Speaker 1: We only have one episode left with the Legend, the Voice,
Speaker 1: the Man, so it's time we get down to business.
Speaker 2: But wait, what what have we been doing this entire show?
Speaker 1: Then?
Speaker 3: Uh?
Speaker 1: Ch'all for me? Life's a party.
Speaker 2: Well I know that for sure, and just like you,
Speaker 2: Mark Anthony has lived an extraordinary life, But unlike you, Joseph,
Speaker 2: he's also been able to keep his personal life well personal.
Speaker 1: Hey, the world's a stage and i'm its great at
Speaker 1: star like Bettle, why should I rob anyone of quality entertainment?
Speaker 2: When it comes to Mark, on the other hand, there
Speaker 2: is so much we don't know about him.
Speaker 1: But uh, but you be knowing. We're nosy bitches and
Speaker 1: we love the juice. So on today's episode.
Speaker 2: We're going to bring it all back to where Mark
Speaker 2: is now in his career, but.
Speaker 1: We're also going to take you closer look at his relationships,
Speaker 1: especially his marriage to j Lo and very passionate passion
Speaker 1: project at Cantante, and.
Speaker 2: More importantly, Joseph and I are going to kick it
Speaker 2: off by taking it back to his performances with legendary
Speaker 2: singer Celia Cruz. I'm your host, Liliana Ooscaz.
Speaker 1: And I'm Joseph Carrio and this is Becoming an icon.
Speaker 2: A weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on
Speaker 2: how today's most famous Latin v stars have shaped pop culture.
Speaker 1: And given the world some extra level.
Speaker 2: Sit back and get comfortable.
Speaker 1: Because we are going in the only way we know how,
Speaker 1: with buenas vibras.
Speaker 2: Buenasriesas, and a lot of opinions as we relive their
Speaker 2: greatest achievements on our journey to find out what makes
Speaker 2: them so iconic.
Speaker 1: Mark Anthony has become a voice for Puerto Ricans.
Speaker 2: Says the Mexican I love you for that, and honestly,
Speaker 2: you guys, I don't think of Puerto Rican da parade
Speaker 2: would be complete without at least like three to seven
Speaker 2: of Mark Anthony's greatest hits blaring through the streets of
Speaker 2: New York City. I mean, it happens every year. It
Speaker 2: happened when I wrote on a Float and he basically
Speaker 2: gave Puerto Rico an anthem with Preciosa. Now, he didn't
Speaker 2: write the song. That was Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernandez
Speaker 2: back in nineteen thirty seven.
Speaker 1: But we'd be lying if we said Mark Anthony's interpretation
Speaker 1: isn't the one people think of instantly.
Speaker 2: For sure, you think of the song, you think of
Speaker 2: Mark Anthony. It's hand in hand and it's part of
Speaker 2: a tradition of music that speaks for an entire country.
Speaker 2: Our icons give a voice to people that often feel ignored.
Speaker 1: Isn't that the reason for this whole podcast?
Speaker 2: Oh so prolific? And yes, Joseph, we have come along
Speaker 2: with from our first episodes with Bad Bunny, but the
Speaker 2: message is consistent.
Speaker 1: Our icons make sure to wave their flags up high.
Speaker 1: They never back down from standing up for what they
Speaker 1: believe in. And I'll drink to that.
Speaker 2: It's eleven.
Speaker 1: Akay, you need to stop exposing that ass as.
Speaker 2: You wish, sir, while you're coming to terms with your
Speaker 2: extra party habits, I'm gonna pack it on up and
Speaker 2: take a trip back to the set.
Speaker 1: Then.
Speaker 2: Thus, back in the seventies, Sansa was taking the world by.
Speaker 1: Storm, and in the eye of the hurricane was none
Speaker 1: other than Urusola Ilaria Celia de la Caida Gruz Alfonso
Speaker 1: aka Celia Gruz. Oh my god, did Ilaria Peppina Baldwin
Speaker 1: name herself after Queen Celia. I'm done with her? What
Speaker 1: to shage? So to shame? Now.
Speaker 2: Much like Mark Anthony at the forefront of the Latin explosion,
Speaker 2: Celia was at the forefront of the salsa boom. This
Speaker 2: Afro Cuban legend went from performing with the orchestra Sonorra
Speaker 2: Matansea in the fifties to popularizing salsa and helping people
Speaker 2: embrace their heritage. Queen Celia was also kicking it with
Speaker 2: the greats.
Speaker 1: That included salsa supergroup La Faga All Stars.
Speaker 2: But eventually someone from the next gen of musicians would
Speaker 2: stand side by side with her greatness.
Speaker 1: She traveled to son Juan a handful of times, so
Speaker 1: it would be no surprise that Mark Anthony is the
Speaker 1: one you're teasing.
Speaker 2: See Puerto Rico and Cuba, just I've always had this
Speaker 2: very special bond. There's actually a line from a famous
Speaker 2: poem by a Puerto Rican poet named Lola Rodriguees de TiO.
Speaker 1: Oh you're taking us to school.
