Maná Removes Song With Nicky Jam In Protest Of His Support For Trump

MEXICO CITY — Maná, a Mexican pop-rock band, has pulled a 2016 song featuring Nicky Jam after the Puerto Rican reggaeton artist declared support for Republican presidential contender Donald Trump.

“Maná does not work with racists,” the group stated in an Instagram post explaining why they removed “De pies a cabeza” from online platforms. The song is a remix of the 1992 original from Maná’s iconic album “¿Dónde jugarán los niños?”

“For the past 30 years, Maná has supported and defended the rights of Latinos around the world. “No business or promotion is more valuable than the dignity of our people,” the band stated on Instagram.

Maná Removes Song With Nicky Jam In Protest Of His Support For Trump

Jam, best known for songs like “Travesuras,” “Voy a Beber,” and the J Balvin collaboration “X,” endorsed Trump during a rally in Las Vegas last Friday. When presenting the artist, Trump appeared to mistake him for a woman: “Latin Music superstar Nicky Jam!” Do you know Nicky? She’s hot. “Where is Nicky?” he asked.

Despite the uncertainty, Jam expressed his excitement in seeing Trump, who has threatened to close the border and has employed harsh anti-immigrant language since his first presidential campaign.

For more than 20 years, Maná has advocated for migrants in the United States. When they received the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year award in 2018, its vocalist Fher Olvera promised: “We will continue to fight for the rights of migrants who have made this country great; in the last century, they were the difference in this country being as great as it is.”

A spokeswoman for Jam did not immediately reply to The Associated Press’s request for comment. Maná’s publicist acknowledged the band’s statement but declined to comment further.

Maná Removes Song With Nicky Jam In Protest Of His Support For Trump

Maná, founded in Jalisco, Mexico, has won six Latin Grammys and four Grammys, making it one of Latin America’s most prominent bands. It also has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

In addition to Maná, a lengthy list of artists have demanded that their music not be connected with or utilized by Trump, including ABBA, The White Stripes, Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, R.E.M., and Guns N’ Roses.

SOURCE | AP