth intensified.
Speaker 1: Just within the early nineties, he had sold more salsa
Speaker 1: records than any other musician or performer on the planet.
Speaker 2: This new kid on the block had become one of
Speaker 2: the most important artists of the salsa canon.
Speaker 1: But there was someone else rising up with him. In
Speaker 1: nineteen ninety four, Mark Anthony was featured on La India's
Speaker 1: album Decent Gessoi. La India aka Linda Vieira Gaballerro is
Speaker 1: a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter.
Speaker 2: Both Mark and her were coming up in the salsa scene,
Speaker 2: so they did what any fresh newcomers would do, collaborate
Speaker 2: expand their audiences.
Speaker 1: The track was called Vivir le Nuestro. It's an iconic
Speaker 1: ballad of wanting to be together without fear, to live
Speaker 1: a passionate love affair.
Speaker 2: This song is a must play at any carnesada or
Speaker 2: salsa club.
Speaker 1: Both of them sang this live when it first came out.
Speaker 1: Mark was rocking his long cardly locks. He was also
Speaker 1: in his vest phase and Latindia was wearing the sparkliest
Speaker 1: get up.
Speaker 2: They took the stage and filled it up with their voices,
Speaker 2: their passion for this sound, and they were accompanied by
Speaker 2: an orchestra that took the performance to the next level.
Speaker 1: Both Mark and India had grown up listening to salsa,
Speaker 1: but they had related it to their parents. It wasn't
Speaker 1: considered cool, which of course is what led them to
Speaker 1: house music and Latin freestyle. But now thanks to them,
Speaker 1: latinos in their twenties were bonding with their parents over
Speaker 1: the music they were making.
Speaker 2: It was bringing generations together.
Speaker 1: Here's what Mark Anthony said about that during the house era,
Speaker 1: you'd have the radio on and your mom or dad
Speaker 1: would be yelling, kita vessol, turn that noise off. But
Speaker 1: now with the new music, they ask you to turn
Speaker 1: it up. That's really something. This is music we can
Speaker 1: listen to with.
Speaker 2: Our parents, and the industry agreed.
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony's nineteen ninety five album Tholoas with Temple won
Speaker 1: him the Billboard Award for Hot Tropical Artists of the Year.
Speaker 1: The album also earned him a nomination for a Grammy.
Speaker 2: And it was all these successes that led him to
Speaker 2: future WiFi j Lo.
Speaker 1: The two recorded their duet Nomamis for her album on
Speaker 1: the six, helping her with her Spanish language crossover. Remember,
Speaker 1: Mark started a career in English and successfully switched over
Speaker 1: to Spanish. He was doing what Jaylo wanted. Who could
Speaker 1: have been a better mentor.
Speaker 2: Well, just go back and listen to our Jalo episode
Speaker 2: and then return to us.
Speaker 1: Anyways, Jlo and Mark didn't get together immediately. They worked
Speaker 1: together and then went on their separate ways.
Speaker 2: The news originally got out thanks to Ralph Mercado, that
Speaker 2: Mark was recording an English album, but Mark was like, Yo,
Speaker 2: why did you tell him that I'm never recording salsa
Speaker 2: in English?
Speaker 1: Okay, truthfully, it wasn't really a never gonna happen situation.
Speaker 1: He just wanted to do it when he felt ready.
Speaker 1: And by this time there was also legal drama going
Speaker 1: on between the two. Mark and Megado had a couple
Speaker 1: of disputes over Megadalo's business practices because Mark suspected he
Speaker 1: wasn't receiving the money he was owed. And that's when
Speaker 1: Tommy Mantola stepped.
Speaker 2: In chaw not this guy again.
Speaker 1: Well, in this scenario, he actually helped Mark out. Medgado
Speaker 1: wasn't allowing Anthony to leave r MM Records because he
Speaker 1: said he was still owed four more albums per Anthony's contract.
