Over the weekend, Nuyorican salsa icon Willie Colón decided to ride on the wave of artists voicing their opinion on the state of politics in Puerto Rico right now, except he toppled on boulders of erroneous facts before making it to shore. “I’m not a fan of the governor” he said (referring to ousted governor Ricky Rosselló), “but I’m frightened by how protesters kidnapped public opinion to achieve their goal.”
Colón has notably been vocal about politics from the onset of his career, subtly weaving his thoughts into popular songs like “Quinientos Años,” where he addresses Puerto Rico’s ties to the United States before urging borinquen and other Latin American countries to take a stand, and “El Gran Varón,” in which he addresses homophobia. Now, a shift in perspective, plus the introduction of Twitter and it’s other soul-sucking siblings on the internet, have given the trombone-playing legend platforms to voice his newfound stances. Similarly to that uncle who spends too much time on Facebook, Colón shares everythign from critical memes of John Lewis and democrats to hastily put together videos expressing appreciation for Donald Trump. Though in 1994 he ran for Congress on a largely vague platform, the 69-year-old ahora no tiene ninguna pepita en la lengua when it comes to sharing his controversial opinions.
Excuse us while we go listen to Hector Lavoe’s “Un Periódico De Ayer,” and reminisce about better days.