Cosa Nuestra by Rauw Alejandro: A Powerful Journey Through Time

Two weeks ago, I reviewed the highly anticipated CHROMAKOPIA album by experimental hip-hop icon Tyler, the Creator. This week, the spotlight is on an artist of similar scale, but whose audience is largely concentrated in Latin America: Rauw Alejandro. The Puerto Rican artist has made his mark in the music industry by refusing to conform to traditional musical expectations. He effortlessly transcends musical genres, employing everything from folkloric beats to electronic sound effects within individual albums. I urge my readers, whether you’re a superfan of boricua tunes or just someone vaguely interested in Latin music, to give Alejandro’s Cosa Nuestra — meaning “our thing” — his newest album and the peak of his artistic creativity, a listen. 

The album’s namesake opener samples “Qué lío,” a song off of one of Alejandro’s favorite albums from which he took great inspiration, Cosa Nuestra by Hectór Lavoe and Willie Colón. This old Puerto Rican salsa album embodies colorful sounds and folkloric beats in a direct contrast to the trap and reggaetón that currently dominates the island’s music scene.