RMAND Among Emerging Latin Artists Taking Part in NFL, Neon16 & Ntertain Content Series

RMAND is getting in the game

The Dominican singer from Netflix’s reality music competition show La Firma is among the emerging Latin artists will join NFL Latino players in an upcoming content series as part of a special partnership between the National Football League, Neon16 and Ntertain Studios for the 2023 season.

RMANDThe deal also includes new music releases that will comprise of a new volume for the next Por La Cultura mixtape.

NFL’s season-long campaign Por La Cultura will continue to spotlight Latin players, coaches and staff members to celebrate Latin excellence while telling their own stories of the community.

“Music is a leading passion point for Latinos, and we feel this partnership is an ideal platform for celebrating our Latino players and connecting more deeply with our fans,” said Javier Farfan, cultural strategist at the NFL, in a press release. “This content series brings together the commonalities of artists and athletes and their inspirational stories from humble beginnings, as they reach the top of their careers and their goal of stardom. Working with Ntertain and Neon16 allows us to authentically tell these stories with the creative vision of tastemakers at the forefront of Latino culture, music and entertainment.”

By showcasing current NFL Latino players and emerging Neon 16 music artists, the series aims to highlight the diversity and inclusivity of the NFL while celebrating the shared passion for music and football.

“We loved the concept of having our artists collaborate with Latino NFL players to create something as unique as an original song,” added Lex Borrero, co-founder and CEO of Ntertain and Neon16. “While both share Latino heritage, we know that artists and athletes also share a common drive to succeed, the talent to shine and the work ethic to thrive in their respective careers. Unifying these traits and the mutual love and respect for music has led to some incredible art that we can’t wait to share with fans this season.”

This season, the team-up will create original songs and music videos that reflects Latino NFL players and the artist’s shared passion for music, football, and community.

The first one “#0B,” an energetic electronic banger by RMAND, draws inspiration from the artist’s experience working with Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who is of Puerto Rican descent and wears the number zero.

“0B” is slated to release on the third week of the NFL regular season, leading up to the Miami Dolphins Latino Heritage Month game and home opener on September 24th.

Another player and artist collaboration will drop later in the season, joining the RMAND and Berrios song as this season’s Por La Cultura mixtape.

Furthermore, the NFL Shop commercial for this year will also feature RMAND as well as Neon16’s Alex Ponce and Nashy-Nashai; the commercial’s score will be done by the label. Neon16 will also produce four exclusive tracks for the NFL and its 32 clubs to use as part of their soundtrack for the upcoming season.

“With more than 31 million NFL fans in the United States, there is no doubt that Latinos continue to fall in love with the sport of football every day,” said Marissa Solis, NFL SVP global brand and consumer marketing. “We want to inspire Latinos with the lyrics and melodies created by these talented NEON16 artists in the same way they get excited for a perfectly executed pass and catch for a touchdown. This partnership unifies the heroes of stage and sport through their common bond as Latinos representing ‘por la cultura.’”

Last year, the NFL and Neon16 announced their 10-track debut Por La Cultura Mixtape: Vol. 1, featuring El Alfa, Will.I.Am., Yandel, Snow Tha Product, Anthony Ramos, Trueno and more, and beats by producers Albert Hype, Jodosky and Chael.

The NFL, Ntertain, and Neon16 partnership kicked off in 2021, when Latin artists Jodosky, Kris Floyd and Álvaro Díaz were invited guests of the NFL League.

This collaboration is one of the NFL’s ambitious plan to go all in on Latin music and its growing fanbase.

Last year, J Balvin became the first Latin headliner to perform for the league’s yearly free Kickoff Concert. Last November, the NFL also recruited Tijuana superstars Grupo Firme to perform at the halftime show for its annual Mexico City game, featuring the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

https://twitter.com/rmandofficial/status/1692599481785540957

Grupo Firme Performs at Halftime During the NFL’s Monday Night Football Game

Grupo Firme is celebrating a career touchdown

The Regional Mexican band headlined the halftime show at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City during the Monday Night Football game in which the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 38-10.

Grupo FirmeThe return of the NFL to Mexico featured a week-long celebration of pride that transcends borders, as well as the nexus between Mexican culture and American football with activities focused on art, fashion, music, and youth football.

As part of the League’s “Por la Cultura” campaign, music has been a focal point of the NFL’s marketing strategy, kicking off the season with a J Balvin concert and releasing a Por La Cultura mixtape featuring Yandel, El Alfa, and Snow Tha Product among others. Latino football fans are the fastest-growing demographic for the NFL and an important audience the league is hoping to grow in the coming years.

Grupo Firme, formed in the northern Mexican city of Tijuana, arrived at the so-called “Coloso de Santa Úrsula,” as the Estadio Azteca is also known, after a massively successful touring year, including their concert at the Zócalo of Mexico City last September that garnered an audience of 280,000, a series of presentations at Foro Sol, a major arena also located in the Mexican capital, and their main stage set at Coachella.

“This is an achievement in our career, we are going ‘at a steady pace’ as we say it. The truth is that we were not thinking to be part of an event as important as this beautiful night,” singer Eduin Caz told Billboard Español. “It will be something historic, a different audience will know us. They will listen to us and we will give our best.”

The Latin Grammy and Latin Billboard Music Awards winners performed their hits “Ya supérame”, “El amor no fue para mi” and “Gracias,” for the 78,000 NFL fans in attendance.

This was the first Monday Night Football game played in Mexico City since 2019, after a forced two-year break because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the musicians, the presence of the NFL in Mexico is a good opportunity for two communities to honor sports and music without language barriers.

“Something that we have realized and that we are very grateful for is that the public and the people who listen to Grupo Firme are increasingly bicultural. We have already seen people who do not speak Spanish singing at our concerts. It is a blessing for us that this is growing and that opens the door to be at events like this”, said singer Jhonny Caz.

Mexican singer Sofía Reyes was chosen this year to perform the national anthem of Mexico. She electrified the stadium as soon as she started singing the first verse.

“For me it is an honor to sing the Mexican national anthem and above all to sing it here in my country at an event like this. It’s crazy! I am happy and very grateful,” Reyes told Billboard Español prior to the game.

 

On the American side, the Mexican-American singer Marisol HernándezLa Marisoul”, from the musical group La Santa Cecilia, performed The Star-Spangled Banner, the United States National Anthem.

“This is my first time at the Estadio Azteca, singing the national anthem of the United States. I feel that my two worlds, my two countries, come together in a beautiful way and I can’t hide my feelings from this experience. For years at La Santa Cecilia we have tried to build musical bridges and I feel that tonight is a great example of this,” said Hernández.

The match in Mexico was the fifth and final of the 2022 International Series, which included three games in London and, for the first time, a game in Munich, Germany. Musical performances from the game at Estadio Azteca on November 21st can be viewed on Mundo NFL’s YouTube channel.