Speaker 1: Read the contracts, y'all. Matola then approached Anthony and offered
Speaker 1: him a contract with Columbia Records to record an English
Speaker 1: album during this peak crossover period. Medgado then stepped in
Speaker 1: again and was like, nafam, you can't do that. So
Speaker 1: Mark sued him and Medgago countersued. It was messy, but
Speaker 1: in the end they all settled. RMM would retain the
Speaker 1: rights to Mark's earlier work, plus the right to release
Speaker 1: the Greatest Hits collection. As for Mark, he would no
Speaker 1: longer have to work with RMM. Now he was with
Speaker 1: Columbia Records and Motola got him the best of the.
Speaker 2: Best, and I Need to Know was released.
Speaker 1: First of all, I think we need to talk about
Speaker 1: the life that we were living when this song came out.
Speaker 1: So it came out in nineteen ninety nine. It was
Speaker 1: released on August sixteenth, and I Need to Know was
Speaker 1: the album's lead single. Of course it was. It's one
Speaker 1: of the best songs, but it's for me such it
Speaker 1: cemented the Latin explosion I hate that way, Okay, it
Speaker 1: cemented it. And this was obviously written by Anthony and Rooney,
Speaker 1: and it's just got that like violin riff at the
Speaker 1: very beginning. But you hear it and you're instantly like
Speaker 1: in It's true.
Speaker 2: I wonder if it was originally written in English.
Speaker 1: Respect it was originally written in English. The song I
Speaker 1: Need to Know was released in English first. Then the
Speaker 1: song was translated into Spanish, by the way, not by Anthony,
Speaker 1: but he recorded it and titled it the Milon. And
Speaker 1: when you listen to them right after another, there's no change,
Speaker 1: you know. Sometimes it's super cheesy when they like write
Speaker 1: a song in English and translate it to Spanish or
Speaker 1: vice versa, and you hear it and you're like, that
Speaker 1: shit does not sound the same. That's not the same song, right,
Speaker 1: This song is seamless from Spanish to English or English
Speaker 1: to Spanish. Well, he had started his career singing in English.
Speaker 1: Most of his songs blended freestyle with pop. While Mark
Speaker 1: Anthony doesn't believe in the term crossover, it was around
Speaker 1: this time that he undoubtedly became a living legend for
Speaker 1: American audiences.
Speaker 2: And what specific event in the industry caused that?
Speaker 1: Come on, say it the Latin Explosion.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: In nineteen ninety eight, he received his very first Grammy
Speaker 1: for Best Latin Tropical Performance for Condra la Coriente, directed, arranged,
Speaker 1: and produced by Anhel Kucopena. He quickly followed the success
Speaker 1: with his first ever Latin Grammy for Song of the
Speaker 1: Year for the melo I Need to Know in two thousand.
Speaker 2: It was these back to back wins, the success of
Speaker 2: the Melo and everything else going on that opened the
Speaker 2: doors for the Latin Explosion.
Speaker 1: The album's song Eubo a Yin became Anthony's first number
Speaker 1: one single on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and made
Speaker 1: him the first salsa musician to do so. The album
Speaker 1: also became the first salsa album ever to enter the
Speaker 1: English language Billboard two hundred chart. He had hit after
Speaker 1: hit with Todasu Tiempo and Condra la Corente.
Speaker 2: So he did what any artist.
Speaker 1: Would do perform one of the most romantic ballads ever
Speaker 1: live with his wife at the time, Jela.
Speaker 2: The Latin explosion was at full boom.
Speaker 1: You think you're so funny, don't you got that boom
Speaker 1: boom pale. Despite all the experience he had under his belt,
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony walked into the music scene with all the
Speaker 1: swagger of a new kid on the block. In two
Speaker 1: thousand and one, he released another salsa album called Libre
Speaker 1: and received a gold certification leib It had spent fourteen
Speaker 1: weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Latin Album's chart.
Speaker 2: He followed up with Men, did another English album, and
Speaker 2: he wouldn't stop, much like Titoente went over one hundred
Speaker 2: and eighteen projects.
Speaker 1: There was Amaersi Mendidas in two thousand and four, a
Speaker 1: Latin pop album Valio Lapina after that featuring.
Speaker 2: Scott Bamonos with Jay Lowe, and these earned him even
Speaker 2: more awards. He was truly killing the game.
