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Amara La Negra On Her Roots, Miami Reality And Barbecue

Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras interviews Amara La Negra over lunch.
Marisa Arbona-Ruiz
/
NPR
Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras interviews Amara La Negra over lunch.

Amara La Negra is a force of nature.

She is in the midst of an explosive spurt of activity that includes wrapping up the first season of the VH1 reality show Love & Hip Hop Miami; a tour that she squeezed in-between seasons of the show; and a grueling schedule of performances and interviews at the annual South By Southwest Festival that she jammed into that tour. On top of all of that, she just released a new song, which she shared with us for this podcast.

When I offered her a chance to do a Guest DJ session, she initially hesitated — but just for a moment. As we sat down at a table on the back patio of Franklin Barbeque in East Austin, she said: "My manager is a pescetarian and I'm trying to be good, but this is too good to pass up!"

Our conversation flowed as freely as the barbecue sauce — in it, she reflected on the unrelenting pace-of-life for an artist taking every opportunity to spread her music, and to educate folks about her Afro-Latinx roots.

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Felix Contreras is co-creator and host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.