The 6Music presenter embarks on a quest to understand Latin Music's enduring appeal. Arriving in Rio, Huey learns that Brazil's newly elected government has come out against the hedonistic atmosphere of carnival and that Mangueira Samba School group is just one of many planning a protest. Later, he meets Gilberto Gil, who pioneered a new, politically conscious sound known as Tropicália. It was so radical - and its social implications so profound - that Gil was imprisoned and finally exiled in 1969. In Salvador, Huey meets percussionist Carlinhos Brown to talk about how afro positive music has shaped the sound of Brazil.
After the Communist revolution of 1959, Cuba effectively closed its doors to the sights and sounds of the rest of the world. From this point, its music evolved in isolation from the other Latin speaking countries, with traditional forms placed at the heart of their sound. The rhythms and melodies of Cuba's people have captured the hearts of fans all around the world, and now that the government is gradually relaxing restrictions. Huey sets off from the capital Havana to explore the rich musical legacy of the island, as well as getting a taste of things to come.
In this third and final episode Huey sets off to discover the music of Puerto Rico. He starts his journey in New York City, home to over a million Puerto Ricans, and the place where Huey first fell in love with the hot sounds of Latin Music. For Latinos leaving their home country and arriving in New York, identity and community was everything. 'El Barrio', or Spanish Harlem, became the focal point for the Puerto Rican community, with Latin music the soundtrack to their survival. Fusing traditional music with American R&B and soul, newly minted Nuyoricans created the 60s Latin dance craze, the Boogaloo. Huey talks to Joe Bataan about his role as a Boogaloo pioneer, and how music saved him from a life running gangs on the streets. Huey also drops in on music writer and proud Nuyorican Aurora Flores, who was in El Barrio during the birth of Salsa and witnessed the rise of legendary record label Fania. Flying south to Puerto Rico itself Huey sets off on a journey to discover the music that was left behind, hunting down the roots of Salsa in the capital San Juan, and the traditional folk styles of Bomba and Plena. These songs still play an important role in marking births and deaths in rural areas of the country, and Grammy-nominated band Plena Libre believe they are the source of that fierce Puerto Rican pride. Huey then heads to a local bar to see how traditional music brought the community together after the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Meeting up with Cuatro player Christian Nieves, Huey discovers that traditional instruments are right at the heart of the most streamed and downloaded song of all time - Despacito! Huey heads back to the capital to learn about the birth of the world-dominating Reggaeton rhythm with DJ Negro, the founder of The Noise, and meets breakout artist iLe to understand why Puerto Ricans are once again looking to their musical roots to hope for a better future.