Speaker 2: Band, you bet your ass class is in session here
Speaker 2: on becoming an icon. While in the poem she says
Speaker 2: this Guba Puerto Ricos on loss alas receive and flores
Speaker 2: obalas sobre coso, which translates too Cuban and Puerto Rico
Speaker 2: are as two wings of the same bird. They receive
Speaker 2: flowers and bullets into the same heart.
Speaker 1: Oh. I love that Stelia worked with Tito Pente back
Speaker 1: in the sixties and even saying with his orchestra. One
Speaker 1: of their albums was titled Cuba Puerto Rico son so
Speaker 1: Queen definitely had Puerto Rico in her.
Speaker 2: Guason case closed.
Speaker 1: She spent the rest of her career consistently working with
Speaker 1: Puerto Rican talent, including mister Anthony.
Speaker 2: But let's not get ahead of ourselves. It did take
Speaker 2: some time for them to collaborate, but by two thousand
Speaker 2: and one, Celia had more than proven herself as one
Speaker 2: of the most influential figures in music history, not Latin music,
Speaker 2: music history, standing the test of time, delivering hit after hit,
Speaker 2: which is why it makes perfect sense that she would
Speaker 2: be asked to perform a tribute to Aretha Franklin and
Speaker 2: right beside her was you can say it now, Mark Anthony.
Speaker 2: I love this performance that they gave the world. Sometimes
Speaker 2: performances are like a gift, and sometimes they're just performances.
Speaker 2: The two of them together was so warm. It's everything
Speaker 2: that salsa in a performance should be like.
Speaker 1: Chills on your face. Everybody is dancing. The rhythm got.
Speaker 2: You, it did. Thank you, Gloria, Gloria, I gotcha. Hello,
Speaker 2: the sound machine got you. So in two thousand and one, Joseph,
Speaker 2: where were.
Speaker 1: You graduating high school? Probably buzzed off of Miller lights?
Speaker 2: Okay, well I was in college. And back in the day,
Speaker 2: VH one used to do this thing called Divas Live,
Speaker 2: where they would actually honor very specific divas, right Mariah Carey,
Speaker 2: Whitney Houston obviously a Franklin. So in this presentation on
Speaker 2: VH one, Mark Anthony and Celia Cruz sang Quimbara together
Speaker 2: and it was fi like fire, magic, It was all
Speaker 2: of the things. And what's interesting about it is, originally
Speaker 2: the song is, of course performed by Cela Cruz with
Speaker 2: Johnny Pacheco, who's Dominican. But on this very special night,
Speaker 2: Puerto Ricans rejoice because Mark Anthony stepped in and sang
Speaker 2: it with Celia. But you know what's so it's funny.
Speaker 2: Of course the music is stand out, But you know
Speaker 2: what's even more stand out for me simply because you
Speaker 2: and I are fashion observers.
Speaker 1: What are you going to talk about? Nervous?
Speaker 2: Mark Anthony's outfit. Yes, this was like you know how
Speaker 2: when I have a child, so you know when you
Speaker 2: like get your kid dressed for like Lesion and you know,
Speaker 2: like Bamingo's, you're like your mom's like get your ass
Speaker 2: out of bed, we're going to church, and you're like, oh,
Speaker 2: and they make you put on like the nice clothes.
Speaker 2: And I feel like somebody dressed him for church for
Speaker 2: this outfit because this is not signature of Mark Anthony's style.
Speaker 2: There were no dark sunglasses right right, There were no
Speaker 2: gold chains, there wasn't a button down that only had
Speaker 2: one button operative like it was you know, it was
Speaker 2: a suit that did not feel like who he was.
Speaker 2: I think he was still trying to kind of find
Speaker 2: his identity. But he is a child in this so
Speaker 2: it makes sense. But the two of them, you clearly
Speaker 2: see that they have such a connection that goes beyond artist.
Speaker 2: It's personal for them, and it was beautiful their voices together.
Speaker 2: You know, one thing I always say with Mark Anthony's
Speaker 2: voice is he is low effort, maximum impact, like he
Speaker 2: does not have to even try, and pure poetry comes
Speaker 2: out of his mouth when he.
Speaker 1: Sings one thousand percent. But also can I just say that,
Speaker 1: how does he look like he's four years old? I know,
Speaker 1: like he looks so so so young, but he still
Speaker 1: has the same voice. Like that voice has been very consistent,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, how kind of like changes
Speaker 1: like if we're looking at something back then listening to him,
Speaker 1: like let's say now it's it's the same, nothing has changed.
Speaker 2: No, because I think his voice is so pure and
Speaker 2: such raw talent. Like you, that is a god given
Speaker 2: gift for him. He was born sounding like that, like
Speaker 2: he didn't have to work on it or train it.
