Why Is Everyone So Mad About Benny Blanco’s Latin Album?

Benny Blanco just released Hermoso , the follow-up to 2025’s I Said I Love You First , his joint project with his wife Selena Gomez . The new album features Gomez again, plus an array of Latin and Spanish-language artists like Becky G , Myke Towers, Mora, Netón Vega, BB Trickz, the Marías, and Colombian producer Ovy on the Drums. The sounds on Hermoso include a mix of música mexicana, cumbia, and reggaeton folded into Blanco’s pop-focused sound, and the release marks his most Latin-music-forward project since making a name for himself as a mega pop producer for stars like Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran.

But now, the internet is debating the album, with some people accusing Blanco of cultural appropriation. Here’s a rundown on what’s going on.

Some critics began calling Blanco out after he unveiled the Latin-focused tracklist and album cover, which features the producer in a caricature-style mask. Some have dubbed the cover itself as racist , while others are saying Blanco’s non-Latin background as the problem. “It’s actually so sinister to make your entire persona a downtrodden Latino man when you’re literally a Jewish guy from Virginia,” one X user wrote . “Its interesting how he tries to code himself as Latino. I was not aware until literally today that he isn’t,” wrote a Reddit commenter.

Others pointed out that the release of Hermoso comes at a particularly grueling time for Latinos in the U.S. as the Trump administration’s immigration policy demonizes the immigrant community. “At least speak out against ICE if you’re going to larp as a Latino, Ben Levin,” one commenter wrote on Blanco’s recent Instagram post.

Blanco, 38, was born Benjamin Levin and has always been upfront about his background. He says his stage name was something he came up with when he started rapping early in his career. “I was in the studio one day, going through names like Lil’ B, Short Stuff … I was Benny Bounce for some time, and then I was like, ‘I’m white!,’ and I was studying Spanish at the time, so I was like, ‘Blanco!’” he told Billboard back in 2010. “A friend said, ‘You should be Benny Blanco, like in Carlito’s Way .’ All my other names sucked, so I didn’t really have a choice. I just went with that one,” Blanco said, referring to John Leguizamo’s character in the 1993 movie. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

Blanco has said that he’s from Reston, Virginia in interviews and his background is Ashkenazi Jewish, which inspired his 2024 cookbook Open Wide . Many fans have noted that Blanco has never actually claimed to be Latino and has spoken about how Latin music has inspired him. “I grew up in an area with a large Latin population, so that music has surrounded me since I was a child,” Blanco recently told El País when asked about his motivations behind Hermoso . “You’d get in the car and Jeanette would be playing; in another car, cumbia would be on,” he said. “I was always drawn to the drums and how the rhythms interacted with each other.