Latino Presence at the 2013 American Music Awards

By Taylor Pineda

This has been the month for Latin Americans in Award shows. Following the hype of the Latin Grammy Awards, the 2013 American Music Awards, which aired Sunday night, had its share of Latin presence. Hosted by Cuban American superstar rapper Pitbull, the show was vibrant and entertaining.

From his hilarious opening monologue, to a sexy surprise performance with Ke$ha, Pitbull had the crowd in awe. Other astounding Latino presence came from none other than Latin American sensation Jennifer Lopez.

The 44-year-old looked stunning as she paid tribute to the legendary Celia Cruz by performing some of the late star’s biggest hits, including “Quimbara” and “La Vida Es Un Carnaval.” As one of the stars best performances ever, American Music Award viewers experienced quite a show.

Other memorable moments of the evening included Justin Timberlake receiving awards for favorite pop/rock male, favorite soul/R& B male, and soul/R& B album awards, quite the success for the ever evolving artist.

Rapper Macklemore also won an award for favorite rap/hip-hop album, and took the opportunity to express political frustration with racial profiling by stating:

“Due to the fact that we are in Florida tonight accepting this award, I want to acknowledge Trayvon Martin and the hundreds and hundreds of kids who are dying each year due to racial profiling and the violence that follows,” the rapper said via satellite. “These are our friends, our neighbors, our peers, our fans, and it’s time that we look out for the youth and fight against racism and the laws that protect it.”