Speaker 2: I mean, maybe he has had vocal training. I have
Speaker 2: no idea, but I think some artists are born with
Speaker 2: such a pure, raw talent. Mark Anthony, for me, is
Speaker 2: just one of those singers, and you really see it
Speaker 2: a lot when he's in a duet with someone. But
Speaker 2: interestingly enough, here with Selah, it doesn't pop as much
Speaker 2: because he's matched well with her artistic talent, and so
Speaker 2: you just see two people that are peers, right, not
Speaker 2: one person is better than the other. It just works.
Speaker 2: The synergy is so beautiful between the two of them.
Speaker 2: And I also love that she like steps out and
Speaker 2: yells ah, so God, I was gonna say that I've
Speaker 2: heard this song performed played a million times. Do you
Speaker 2: know that I am never known what quimbata actually means.
Speaker 1: I don't know what it means. Please tell me what
Speaker 1: quimbara means.
Speaker 2: Okay, So, first of all, I thought it was Spanish.
Speaker 1: It is not.
Speaker 2: But it is believed that the word quimbata actually has
Speaker 2: African origins, which is interesting because we all know that,
Speaker 2: you know, salsa has its roots in Afro Cuban music, right,
Speaker 2: so it's so diverse the style of music. But quimbaa
Speaker 2: itself is said to mean something similar to like having
Speaker 2: a good time, like enjoying yourself, like partying, relaxing.
Speaker 1: Okay, first of all, bitch, then I am ketam buying
Speaker 1: while the time.
Speaker 2: I want more kumbata in my life. Kimbada, quimbera, kimba, kibita.
Speaker 2: That's really hard to say. I can't even imagine singing it.
Speaker 1: I remember watching the jalub performance. Do you remember that
Speaker 1: at the American Music Awards in twenty thirteen.
Speaker 2: She sang any songs?
Speaker 1: She say yes, And the thing is is I wished
Speaker 1: she was able to say kim ra as many times
Speaker 1: as she did.
Speaker 2: It's very hard to say, but I do love that performance.
Speaker 2: That is, to me like classic Jalo, And I do
Speaker 2: love when Jaelo honors another icon, because we think of
Speaker 2: her as so iconic that it's really beautiful to see
Speaker 2: her honoring a fellow icon.
Speaker 1: Fast forward to March two thousand and three.
Speaker 2: A tribute special was held in Celia's honor, hosted by
Speaker 2: both Mark Anthony and Cuban Royalty in her own right,
Speaker 2: Loria Stefan.
Speaker 1: Titled Celia Cruz As to God. It managed to raise
Speaker 1: over one hundred and forty five thousand dollars for the
Speaker 1: Sei La Cruz Foundation.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately, this would be the last time Celia Cruz would
Speaker 2: make a public appearance before her death in July of
Speaker 2: two thousand and three. And this special was filled with
Speaker 2: Latin music legends.
Speaker 1: Every single one, every single one. Don't even name them all.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna name host. Yes, that's on Patty LaBelle, Mark Anthony,
Speaker 2: Gloria Gainor. I mean, there were so many people there
Speaker 2: to sing for her. It was amazing, and I think
Speaker 2: it really shows how deep and wide her impact was
Speaker 2: on the music industry. But this isn't Celia Cruz becoming
Speaker 2: an icon. This is Mark Anthony.
Speaker 1: If I got lost, I really did get lost really quick.
Speaker 1: I was like, tell me more. Bitches need to know.
Speaker 2: Okay, let's go back to Mark, back to Mark, back
Speaker 2: to Mark.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: If you guys remember, Mark started as a session vocalist
Speaker 2: making Latin freestyle tracks. He famously said he did not
Speaker 2: want to be a salsa singer, but one fateful night
Speaker 2: in nineteen ninety two with the at the Helm, everything changed.
Speaker 2: And where did that happen?
Speaker 1: Exactly in freaking ms jeemish. We stay bringing these full
Speaker 1: circle moments here at becoming an icon. Honey.
Speaker 2: It really does give you goosebumps, doesn't it.
Speaker 1: The cosmos are speaking to us, babes.
Speaker 2: And this performance took place in two thousand. It was
Speaker 2: filmed a television special broadcast on HBO for Valentine's Day,
Speaker 2: and it was titled Mark Anthony the Concert from Madison
Speaker 2: Square Garden to help promote his album Gonrea Coriente, which
Speaker 2: I will talk about at the very end of the episode,
Speaker 2: because that has taking you way back too far.
Speaker 1: Back to MSG is the pinnacle for any artist's career,
Speaker 1: and this time around he was center stage, the spotlight
Speaker 1: on him. It was finally his moment and he.
Speaker 2: Was a baby. He was baby Mark Anthony like like
Speaker 2: high school. He to me in this particular performance, and
Speaker 2: by the way, great timing.
Speaker 1: Mark.
Speaker 2: He finally looked like the star and the showman that
Speaker 2: he is. First of all, MSG, massive stage, HBO, massive distribution.
Speaker 2: I mean, he knew he had to step it up.
Speaker 2: And to me, this is when he became like Mark
Speaker 2: Anthony as the rest of the world knows him.
