Villano Antillano: How Femininity Serves as Both a Shield and Superpower in Puerto Rico

Villano Antillano, a rising star in the Puerto Rican music scene, has released her debut LP, La Sustancia X, which showcases her unique wordplay and celebrates her femininity. The album, released in December 2021, is a mix of trap, reggaeton, rock, and dance beats, with Antillano’s exquisite wordplay seamlessly blending English and Spanish in a distinctly Caribbean manner.

Antillano’s music is all about pleasure, perreo, and booming percussion. On the album cover, she stares unflinchingly forward, dressed in neon green and black, exuding the energy of a cool femme fatale. She spent nearly three years working on La Sustancia X, taking her time to craft her magnum opus, and the result is a cohesive album that showcases her range and vision.

As a trans woman, Antillano says that her music is a testament to the way she’s been able to interact with her femininity through her creative process. She sees femininity as both a shield and a superpower, which she uses to claim her place in the music industry and assert her power. In the first track of the album, she declares, “I’m not an artist. I’m a movement.”

Antillano has been making waves in the Puerto Rican music scene for some time now. Before releasing La Sustancia X, she had already established herself in the underground rap scene and collaborated with other up-and-coming queer and women artists. Last summer, she teamed up with rising Argentinian producer Bizarrap for his “BZRP Music Sessions #51,” a performance that has amassed over 184 million views on YouTube. She also appeared on stage with Bad Bunny during one of his San Juan shows for the Un Verano Sin Ti tour.

With La Sustancia X, Antillano has made a bold statement about her artistry and her identity. The album’s innately magical, spiritual energy serves as a powerful representation of her creative vision, and it’s clear that Villano Antillano is a force to be reckoned with in the Puerto Rican music scene and beyond.