On November 11th earlier this month, Rolling Stone Magazine introduced its first Spanish language section into its pages focusing on Latino music and culture!1 The back of the issue is a secondary cover featuring the crossover rapper Pitbull.
According to the publisher, 17% of the magazine’s readership are Latinos, making the new feature not only more accessible to Latino Americans, but also more resonant with the cultural and artistic crossovers we’re experiencing between Latin America and the U.S.!
It’s great for us at Avantpage to see these changes in a major magazine read by the mainstream, since it acknowledges not only the growing presence of Latinos in the U.S., but also the growing influence that presence is having on our nation, both artistically and culturally.
The truth is America is an extremely diverse place, with the example of rapper Pitbull being raised by Cuban parents in Miami, FL, and bringing not only his language but his culture into the American music scene.
Knowing other languages is a proven health benefit to the brain,2 so it’s wonderful to see moments when the media or mainstream makes room for different languages in their output, not diluting their English content in doing so, but diversifying their message and making their subject matter broader, their content more flavorful!
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/11/12/rolling-stone-publishes-spanish-language-issue_n_2117922.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
- http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/02/benefits-of-being-bilingual_n_1396671.html