Speaker 1: It's funny because when he set the stage, I literally
Speaker 1: thought he was like walking off of the matrix. I
Speaker 1: thought he kind of was like Keanu Re. I like
Speaker 1: wasn't sure what was about to happen. I was like,
Speaker 1: is this going to be some sort of like sci
Speaker 1: fi performance or something? And then you know that look
Speaker 1: that that leather coat.
Speaker 2: What bring it?
Speaker 1: Mark?
Speaker 2: Bring it? And we know this. Mark Anthony is a
Speaker 2: busy ass man. He's got so many projects, music, film,
Speaker 2: is personal life, producing all of it. But he never
Speaker 2: forgot good old Celia.
Speaker 1: In twenty nineteen, sixteen years after her passing, he paid
Speaker 1: a tribute to her once again, this time on social media.
Speaker 1: He shared a photo of the night they performed Quemara together.
Speaker 2: The caption read, yes, he says Annos sinea nunka olvidae
Speaker 2: suskalidosavrassos so le gallo vivo oiret amo Celia. In English,
Speaker 2: it means sixteen years of that I will never forget
Speaker 2: her warm hugs. Her legacy lives on today and always.
Speaker 2: I love you, Selah and as time goes on. One
Speaker 2: thing that remains consistent in Mark's career is that he
Speaker 2: always acknowledges those that came before him, those that's at
Speaker 2: the stage for him to shine.
Speaker 1: He's also not one to shy away from sharing this
Speaker 1: stage and the spotlight with powerful women.
Speaker 2: Which is why it made perfect sense for Jlo and
Speaker 2: him to be the ones to bring a Hector Levo's
Speaker 2: story to life in El.
Speaker 1: Even if the end result wasn't that expected.
Speaker 2: I don't think the math is mathing on this one,
Speaker 2: but I believe it's been sixteen years up since Elgantante
Speaker 2: came out.
Speaker 1: Honestly, I can feel myself aging.
Speaker 2: What do you remember about the movie?
Speaker 1: Okay, I didn't watch it because at that point I
Speaker 1: have to just be really honest with the listeners, the
Speaker 1: people who like, share and comment. At the time, I
Speaker 1: was jayloed out personally, so I just you said, n
Speaker 1: I just couldn't. Really, I just couldn't. It was just like, no,
Speaker 1: just wasn't not I didn't. But I do know like
Speaker 1: the story, so okay, so you know I can contribute, Okay.
Speaker 2: So you know that this is a biopic, right, It
Speaker 2: follows the life of the late Sansan singer Hector Levau,
Speaker 2: who is portrayed by Mark Anthony. You do know Mark
Speaker 2: Anthony played.
Speaker 1: Hector Leva, yes, okay.
Speaker 2: And you do know that Jlo played Mark's wife on
Speaker 2: screen Boji, Right, Okay. I think a lot of people
Speaker 2: that saw in the theaters that saw it when it
Speaker 2: first came out just had a lot of curiosity about
Speaker 2: Jlo and Mark, and so they went to this film
Speaker 2: just to see more of them because, like we know,
Speaker 2: you can't ever get enough of big A list celebrity couples.
Speaker 2: But that really wasn't enough. And the film has had
Speaker 2: mixed reviews for a lot of reasons, which we're going
Speaker 2: to get into. I mean, if we're gonna call it
Speaker 2: what it is, it was a bomb. Critics didn't like it,
Speaker 2: and Lopez and Anthony defended the film. But Lopez and
Speaker 2: Anthony ardently defended the film, but salsa musician Willie Colonne
Speaker 2: was one of those that was really vocal about the
Speaker 2: film's failure to portray Hector Lavaux in a good light.
Speaker 2: Listen to what he said to the Los Angeles Times.
Speaker 2: The real story was about Hector fighting the obstacles of
Speaker 2: a non supportive industry that took advantage of entertainers with
Speaker 2: his charisma and talent. Instead, they did another movie about
Speaker 2: two Puerto Rican junkies. It's difficult to comprehend how two
Speaker 2: individuals who are in the music business like Mark and
Speaker 2: Jennifer are not aware of the damage and the consequences
Speaker 2: of promoting only the negative side of our Latin music culture.
Speaker 1: Essentially, why are you focusing on the booze, the drugs,
Speaker 1: and the sex when you could have been talking about
Speaker 1: the musika.
Speaker 2: In two thousand and seven, People magazine wrote about the film,
Speaker 2: saying that the film's only saving grace were Jennifer and Mark,
Speaker 2: that it felt like we weren't watching Pouchi and Lava,
Speaker 2: but we were actually watching that couple play themselves.
Speaker 1: I mean, listen, it's difficult to separate the two in
Speaker 1: your head.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: People couldn't even focus on the actual film everyone just
Speaker 1: wanted the tea on.
Speaker 2: Them and listen, it's okay. Maybe the film wasn't a
Speaker 2: runaway hit, but Janthony, we're still going strong as a couple.
Speaker 2: Around this time, they weren't breaking up just because they
Speaker 2: were breaking up and punching each other and boozing it
Speaker 2: up and.
