Venezuelan President Appropriates Global Hit “Despacito”
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s worldwide hit (and as of last week, most streamed song ever) “Despacito,” is being propagandized by Venzuelan President Nicolas Maduro, altering the lyrics to encourage Venezuelan’s to vote for the formation of a “constitutional assembly,” to rewrite the country’s 18-year-old constitution. News of the reappropriated version quickly reached Fonsi who affirmed this music is, “all for those who want to enjoy it, not for propaganda.”
Maduro’s presidency has become increasingly unpopular among his citizens, especially as oil prices drop and food shortages increase, resulting in mass protests throughout the year, including the “mother of all protests” in the capital city of Caracas in April. In a recent poll, 98% of respondents said they are opposed to the formation of a constitutional assembly.
Motown Singer Bobby Taylor Dies at 83
Motown singer and man credited as finding the Jackson 5, Bobby Taylor, passed away in Hong Kong on Saturday. Taylor had been going through treatment for leukemia and tumors on his spine.
Born in Washington D.C. in 1934, Taylor served as a cook in the military during the Korean War, and eventually took his life and magnetic voice west, forming Little Daddy and the Bachelors, with none other than Tommy Chong on guitar. The group renamed themselves Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers.
They were signed to Motown Records in 1965, and three years later a then-unknown group called the Jackson 5 opened for Taylor’s group. Taylor was so impressed with the family troupe’s performance that he arranged for them to audition for Berry Gordy, who signed the Jackson 5 and made Taylor their first producer.
Taylor eventually took on a solo career for Motown before moving to China and eventually settling in Hong Kong, where Taylor lived out the rest of his life and career. Bobby Taylor was 83.
-Taylor Wallace
