SNEAK PEEK: Arcángel

On Friday, Latin trap king Arcángel released his latest studio album, “Sr. Santos,” and we have yet to take it off of repeat. Which means this would be a perfect time to share our upcoming cover featuring Señor Santos himself!

The profile, written by Lucas Villa, will be running in our February/March issue, which will be hitting newsstands in January 2023. To give you an idea of what to expect from the upcoming article we’re running an excerpt below.

On “Sr. Santos,” Arcángel has returned to his Latin trap roots while embracing the man he’s become at 37. There’s a grown sophistication and sensuality to tracks like “Entonces” where he regroups with De La Ghetto, and “Digitos,” which features Puerto Rican rapper-on-the-rise Myke Towers.

“I’m not a kid anymore,” Arcángel says. “Sometimes I see those artists who are 35 and they want to appear like they’re 22. You want your album to reflect where you are now, even in your lyrics. I like to behave like who I am now. In reality, I’m a señor. I’m a gentleman. I have three kids. One of my kids is 17, the other is 16, and my daughter is going to be 15. I am Señor Santos because I’m 37. I feel very happy. As time has gone on, I’ve seen the man I’ve become.”

The most poignant track on the album is “JS4E,” which stands for “Justin Santos Forever.” In November 2021, Arcángel’s younger brother Justin Santos was killed in a car crash after a drunk driver collided with his vehicle. In the heartfelt ballad, Arcángel sings and raps about keeping the name of his brother alive through his music. A year later, he spent two days getting a portrait of Justin tattooed on his chest. To withstand the pain of his ink tribute, Arcángel chose to be under anesthesia for each four-hour session.

“That tattoo has the most meaning to me,” he says. “It’s the biggest tattoo I have. I can say it’s the most important piece of art that I have, his picture on my chest. I did it as an homage to my brother. Everything I do has to do with him. All of [my] body will be dedicated to him.”

You’ll be able to pick up the Inked Groundbreakers Issue featuring Arcángel in January. If you want to make sure you don’t miss it, or any other upcoming issue, grab a subscription here.