Speaker 1: All kind of f Dare you say, Janthony, all right,
Speaker 1: forgive me?
Speaker 2: Do you forgive me?
Speaker 1: Yes? Either way, people wanted more of them. Breaking into
Speaker 1: the US market meant breaking into pop culture. Conversation with
Speaker 1: that became the rumors. Tabloids thought that there was trouble
Speaker 1: in Paradise and the two were heading straight for a
Speaker 1: big breakup.
Speaker 2: Mark Anthony is, let's call it what it is, a
Speaker 2: very serious musician. He's not a pop star. He's not
Speaker 2: a pop starlet, he's not a dancer. He is a musician,
Speaker 2: and he, I think did not expect to be all
Speaker 2: wrapped up in the j Loo circus, the JLO drama,
Speaker 2: all of it right, and shortly after the release of
Speaker 2: the film, they did announce their tour Jennifer Lopez and
Speaker 2: Mark Anthony en Goncierto.
Speaker 1: Most likely to counteract any rumors of their potential split.
Speaker 2: I mean that's true. If people are saying you're going
Speaker 2: to split up, do the one thing that has to
Speaker 2: keep you together contractually, legally, and financially, which is go
Speaker 2: on tour together.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I mean you're stuck with each other, whether you want
Speaker 2: to be or not. And during the performance at the
Speaker 2: Staples Center on October seventeen to two thousand and seven,
Speaker 2: Anthony covered faithfully by Journey and dedicated it to his
Speaker 2: wife Lopez.
Speaker 1: Let's be real for a sec working on a movie
Speaker 1: and then a tour together that would put a strain
Speaker 1: on any relationship, even the strongest and healthiest on the plannet.
Speaker 2: Yes, And despite all of that, they still made time
Speaker 2: to create these iconic music moments like who could forget
Speaker 2: their performance at the American Idol Finale.
Speaker 1: I have loved it, and you know what, I remember
Speaker 1: it and I'm going to tell you this because it
Speaker 1: was kind of fun to see j Loo go back
Speaker 1: to being like a backup dancer. And I don't mean
Speaker 1: that in a bad way. I don't mean that in
Speaker 1: a oh because I mean it in a way that
Speaker 1: like I don't feel like we get to really feel
Speaker 1: and see j Lo perform as just a dancer anymore,
Speaker 1: Like she's always kind of like has to sing and
Speaker 1: dance and sing, that's what she does. In this one,
Speaker 1: she was only dancing, so she was giving it to you,
Speaker 1: that's right.
Speaker 2: So during this particular performance, Mark Anthony walks out on stage.
Speaker 2: He is singing, which is beautiful, and it's like one
Speaker 2: of those songs that like gets everybody dancing. If you've
Speaker 2: ever been to like a godnasala, a wedding, a king Signeta,
Speaker 2: like I don't know, you're Thea's living room on Christmas
Speaker 2: Eve in the sala, you know, like they put this
Speaker 2: song on and everyone dances. So Mark Anthony comes out,
Speaker 2: he opens his mouth, out comes this like beautiful song.
Speaker 2: He's singing. It's fast, it's energetic, it's high paced. And
Speaker 2: then Jlo appears, but she doesn't appear to stand at
Speaker 2: a mic and sing with him. She truly is, like
Speaker 2: Joseph said, like his backup dancer. And what's so cool
Speaker 2: about this moment is that this particular song is by
Speaker 2: Willi Colonne and Hector LeVaux. So it's like a full
Speaker 2: circle moment, right, they just one like aantin. Now they're
Speaker 2: out there performing this song by Hector Levo and the
Speaker 2: Jalo booty shake.
Speaker 1: Wow. But you know what I'm gonna say this, I
Speaker 1: think she meant that Jalo boody shake. It wasn't just
Speaker 1: a performance, it was really her dancing. Like I think
Speaker 1: it was such a very strange performance for me to
Speaker 1: watch her in because I feel like, you find like
Speaker 1: not she always gives it one thousand percent, so I'm
Speaker 1: not even gonna say she doesn't. But this one was
Speaker 1: just so different for me. Like watching it, I was like,
Speaker 1: she's a tempster, but no amount of booty shaking could
Speaker 1: say this marriage.
Speaker 2: By the time the two did call equits in twenty sixteen,
Speaker 2: everyone wanted to know what happened between Jenny from the
Speaker 2: Bloc and the King of Salsa. They had premiered the
Speaker 2: film when on tour and even announced that they were
Speaker 2: having twins then divorce.
Speaker 1: It got so ridiculous. Imagine having a grant an ABC
Speaker 1: News exclusive for your divorce.
Speaker 2: I'm exhausted just thinking about it. But listen, it's like
Speaker 2: we talked about with Benefir's first go around. Media has
Speaker 2: evolved a lot since then, especially now that we have
Speaker 2: more direct access to celebrities with their social media. Before
Speaker 2: the only way we could get any crumb of information
Speaker 2: was through these exclusive news channels, these entertainment news shows.
