We’re kicking off #BlackHistoryMonth by celebrating our #AfroLatina queen Cardi B!🇩🇴 This past weekend, the rapper of Dominican descent made history by bringing merengue típico to the SNL stage for the first time in its nearly 50 years on air.💃🏽 She was joined on stage by legendary Dominican accordionist El Prodigio, blending traditional merengue sounds with her Bronx-inspired rap. She wore a custom embossed hand painted floral leather corset with a skirt inspired by the traditional Dominica

🇩🇴🎶 Merengue – The Sound That Became a Nation Merengue, the Dominican Republic’s national music and dance, began in rural Cibao but carries African, European, and Taíno roots. Once dismissed as low-class, it was elevated by Trujillo’s regime and transformed by artists like Luis Alberti, Johnny Ventura, and Juan Luis Guerra. Its rhythm — driven by tambora, güira, and accordion — crossed borders, evolving into modern forms like Merengue Urbano. Today, it's danced at home and abroad, bridging ge