Tag: louie ortiz-fonseca

  • For My Mother: “A Day In My Life (Without You)”

    For My Mother: “A Day In My Life (Without You)”

    I remember the night in the summer of 1991 as I sat on the steps with my two-speaker double cassette radio. I was playing my music with Robert as we talked about all the boys we had crushes on. You were drunk out of your mind and joined us on…

  • Ten House Tracks From the 90s that Will Lift Your Spirits the way Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” Does

    Ten House Tracks From the 90s that Will Lift Your Spirits the way Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” Does

    if you are up at this time like i am it is probably because you have been dancing in the privacy of your bedroom to beyoncé’s new track “break my soul.”  released as the lead single from her forthcoming album “renaissance,” scheduled for release on july 29th, “break my soul”…

  • 10 Songs Leading the Latin-Freestyle Resurgence

    10 Songs Leading the Latin-Freestyle Resurgence

    freestyle music has direct ties to the early rise of hip-hop. like hip-hop, the freestyle genre was led by creative teens from the hood. when afrika bambaataa & the soul sonic force released “planet rock” in 1982, it laid the groundwork for freestyle music. a year later, shannon’s “let the…

  • Janet Jackson: A Deep Appreciation Of

    Janet Jackson: A Deep Appreciation Of

    i met robert on the very first day of school in the seventh grade in september 1989. as soon as i walked into the classroom and witnessed him commanding space with his beautiful spirit, i knew the semester would be different. i would no longer be the “only one” in…

  • Untitled post 3739

    in the summer of 1988, i had a friend named jacqueline who lived next door from us. she was a bubbly preteen just as i was and loved music almost as much as me. what i what think connected us the most was that she too had a mother who…

  • OAKTOWN’S 357

    OAKTOWN’S 357

    oaktown’s 357 were one of hip-hop’s most exciting groups of the early 1990s. heir combination of catchy rhymes, dope fashions, and stunning choreography not only separated them from other groups like salt ‘n pepa and jj fad, who were garnering attention from top 40 radio, but 357 captivated a generation…

  • Louie’s Top 21 Songs of 2021

    Louie’s Top 21 Songs of 2021

    There were no club night outings or huge parties in 2021 but I still found opportunities to dance and sing along to my favorite songs while sipping on some homemade drinks. And this was possible because 2021 was filled great songs from multiple genres that helped lift my spirits when…

  • The Enduring Queer Cheer of Pee-Wee Herman’s Christmas Special

    The Enduring Queer Cheer of Pee-Wee Herman’s Christmas Special

    33 years ago this week, one of the wackiest, campiest, and queerest christmas specials premiered on network television– and it was a kids show! “pee-wee’s playhouse” was the brainchild of paul rueben and was america’s most watched weekly children’s show from 1986 – 1990. based on his 1981 stage show…

  • Remember the RuPaul Show Christmas Special

    Remember the RuPaul Show Christmas Special

    growing up in the 1980s, tv christmas specials were usually over-the-top variety shows that featured musical numbers and sub-par comedic skits by d-list celebrities of yesteryear. and baby, i loved everything about them all! the gowns. the make-up. and celebrities singing “don we now our gay apparel.” it was this…

  • The Day I Was Santa

    The Day I Was Santa

    growing up i knew that i could and would be anything i wanted – as long as i could get access to resources and shit. i imagined that i would be a backup dancer for janet jackson or paula abdul. i daydreamed about being a famous pop artist. i even had…

  • MARY JANE GIRLS

    MARY JANE GIRLS

    the pointer sisters, sister sledge and vanity 6 were my earliest introduction to the miracle that is the girl group genre. as a young child trying to make sense of societal demands to be “rougher,” girl groups captured my imagination with their style, choreography, and essence while commanding me to…

  • my reflection

    my reflection

    we had a huge mirror downstairs. it was right above the living room couch. its position was hella convenient. as i came down the stairs to leave the house, i got a glimpse of what my outfit looked like—actually, you had no choice but to get a look at your…