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While you might know her solely from her recent debut on Love and Hip Hop Miami, don’t get it twisted — Amara La Negra is not new to the entertainment business.
Making the majority of her fame in Latin America and her family’s native Dominican Republic, she’s had plenty of experience with climbing her way to the top and the anti-Blackness that’s come along the way. With her recent exposure to the mainstream market, her multi-album record deal, and Mami Ana by her side, there’s no doubt that 2018 will be for Amara like 2017 was for Cardi B.
Here are some things you should know about the Latinx superstar.
1 She’s been in showbiz since she was a kid
Landing a role on Sabado Gigante at the age of four, she was the only Black child star in the cast. While it was an honor for her to be cast in the timeless Spanish variety show, she faced the harsh reality of racism early on. In the six years she was on the show, she wrote in an Instagram caption she was “always placed in the middle or the back.”
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2 She’s inspired by the Afro-Latinas who came before her
The Dominicana is always posting #tbt pictures of her with the iconic Celia Cruz, an ode to one of the Black women who has inspired her the most.
“I was very much influenced by Donna Summers, Toni Braxton, Tina Turner, Celia Cruz, La India and Olga Tañon,” she said in an interview with Latina.
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3 She’s been dealing with anti-Blackness her entire career
As someone who’s been in the spotlight since she was very young, Love and Hip Hop is not her first run-in with racism in entertainment. In 2016, Dominican TV host Geisha Montes de Oca took the stage of her talk show dressed in blackface imitating Amara La Negra, with black paint on her face, hip pads, and an afro wig.
“This is disgusting,” one commenter said. “She is making a mockery of her own African descent … so sad. Love the DR, but the people are so stuck with the slave mentality. They see nothing wrong with it.”
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4 She’s always been riding for her Mami Ana from day one
Amara wasn’t kidding when she said her mom was her right hand on LHH. Even as a child when Sabado Gigante host Don Francisco asked her what she’d do with a million dollars, she said she wanted to buy a house for her mother.
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5 She’s had amazing collabs with people you already know
Amara is not a stranger to other musicians. She’s collaborated with Sean Paul, Jowell y Randy, and plenty others.
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6 She’s an entrepreneur
Like a true hustler, this woman has more than one source of income. In addition to her entertainment career, Amara has her own fashion line of swimsuits, t-shirts, hats, and more.
