NPR News and Music Discovery for the Four Corners

Amara La Negra On Her Roots, Miami Reality And Barbecue

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

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.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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