Exclusive: The Legacy Prince Royce Hopes to Leave for Future Generations of Latinos

Honoring his Dominican roots has always been a key part of Prince Royce's career, that's why when he had the chance to blend his music with art, he leaped at the opportunity.

Through Ritmo y Color, an initiative by McDonald's to fuse Latin Urban Music and Art, the bachatero joined Mexican artist Rah Azul to amplify Latino voices in a way that transcends all known barriers.

From Miami to Los Angeles, folks will be able to see the stunning work from the group of diverse muralists who got a chance to use their local McDonald's restaurants as their canvas as well as watch Royce perform live on October 25 online.

In an exclusive interview with People Chica, Azul and Royce discussed the elements of their culture they incorporate into their respective art forms, the importance of Latino representation and the legacy they hope to leave for future generations.

Courtesy of McDonald's

What's your go-to meal at McDonald's?

Prince Royce: It depends [on] what time. If we're talking, like, two in the morning, I think some nuggets. If we're talking like 2 PM, a Big Mac. I like the McChicken, too.

You're currently on the American leg of your Classic Tour. How has it felt to be back home?

PR: It feels good, I'm on my fourth week, so I'm feeling very motivated. We're in L.A., it feels good to be back on tour after all the COVID stuff and cancelations. It feels good to be with the fans again. Right now, with McDonald's, we're celebrating just being Latino, being Hispanic, we're doing a live stream on October 25, you can go on ritmoycolormcd.com to see the live stream.

Technology has made it possible for us to bring shows to the fans at home, for fans that couldn't come out and we've got an artist here who wrapped the store, Rah Azul, with his art. I think that's really cool, music as a form of art, but also celebrating artists that are painting, bringing their colors to life—I think that's something very beautiful. I think we've got to continue to support Latino artists in general. I think it's cool that McDonald's doing this.

Your music has resonated with fans across Latin America and the world, placing Latino talent on top. When creating music, what are important elements of your culture you keep close to you?

PR: I think for me, being raised and born in New York, my parents are Dominican, I always embrace my Latin community, my culture and I try to just, in my music, put a little bit of that. I grew up listening to R&B, hip hop, reggaeton, bachata, merengue, salsa—it's a little bit of everything. I try to really get that inspiration from where I'm from, that Spanglish vibe as well and be true to myself and my roots. It's something that I do unintentionally most times.

Courtesy of McDonald's

I think that it always has a little bit of that New York flavor, that bilingual flavor and I try to inspire myself just with stuff that's going on in the world. Art is something that is very personal and it's beautiful when you can see a group of people can connect to a certain song—that's something that I've learned through the years.

That's a beautiful thing, when people come up to me and say, "Hey, that song was with me on my birthday, or that song was with me in a breakup. That song was with me [at] my graduation." I feel very blessed to be able to represent where I'm from through music.

Being born in the Bronx you embody generations of Latinos that were born in the United States. In what way do honor both your American and Dominican backgrounds?

PR: Just being myself, really. It's something that we don't think about. When we speak in Spanglish, we're not really doing it intentionally. When I sing in Spanglish, I'm not doing it intentionally. When I'm in my shows, I speak both languages and I'm not doing it intentionally. Even just singing bachata in general for me is a big way to represent where I'm from, represent my culture, represent [the] Dominican Republic.

I've said this before, if it wasn't for me really embracing being Dominican and embracing my culture and the music—merengue, bachata—I definitely wouldn't be here. I don't think [I'd] be successful in what I do. I definitely just try to be myself and enjoy myself doing it.

Courtesy of McDonald's

Music and art continue to be a key way in which people come together and their stories are shared. What has been the most exciting part of collaborating with McDonald's and the visual artists in this project?

PR: The most exciting part is having a brand like this to support Latin music [and] Latin artists like Rah Azul [and] to bring art to their restaurant—to represent Latinos, to make us feel like we have a space. That's something very beautiful, that's really the bigger picture of this collaboration.

Also, bringing my show [on] October 25 to the live stream, those are really the main things that excite me about this. Like I said, it's cool when big brands like McDonald's come in and really show love to the Latin community.

As Latinos, we're all about legacy and remembering our ancestors. What legacy do you hope to leave for future generations?

PR: I hope to really be a positive influence [on] the youth. I grew up in the projects of the Bronx in New York, a very tough neighborhood. I always stayed focused [on] the things that I wanted to do, which was music...it doesn't matter where you're from or what language you speak, everyone has a different path. I wish to leave a positive influence [on] Latinos [and on] the world.

Muralists have the opportunity to tell stories through art. What are the stories that inspire you the most and that you like to showcase?

Rah Azul: I would say the most inspirational stories would be the process of becoming, transforming and blossoming. Achieving your goals, not seeing the person that you are, but becoming the greater version of yourself.

That's the kind of imagery that I want to capture [and] to share because I feel like that's a part of what's allowed me to become a better artist—knowing that there's hidden potential that I can tap into. But I feel like every person has that in them.

Hispanic Heritage Month commemorates our roots and contributions to the United States.  How do you honor your cultura through your murals?

RA: I would definitely say I honor mi cultura and my identity through my work currently by not only some of the imagery that you see—the butterflies—but also diving into a lot of the Aztec imagery and the stories of the Aztec and the Maya [that] are also captured in a lot of my work [and] a lot of my murals.

I feel like those stories haven't really been told and I want to use my platform, my voice, my talent to really speak for them and bring their beauty back into the present and share that with other people who want to discover more about their identity and more about their culture and the roots. I want to be able to put that on walls, on canvases, on shirts, on anything I can.

You've teamed up with McDonald's USA and Prince Royce on this project that celebrates Latinos through music and art. What has been one of your most memorable moments together?

RA: I would just say the energy of being in the space, being around artists like Prince Royce, on his level—someone that's doing great things like that has been amazing to be around. I could take that energy and use it in my own personal journey, getting out and sharing more of myself, more of my work.

But also to see that an artist on that level being in this type of project that I'm involved in, just allows me to see like there's levels and way more potential that you're not even aware [of] yet. So I'm glad to see that.

What does Ritmo y Color mean to you?

RA: Ritmo y Color is the fusion of art and music—Latino art and music—bringing those things together and sharing them on this scale, which I've never seen before. To be part of that, to see both of these elements, that is a big part of our culture and our identity already, to see them come together and to be shared on this scale is just amazing. I'm really glad to be part of it and just glad and looking forward to see how far this goes.