The 16th Annual Latin Grammy Awards showed just how passionate Latin Americans can be through music during its Nov. 19 ceremony at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Things even took a political turn when Los Tigres sang "Somos Más Americanos," with Fher Olvera and ended it with a raised banner that read "Latinos Unidos No Voten Por Los Racistas!" or "United Latinos Don't Vote for the Racists," in an obvious dig at Donald Trump and his racist statement about immigrants.
The choice of song itself is already political enough. "Somos Más Americanos" is a Los Tigres original song in 2001 which Maná, the band Olvera lead, revived for their 2015 album "Cama Incendiada." The song asserts that Latin Americans and Native Americans are more American than those with Anglo-Saxon immigrant ancestry and proves it with a look back through history.
Watch the lyric video with English translation below.
"I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall... They are bringing drugs, and bringing crime, and their rapists," Trump said in his speech when he announced his candidacy for the Presidential seat.
The action actually comes at no surprise since Olvera has been open with his feeling towards Trump's statement. In a Los Angeles Maná concert in June, Olvera openly spoke about it and compared Trump to an infamous political figure in history. "We feel pity for this incompetent man. I have never heard a speech as violent, or as filled with hatred -- not since Hitler," Olvera said.
Los Tigres accordionist and singer Jorge Hernández also echoes Olvera's sentiments. "What it's really about is to speak about something that's really important: The Latin vote. it's the only real weapon that we have in our hands... The message ["Somos Más Americanos"] has is that despite white America taking over our territory, all of us can unite and build more consciousness. Don't give this man [Trump] a chance," he said.
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