Latin icon Marc Anthony is featured on the first episode of Amazon Music LAT!N’s new mini-documentary series RAICES that premiered Thursday.
In the intimate episode, Anthony shares how he began his career as a salsa artist which culminated in his album 3.0. The album changed the Latin music scene forever and earned a diamond certification by the RIIA in September. It is the first salsa album in history to receive a diamond certification.
Anthony shared a clip of the episode on his Instagram where he is sitting criss-cross in a swivel chair, with sunglasses, bracelets, and his shirt unbuttoned. In the inspiring clip Anthony reflects on the risk he took making the salsa album in a “new day” of music. “I knew I loved it, I knew that I had ticked every single box, with everything I knew musically I ticked every box” Anthony expressed. He continued, “I had curated that album for about five years. I knew I was making music that I loved. I knew I was onto something, but I didn‘t know how people were going to respond it was a whole new day. But at the very least, I was going to sell one copy, because I was going to buy it for sure.”
The episode also includes old footage of Anthony at the time.
In the mini-documentary, Anthony also reflects on “Latinidad” and how he revisited his roots to make the album. Making salsa music connected him to his Puerto Rican culture, “It became my connection to my culture. At the time, I didn’t realize how special it was to have been born Puerto Rican” Anthony explains. Anthony talks about how where he lived and the music he heard all around him. “I was born and raised in East Harlem. Every window that was open was playing salsa” he explained.
The episode also reveals how Anthony wasn’t drawn to salsa as a child or in his early phases of making music. He preferred R&B, house, and dance music at the time. But the salsa music was all around him, and there was no escaping “the one-two-three.”
His father was a Troubadour in El Barrio and moved between social clubs with Anthony right next to him. As he grew up, Salsa left an everlasting impression in his ears and wired his brain in a way that allowed him to become a salsero, and produce and perform Salsa like mainstream media had never seen before. His appreciation for Latin cultures and Puerto Rican pride is evident in 3.0 and Latinx’s felt the same pride listening to it. His song “Vivir Mi Vida” is still one of the most iconic celebrations of Latin music and culture.
The mini-documentary was released alongside a Marc Anthony RAICES playlist, exclusively on Amazon Music LAT!N. The playlist is a catalog of his greatest hits, that takes listeners on a career-spanning journey that begins and ends with his raíces.