Speaker 1: At the two thousand and five Latin Grammy Awards, Amersi
Speaker 1: Mendidas won Best Latin Pop Album of the Year, while
Speaker 1: Valola won Best Tropical Album of the Year. But one
Speaker 1: of our main highlights of the evening was when Lopez
Speaker 1: and Anthony.
Speaker 2: Performed It's Scott Emonos. I feel like I'm entering my
Speaker 2: Senora era when I say these songs.
Speaker 1: They've definitely come a long way from their ons days.
Speaker 1: Let's just say, now, did you know that that performance
Speaker 1: at the Grammys was actually their first time performing as
Speaker 1: a couple.
Speaker 2: Like it was a bad The passion was everywhere, like
Speaker 2: it was a ballad for me.
Speaker 1: It was very like opening scene of song I Knew
Speaker 1: Meets like a Broadway maybe off Broadway production.
Speaker 2: You know, in true j low form. It was the
Speaker 2: most but you know, the chemistry was there, It was undeniable.
Speaker 1: It was but I love Jennifer Lopez, like we've dedicated
Speaker 1: multiple episodes to her career and who she is. But like, girl,
Speaker 1: why would you voluntarily sing next to that man?
Speaker 2: Oh bitch, mistake?
Speaker 1: Like maybe Whitney Houston, right, okay, like Celene bon No,
Speaker 1: Oh my god. When I watched it. You can really
Speaker 1: see the difference in the singing, the physicality of the singing.
Speaker 1: Jennifer is like singing for her fucking life. She's like,
Speaker 1: I ain't going down like this. And she, by the way,
Speaker 1: she does a good job. But she's singing next to
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony. Mark Anthony is like just smoked a cigarette
Speaker 1: before he came out to sing. He was like me,
Speaker 1: and he's barely opening his mouth. That boy is not
Speaker 1: doing a breath. He's literally asleep, barely singing. He is
Speaker 1: a minimal effort, maximum impact with that voice. Y'all have
Speaker 1: to go back and watch this performance. By the way,
Speaker 1: it's also just like watching them together, like it's just
Speaker 1: such a prelude to what happened. No thanks, now, let's
Speaker 1: go back. Because along the way, when he was in
Speaker 1: his situationship relationship whatever with j Loo, he actually took
Speaker 1: a page from her book and decided that he wanted
Speaker 1: to take a shot at acting. So Mark Anthony starting
Speaker 1: the future film Man on Fire alongside Denzel uh huh.
Speaker 1: And later in twenty ten, he was in two episodes
Speaker 1: of a TNT show called Hawthorne opposite Jada Pinkett.
Speaker 2: Smith was a Latin order booked up.
Speaker 1: Some of us try to be original, and you know,
Speaker 1: we don't want to be just another dead body on
Speaker 1: SVU will judge me. But in between it all, in
Speaker 1: two thousand and seven, he decided to share this newfound
Speaker 1: side hustle with his then wife.
Speaker 2: Mark and Jenny co starred in El Cantante, a biodrama
Speaker 2: following the life of music legend ect Ravo.
Speaker 1: Now, before you come for the film, Joseph, just save it. Okay,
Speaker 1: don't I know he's literally foaming at the mouth. But
Speaker 1: for now, let's just say that.
Speaker 2: This movie opened a door to a lot of chatter
Speaker 2: about the co stars.
Speaker 1: Many were left wondering if Jalo and Mark were even
Speaker 1: gonna make it as a couple.
Speaker 2: Was this life imitating art or art imitating life?
Speaker 1: All that thought that's for next week, Babes. Mark Anthony
Speaker 1: made history in the music scene thanks to all the
Speaker 1: artists that came before him, and in.
Speaker 2: Next week's episode, Lilsa and I are going to look
Speaker 2: into Elcantante and how it changed Anthony and Lopez's relationship
Speaker 2: and their careers.
Speaker 1: We're also looking at how Mark strives to give back
Speaker 1: to the community by paying it.
Speaker 2: Forward on the next Becoming an Icon.
Speaker 1: Becoming an Icon is presented by Sonoo and Iheart's Michael
Speaker 1: dudda podcast network. Listen to Becoming an Icon on the
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast