Rauw Alejandro is seemingly weighing in after Arcángel said Spain does not owe an apology for its colonial past.
Just days after Arcá made his controversial comments at a concert in Madrid, Rauw shared a brief post to his X account.
"The cultural exchange between peoples could have been built without blood, without slavery, and without erasing identities or beliefs,” Rauw, 33, wrote in Spanish. “But that's not how it happened, and that can’t be forgotten."
Arcángel, 40, made the original remarks on Monday (May 11) during a concert at Madrid's Movistar Arena on his La 8va Maravilla World Tour, where he defended Spain's colonial legacy and pushed back against criticism of colonization.
“To all my Hispanic-American brothers. I know you say ‘Latino,’ but for me we are not Latinos—we are Hispanic-Americans,” he said in Spanish, as seen in a video circulating online. “The true Latinos are the Spanish, the French, and the Portuguese. We are Hispanic-Americans. I’m proud of all my beliefs, proud of the language I speak, proud of the motherland that once was and gave us light. Because we used to be Indians. These people arrived and made us speak, made us believe, and gave us value.”
He continued, “So those assholes who go around saying that Spain owes America an apology? … What kind of nonsense world do you live in, you son of a bitch? ‘Oh, they stole the gold and all that.’ And what about the streets, the schools, and the churches they built so that you could be educated today? Where did that come from, you son of a bitch?”
Arcángel was born in New York City to Dominican parents and also lived in Puerto Rico. His on-stage speech was met with cheers from the audience.
“There's no need to apologize to anyone,” he said. “I'm proud. I adore my motherland, Spain. Make some noise, please.”
He concluded, “I love my language. I can't imagine myself speaking Italian, French, or Chinese. All of that sounds ugly. I like the way I speak, damnit.”
