The Kapo Incident: The Crisis of Industry Transplants and Cultural Erasure in Urban Latin Music
The Controversy at Latin Billboards 2025
The 2025 Latin Billboard Awards generated a critical cultural moment during the panel, “The New Global Rhythm of Latin Music,” which centered on the burgeoning influence of Afrobeat in the Latin sphere. The discussion featured prominent figures, including Goyo, Ozuna, producer Humby Humberto Viana, Venesti, and rising Colombian star Kapo.
However, the discussion quickly devolved into controversy following remarks made by Kapo, 28, as his comments were widely condemned as revealing a fundamental “lack of knowledge” regarding the genre’s history. Kapo’s statement was more than an embarrassment; it exposed a systemic issue of cultural disconnection within the new wave of Latin urban artists.
The Accelerated Rise of an Industry Transplant
The journey of Juan David Loaiza Sepúlveda, known professionally as Kapo, presents a fascinating paradox. We acknowledge and respect his endurance: born in Zaragoza, Antioquia, and raised in El Cabuyal near Cali, his life story is a genuine struggle, echoing the rags-to-riches narratives of peers like Bad Bunny. Kapo’s musical drive began early, writing his first song at 13 and later moving to Bogotá, even seeking a breakthrough on the impersonation reality show Yo Me Llamo (imitating Cosculluela).
However, the rapid acceleration of his career in 2019, when he was discovered by the commercial powerhouse label La Industria Inc., underscores his position as an “industry transplant.” His success, particularly his 2024 international hits “Ohnana” and “Uwaie,” was immediately stylized in the emerging Afrobeat genre, indicating a market-driven pivot rather than an organic connection to the genre’s pioneers. This trajectory suggests that while he knows about personal struggle, he was quickly inserted into a machine that bypasses the historical and cultural education necessary for proper music stewardship.
The Core Crisis: Historical Amnesia and the Ruthless Industry
Kapo’s response demonstrates that his success, while well-earned on a personal level, has occurred in a vacuum, creating a critical need for clarity and education about the true pioneers of urban Latin music.
The new generation of urban Latin stars are fundamentally not in touch with the origins of the pioneers—the Black, working-class creators from Panama, Jamaica, and the African diaspora who forged the blueprints for reggaeton and dembow. The shift toward the commercially safer “popeton” sound, and its subsequent whitewashing or modification, is precisely what historian Katelina Eccleston (“reggaeton con la gata”) has dedicated over a decade to documenting and fighting against. The current ruthless music industry enables this ignorance by promoting artists who lack historical accountability, ensuring that the industry maintains control over the narrative and finances.
Why It Matters: The Cycle of Appropriation and the Cost of Credit
The ultimate consequence of this historical amnesia is not just an embarrassing comment but a systemic failure to compensate the originators—a failure now being litigated at the highest levels and replicated in real-time with Afrobeat.
The Dembow Accountability
Consider the massive “Fish Market” copyright legal case exemplifies the cost of avoiding credit. The lawsuit, moving forward as of a 2024 ruling, targets over 100 defendants (including superstars) and seeks compensation for the unauthorized use of the dembow riddim—a beat originating with Jamaican producers Steely & Clevie in their 1989 track “Fish Market.”
Crying when It Is Time to Pay Up
This is the core issue: the genre’s massive success was built on uncredited, unpaid intellectual property. Now that the genre has generated significant money, the industry and artists are “crying when it is time to pay up.” The speed and scale of the dembow lawsuit serve as a stark warning: fast-forwarding education leads directly to fast-forwarding copyright litigation.
The Afrobeat Warning
Most critically, the panel discussion itself—focused on adopting Afrobeat—signals this cycle’s continuation. Just as the industry failed to credit the Panamanian and Jamaican pioneers for reggaeton, they are now doing “similar things with Afrobeat musicians,” rapidly commercializing the sound, like Kapo’s recent hits, without ensuring cultural respect, long-term compensation, or even basic historical knowledge from the artists they profit from.
