In the colorful and vibrant world of Latin music, Puerto Rican rapper Villano Antillano stands out not only for her distinctive sound but also for her personal journey. As she settles into her new life in Madrid, Antillano embodies the duality of a laidback personality intertwined with profound cultural significance. Sporting a spaghetti strap tank and a gold necklace that reads “Villana,” her real name, she speaks candidly about the challenges of relocating far from her native Puerto Rico.
Life in Transition
Though she has established a close-knit circle of friends in Spain, Antillano isn’t shy about revealing the struggles of leaving her home. “I am the only one from my immediate family who has left Puerto Rico,” she shares, reflecting on her frequent trips back home amid the ongoing issues of drought and power outages that plague the island. “Imagine after an eight- or 10-hour flight and getting home to find no electricity or running water,” she explains, voicing the frustration many Puerto Ricans feel. “In a quiet moment, you sit and think: ‘Damn, why do I have to live like this? For real.’”
New Music, New Identity
These feelings resonate deeply in Antillano’s new LP, Ante el Umbral del Peligro No Siento Temor (“At the Threshold of Danger, I Feel No Fear”). The album captures the emotional turmoil of migration, emphasizing the transformation she experienced—not merely the act of leaving, but the woman she has become in the process. “What really inspired the album was not the act of leaving, but the woman I saw myself becoming through the process of migration,” she explains.
Produced by Spain’s Groove 2070, the record marks a significant evolution from her debut album, La Sustancia X, released in 2022. “I think that’s something my other albums didn’t have: that fusion of universes between two people coming from completely different places,” she states. The music flows seamlessly between Spanish and English, reflecting her bilingual identity, as she notes: “It’s just a natural way of speaking for me.”
One of the standout tracks, “entre2AGUAS” (Between Two Waters), represents her journey from Puerto Rico to Spain. But underlying themes also touch on personal loss—the lyrics reflect her experience of navigating a breakup. “I realized I’m the type of person who can’t let go of a goal until I feel I’ve given it everything,” she says, capturing her relentless spirit whether discussing her homeland or past relationships.
Tackling Critical Issues
Another powerful track, “CRACK,” confronts violence against women and highlights the unique experiences of trans women. Antillano’s commentary on the song reveals her advocacy: “They act like you’re the first, like they’ve never been attracted to a woman like you, but you have something they couldn’t ignore. But that’s a lie.” The accompanying video, which dropped alongside the album, carries a trigger warning for its graphic depiction of domestic violence, aiming to spotlight the alarming rates of such incidents in Puerto Rico.
A Voice for Change
Antillano’s music not only seeks to entertain but also to address serious societal issues. “There’s so much talk about decolonization, yet so little actual change,” she reflects, highlighting the paradox of Puerto Rican identity. As she grapples with her own hardships, she notes how the album serves as a means of “alchemizing” her pain into something creative and real: “Yes, it hurts. And yes, it scares me, but it’s not going to stop me.”
After the 2019 protests to remove the pro-statehood governor, Puerto Ricans have continued to face political stagnation. Despite strong support for pro-independence sentiments, particularly among youth in the recent elections, Antillano articulates the pervasive feeling of helplessness: “Most young people see things clearly; we’re in a lot of pain and feel an incredible rage.”
Empowered Existence
Now, with her new home in Spain, Antillano is channeling her emotions into her artistry. “My job is to move people. To stir up emotions—good or bad—to provoke something and wake something up inside you,” she asserts, countering the often commercialized nature of the music industry. Though she navigates the complexities of being a Puerto Rican, queer, trans woman, she sees her very existence as an act of defiance against societal norms: “What I feel is so powerful. I get up, and when I look at myself in the mirror, I realize I might not have existed—due to fear. And that, to me, is priceless.”
