Puerto Rican rapper Villano Antillano has opened up about why she felt she “had to leave” her home island as her career began expanding internationally. She left Puerto Rico two and a half years ago, describing the island as “extremely conservative, machista, and deeply misogynistic” and saying she felt she had reached a ceiling in her career there.
Speaking with Rolling Stone en Español, Villano Antillano revealed that she had to make a choice to leave in order to further her career and provide for her friends. “I realized that if I wanted to provide more for my friends, if I wanted to use this platform that being an internationally renowned artist or having a certain level of notoriety has given me, if I wanted access to this other life, I had to sacrifice certain things — and one of those was leaving Puerto Rico,” she said.
Persecution and Career Growth
Villano Antillano added that she had experienced what she described as “quite pronounced persecution,” particularly when she was highly visible in the public eye. “I didn’t want to keep dealing with that,” she said. “So I chose to leave.” This experience has not held her back, as she has emerged as one of Puerto Rico’s most prominent queer voices in urbano since breaking through internationally with her 2022 Bizarrap session.
Her comments arrive shortly after the release of her new album, Ante el Umbral del Peligro No Siento Temor, on August 28th. Villano Antillano has become the first trans and nonbinary artist to enter Spotify’s Global Top 50 and currently draws more than 6 million monthly listeners on the platform.
Breaking Barriers
Elsewhere in the interview, Villano Antillano spoke candidly about the transmisogyny she has faced and the experience of being a trans woman at a moment when her identity has become increasingly politicized. Despite these challenges, she continues to break barriers and push boundaries in the music industry.
In conclusion, Villano Antillano’s decision to leave Puerto Rico has not slowed her down, but rather propelled her to international success. With her new album and growing fan base, she remains a prominent voice in the urbano scene and a role model for queer individuals around the world. Her story serves as a testament to the power of perseverance and determination in the face of adversity.
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