Speaker 2: One thing I do know is that Mark is still
Speaker 2: a very private man. And yes, Jennifer was able to
Speaker 2: get him out of his shell. She got him to
Speaker 2: step out a little bit more, start to enjoy his fame.
Speaker 2: But at the end of the day, you really have
Speaker 2: to be a very specific kind of person to be
Speaker 2: able to handle the madness and attention that Jennifer attracts.
Speaker 2: And I don't mean like on a red carpet. I
Speaker 2: mean like going out to for Duncan.
Speaker 1: Right, right, just in the daily life. But you know,
Speaker 1: I will say this, I really do think that there
Speaker 1: was love there and nobody can convince me otherwise.
Speaker 2: Oh totally.
Speaker 1: But it did get really bad. There were rumors that
Speaker 1: he had cheated on Jenny with keep my wife's name
Speaker 1: out of your mouth slap in Jada Pinkett Smith Well.
Speaker 2: In Mark's words when talking about the divorce, he simply said,
Speaker 2: these things happen. The relationship wasn't working anymore, and they
Speaker 2: realized this was the best option for the both of them.
Speaker 1: Mark had been in various relationships before Jlo.
Speaker 2: There was de Wi Rosado, who he had a daughter
Speaker 2: with and then adopted son with.
Speaker 1: There was also Dominican American actress Claudette Lally and.
Speaker 2: Former Miss Universe Dianaa Thoris remember her from the Jalo episodes?
Speaker 1: Did you know he also has kids with her?
Speaker 2: Hmmm, snip snip man, snip snip.
Speaker 1: It's okay. After their divorce, she traded her engagement ring
Speaker 1: for a Cardier watch.
Speaker 2: This major boss moves you get it, Dianada.
Speaker 1: After that, Jalo and Mark officially tied the knock.
Speaker 2: Not to be shady, which, by the way, means that
Speaker 2: you're about to be so shady. Cue the shady music.
Speaker 2: But I have to say Jlo is the one out
Speaker 2: of all of the wives that for sure like stands
Speaker 2: out the most. And I'm not trying to make this
Speaker 2: episode about her. I know we keep talking about her,
Speaker 2: but in this particular episode, I mean, when you think
Speaker 2: of Anthony, it's really hard not to also think of
Speaker 2: j Loo. They were almost kind of like the Megan
Speaker 2: Markle and Prince Harry Puerto Rico.
Speaker 1: Actually facts, I'm not even gonna because like, who else
Speaker 1: did they pay six million dollars for photos of their kids.
Speaker 2: For exactly they seemed to have everything, but d Day
Speaker 2: came in twenty fourteen.
Speaker 1: And five months later he proved you can't keep a
Speaker 1: good man down because he then married model Shannon Nelima.
Speaker 2: Two years later, they split.
Speaker 1: During that time, Anthony and Lopez kissed at the twenty
Speaker 1: sixteen Latin Grammys, and then Mark and Lima announced their separation.
Speaker 2: You're right, I remember they split way before the kiss.
Speaker 3: But okay, Escandelo, Okay, when do I get to Yelbingo
Speaker 3: around a little later in the show, But around six
Speaker 3: years later he found love again in his current wife
Speaker 3: for Miss Universe spataguay naw the ot Fedida.
Speaker 2: By the way, they are also expecting a child the
Speaker 2: seventh for him first for her Bingo, snip, snip, and
Speaker 2: is he trying to give Nick Cannon a run for
Speaker 2: his money? But now that we have all of that
Speaker 2: relationship drama out of the way, we're reminded of something.
Speaker 1: Uh he has a lot of kids.
Speaker 2: Yes, that too. But while Joseph and I and we
Speaker 2: know you guys listening love a little cheesema with a
Speaker 2: celebrity's personal life, Mark is one of those icons that,
Speaker 2: like I said earlier, is truly a talented artistic musician,
Speaker 2: regardless of what is happening in his personal life.
Speaker 1: Okay, he's a best selling artist for a reason. Crafting
Speaker 1: enough ballads for the first dance of Beny Weddings to come,
Speaker 1: and everything he's been through further fuels his music. You
Speaker 1: can't sing romantic sids without having a low romance and
Speaker 1: a whole lot of drama in your life. You know
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. Absolutely, do you have a favorite Mark song?
Speaker 2: I can't pick favorite songs. I don't work like that.
Speaker 2: I mean, I work in three years.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's do this. Why don't you do the top
Speaker 1: three Mark songs that pop in your head? They could
Speaker 1: be your favorite, they could just be the ones that
Speaker 1: pop in your head.
Speaker 2: Okay, So I would say that when I think of
Speaker 2: Mark first of all, when I think of Mark, one
Speaker 2: song comes to mind, which is a VV of me
Speaker 2: V that.
Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, that's that's globally, that's.
