Aleks Syntek – the Mexican producer who once claimed reggaeton came from apes, allegedly slid in a 17-year-old boy’s DMs and is just an all-around swell guy – is back at it again. Now, he wants reggaetoneros to know that their exclusion from the Latin Grammys is justified. “We all know that the Academy has always been a vote for quality and not popularity, whether you’re trendy at the moment or not,” the 49-year-old producer said on Wednesday, while attending the Premios GQ Mexico. “We have to respect that, I think, no? How great it is that the Academy has their criteria set?”
It’s hard to tell if the quality Syntek was referring to would include past gems of his, such as this:
But one thing is for sure: Syntek’s feelings about this massive genre that was created by marginalized Black communities remain the same – despite being dragged again and again for it. Gotta love the conviction, right?