Cheetos left its mark during Billboard Latin Music Week 2023 with the brand’s panel and block party programming, shedding a spotlight on influential tastemakers from various industries, including music, art and fashion.
On Wednesday, October 4, attendees of the week-long affair were treated to the “Deja tu Huella” presented by Cheetos at the Faena Forum in South Beach. Moderated by Billboard’s Jessica Roiz, the discussion let global hitmaker Myke Towers, Project Runway champ Shantall Lacayo and artist Rob the Original, speak to how they’ve given back to their communities. “The mark I want to leave is rather how to show,” the Puerto Rican rapper said during the 30-minute conversation. “Not only to those who want to be singers. You could be an athlete. You can be what we are, what we are doing. It is someone who pursues his dream. There are people who are a phenomena that can make it overnight but mine was a little different; I had to, instead of entering through the main entrance, I entered through the window. So what I mean by that is that I kept insisting until I got it and that is the mark that I want to leave as it is not easy, but it is not impossible either, and you have to make it look easy.”
Meanwhile, Lacayo, who came out victorious as the season 19 champ of the Bravo reality show, spoke about her special formula in making an impact. “Throughout my career, together with my team, I think the main thing we have discovered is that the DNA of our brand is our cultural roots, how we can keep alive those indigenous traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation and that, unfortunately, are getting lost in this world of fast fashion,” she explained. “We all want to leave a mark; part of my work seeks to do so through the reinterpretation of the work of artisans.”
Multi-disciplinary artist Rob the Original, who was previously a barber and tattoo artist, has pushed the boundaries of his work with different mediums to provide a limitless perspective of art and culture. “Thank God, I have been able to share with people what my culture is, right? It is what I do and since I was very young my dad, my parents always taught us that you have to be you and represent what you are, right?” he told the crowd. “And that is what has really helped me a lot and I have also had the opportunity to travel, thank God, the world and get to know other cultures and see how beautiful they are, how beautiful other cultures are and learn from them, too.”
Two days later, Towers brought that dream-turned-reality to Wynwood Marketplace for a block party performance presented by Cheetos. Preceded by performances from Polimá Westcoast and the Miami Heat dancers, the reggaeton chart-topper kept the crowd (and the brand’s Chester Cheetah mascot) dancing to songs, including “Piensan,” “Whiskey y Coco,” “La Jeepeta,” “El Cielo” and his current smash, “LALA.” In front of the jam-packed audience, Towers showed love to the audience by singing directly to fans, taking a selfie with the crowd and even brought a young boy on-stage to sing with him. When the concert-goers weren’t jamming along to Towers, they were treated to plenty of Cheetos samples, a live art display by muralist Bobby Alvarado, Cheetos-inspired lawn games, tunes by DJ Mr. Pauer and more.
Celebrated for more than 30 years, Billboard Latin Music Week is the longest running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world, and coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will be broadcast live on Telemundo on Thursday, Oct. 5, from the Watsco Center in Miami.