Speaker 2: Just the one, Like, that's just the song that everyone's like,
Speaker 2: oh yeah, obviously that one, I will say. And I'm
Speaker 2: not like one of these people that's like, oh, this
Speaker 2: song lifted my soul during a dark time, Like by
Speaker 2: the way, no shade if it does for you, I'm
Speaker 2: just not one of those people. I will say that
Speaker 2: there were moments when I was going through like postpartum
Speaker 2: with Santhy, when I would have to play that song
Speaker 2: to like get myself out of my baby funkiness. No, yes,
Speaker 2: I think something and I would play it for us
Speaker 2: like i'd play it for Santhia I because I think
Speaker 2: there was something so like elevating about the song. There
Speaker 2: was something I needed that right, Like I was in
Speaker 2: like sleepless nights, like diaper haze, like just postpartum. It's crazy,
Speaker 2: and that song really did like take me out of
Speaker 2: like the sadness that I was experiencing. Like I just
Speaker 2: I really helped. So anyway, I think vivid me vida.
Speaker 2: Next song I love is con La Coriente because it's
Speaker 2: so early in Mark's career and it was like his
Speaker 2: first Oh it's so good. It's such a classic. It's
Speaker 2: also such a classic salsa song.
Speaker 1: So it has more trumpetty it's music.
Speaker 2: It's like it's pure, like it's a pure salsa song, right,
Speaker 2: because there's like I think salsa like everything right, things
Speaker 2: get mixed in. There's a hybrid to me that is
Speaker 2: like a classic salsa. It follows Sulza very classically, and
Speaker 2: then by Yeah Boy, which is newer but like BITJ
Speaker 2: I'm on my way, like where's the party? I Am
Speaker 2: on my way?
Speaker 1: That is a good one.
Speaker 2: That is that is like round up the troops, let's go.
Speaker 1: You chose three Spanish ones and that's just you know,
Speaker 1: kind of your relationship with Mark Anthony and for me,
Speaker 1: just because I didn't really listen to like trumpets and
Speaker 1: saxophones because they hurt my ears. I'm really much into
Speaker 1: his like English music, Like I was obsessed with you
Speaker 1: saying to me and you sang to me like oh
Speaker 1: my god. It just it was such a beautiful love song.
Speaker 2: You know, such I'm you're a cheese puff. You have
Speaker 2: left cheese.
Speaker 1: Butter icy cheese puffs. You could be a.
Speaker 2: Crunchy like a crunchy spicy cheese puff.
Speaker 1: And also I need to know the song.
Speaker 2: I need to know what's wrong with you? What is
Speaker 2: wrong with you?
Speaker 1: Are like my Mark Anthony penty droppers and they're not
Speaker 1: even like but they're just so good for me. I
Speaker 1: just I love I can really feel his voice, like
Speaker 1: I know, like he's one of those singers that I
Speaker 1: can feel what he's saying, like for me, you singing
Speaker 1: to me and I need to know. I feel like
Speaker 1: I hear the words, I feel the words. I am
Speaker 1: the words bitch, Hello and goodbye.
Speaker 2: He's a multi talented artist with so many hits as
Speaker 2: you just heard us go through. But since his singing
Speaker 2: career took over, his acting career was forced into early retirement.
Speaker 1: Until twenty twenty one when lin Manuel Miranda gave him
Speaker 1: a call.
Speaker 2: It took fifteen years from Mark Anthony to return to
Speaker 2: the world of acting.
Speaker 1: Wga and sag Astra Strong by.
Speaker 2: The way, Babes your words to the amptpiece ears.
Speaker 1: How do you keep busy in the meantime? You know?
Speaker 1: Between the wives so shady.
Speaker 2: Well, Our's career doesn't just stop at entertainment. In January
Speaker 2: twenty twelve, he launched the Maestro Cares Foundation alongside Henry Cardenas.
Speaker 2: Together they've opened an orphanage in La Romana, Dominican Republic,
Speaker 2: as well as a youth home and schools in Barraanquia, Columbia.
Speaker 1: Okay, just like our homegirl Frianta Shaki.
Speaker 2: Alongside Jennifer Lopez. He's also continuously committed to giving back
Speaker 2: to Puerto Rico. Remember back in twenty seventeen, right after
Speaker 2: Hurricane Maria, they held the One Voice Almost live a
Speaker 2: concert for disaster relief.
Speaker 1: Do you remember now I do? Yes, I Do?
Speaker 2: And our other icons Benito and Bruno Mars were also
Speaker 2: a part of it. He also collaborated with becoming an
Speaker 2: icon star lin Mino Miranda.
Speaker 1: Wait, what was the name of that song?
Speaker 2: You mean the one that they all sang together?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh almost like praying. And the roster
Speaker 2: on this song, by the way, is kura it is.
Speaker 2: You had Jennifer, Gloria stiff On, Fat, Joe.
Speaker 1: Camila Cabello remember her, she was in that.
Speaker 2: Yes, and then wait, We're not done, Luis Fonsi rita moreno,
Speaker 2: Gina Rodriguez who even knew she's saying? Hello?
Speaker 1: I wait, Gina Rodriaz.
Speaker 2: Yeah she's not. Everyone was on this and this song
Speaker 2: even cracked the Billboard Hot one hundred at number twenty.
Speaker 2: And there was a little cameo from someone very special.
Speaker 2: Do you know who are you.
Speaker 1: Gonna say, John Leguizamo, No the cookie because he was
Speaker 1: in one.
Speaker 2: Yes, fine, but he was not the special cameo. It
Speaker 2: was the Frog. My son Santhi loves cookies.
Speaker 1: They read about the bookies the Frog. The noise in
Speaker 1: the beginning, it's at the beginning.
Speaker 2: At the end, it's like it's like the siren sound
Speaker 2: of Puerto Rico.
Speaker 1: I'm going to learn how to make that noise because
Speaker 1: it will rally up the troops that we know that
Speaker 1: we're going a happy hour.
Speaker 2: It's insane to think that when Lynn was only eighteen
Speaker 2: years old, he saw Mark on Broadway in the Cape Man,
Speaker 2: then he got marked to be in The Heights. I
Speaker 2: mean that is unreal.
Speaker 1: Wait a minute, Mark was on Broadway.
Speaker 2: Uh huh, I know. I did not know this until
Speaker 2: we started researching for this show. But the show didn't
Speaker 2: do as well as it could have. It did get
Speaker 2: Tony nominations, but critics buried it under negative reviews.
Speaker 1: Honestly, these people are so damn.
Speaker 2: Bored hater nation. Well, it worked out for Lynn. Mark
Speaker 2: had gone from someone that was collaborating with people he admired,
Speaker 2: like Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, to being that person
Speaker 2: for the next generation. And not to mention that in
Speaker 2: the Heights of the movie was an incredible milestone all
Speaker 2: on its own.
Speaker 1: It's no wonder why Mark Anthony said yes without hesitating.
Speaker 2: See the role of Sonny's father, mister de la Vega,
Speaker 2: was written specifically for the film. It doesn't actually exist
Speaker 2: in the original production, but Lynn wanted it to be Anthony,
Speaker 2: so he texted him, I mean, yeah, NBD, right, no
Speaker 2: big deal. I have Mark on spied Del too.
Speaker 1: Sure, Jane.
Speaker 2: What we know is that Mark had been a big
Speaker 2: fan since the musical first debut on Broadway in two
Speaker 2: thousand and eight, which is what made it so easy
Speaker 2: for him to say yes, Lynn, abvi, I'll do it,
Speaker 2: And this particular moment actually marked his return to acting
Speaker 2: for the first time in fifteen years.
Speaker 1: Wow. I mean honestly, Lynn must have been doing front
Speaker 1: and backflips.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And people were excited. But director John M. Chew, well,
Speaker 2: he was worried. Uh huh. Let me tell you why
Speaker 2: don't you dare? He thought, here's this iconic singer that
Speaker 2: brought forth a cultural phenomenon in the music scene of
Speaker 2: New York and whatever beyond the globe, and now he
Speaker 2: was supposed to be on a set for a pivotal
Speaker 2: two minute scene in mister Chew's film. I mean he
Speaker 2: was nervous.
Speaker 1: It was insane. There was extra security because people kept
Speaker 1: crowding the area just to get a good look at him.
Speaker 2: Two unsurprisingly ended up being so impressed with the brief
Speaker 2: time he got to spend with Mark on set. He
Speaker 2: told USA Today that guy will win an oscar one
Speaker 2: day if he does more movies. For sure.
Speaker 1: What a career from Latin freestyle to becoming a minority
Speaker 1: owner of the Miami Dolphins. Who the f would a thought?
Speaker 2: It's really out there. Mark Anthony stands as proof that
Speaker 2: life can take you in so many different directions. So
Speaker 2: far in his life and career, he's given US twenty
Speaker 2: five Billboard chart hits.
Speaker 1: He's won a bunch of awards.
Speaker 2: Otherwise known as Grammys. Let's give praise where praises do?
Speaker 1: Okay, my mistake A bunch just was. It's easier to.
Speaker 2: Say, And there's no doubt why he was ranked one
Speaker 2: of the two hundred greatest singers of all time.
Speaker 1: One thing's for certain. Mark Anthony remains one of the
Speaker 1: most influential New yor Weecans in the history of this city.
Speaker 2: And we can't wait to see what he does next
Speaker 2: On the next becoming an icon.
Speaker 1: It's finally time for the ultimate icon that's excited.
Speaker 2: I'm like that little kid that wakes up to go
Speaker 2: to disney Land in the morning. Okay, you guys, we're
Speaker 2: heading all the way to Miami.
Speaker 1: Wait, you guys, hold on, you can toads. Relax because
Speaker 1: it's not for the super Bowl this time, we swear no.
Speaker 2: This time, we're shaking our bodies and getting ready to
Speaker 2: do the Gunga. So gather around and feel the heat
Speaker 2: because we're hyping up Loria Stefan. Becoming an Icon is
Speaker 2: presented by Sonoo and Iheart'smichaelduda podcast network. Listen to Becoming
Speaker 2: an Icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
Speaker 2: you get your podcast