Eduardo Cepeda

Music Writer

Eduardo Cepeda is a music and culture writer living in Boston. He writes a reggaeton column for Remezcla, has bylines at Noisey, Red Bull and others, and is writing a biography on seminal post-hardcore band At The Drive-In for UT Press. Send him tips about local hip-hop, R&B and reggaeton.

Recently published

Rapper Lil Pump gives a mock commencement speech at Harvard's WHRB. (Courtesy James Gui)

Lil Pump Gives His Own 'Commencement Speech' At Harvard

Lil Pump stands as a marker of a changing rap landscape: one that doesn’t utilize profundity or rap virtuosity to ascribe value.

Local Coverage

Mar 1, 2019

Lil Pump performs in concert at Barclays Center on Dec. 29, 2018, in New York. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Life Imitating Meme: Rapper Lil Pump Will Speak At Harvard This Week

The rapper is known for his lighthearted trolling. Part of his mythos revolves around a self-created rumor that he dropped out of Harvard (which he never attended to begin with),...

Local Coverage

Feb 27, 2019

Helado Negro will open for Beirut at House of Blues on Tuesday, Feb. 12 (Courtesy Anna Groth-Shive)

Helado Negro Is Not Just Young, Latin And Proud. He's Also Constantly Transforming

There's a satiating duality in Helado Negro. His music is perpetually innovating, yet it feels as though it's always been the antecedent to the current Latinx wave.

Local Coverage

Feb 8, 2019

The 15 Best Albums Of The Year

Music critics Amelia Mason, Arielle Gray and Eduardo Cepeda reflect on the year on the popular music landscape.

Local Coverage

Dec 27, 2018

Billy Dean Thomas will perform at Oberon on Nov. 2. (Courtesy A.R.T.)

At Oberon, Billy Dean Thomas Redefines 'American Gothic'

Thomas also plans to explore the white gaze they encounter on a daily basis in Boston. “Especially being queer and masculine-presenting ... I’d like to take that, and flip it.”

Local Coverage

Oct 31, 2018

Wu-Tang Clan "36 Chambers" stands as a cultural marker, not just of hip-hop, but of the punk spirit, writes critic Eduardo Cepeda. (Courtesy)

Wu-Tang Clan's Irreverent '36 Chambers' Embodies And Transcends Punk

The ferocious attitude, grainy sound and warped timbre throughout the album made it like nothing hip-hop had ever seen before.

Local Coverage

Oct 30, 2018

J Balvin will perform at Agganis Arena on Oct. 18 (Courtesy) Art by Eduardo Cepeda

J Balvin Stands As Iconic Pillar In New Wave Of Latin Music Domination

Some critics look at this “resurgence” as something of a sanitation of the genre, and even a white-washing. But there’s no denying that this movement, mainly edified by Balvin ––...

Local Coverage

Oct 16, 2018

Sara Skolnick, aka DJ Riobamba, performing at Picó Picante (Courtesy Sara Skolnick)

For Us And By Us: Boston Party Picó Picante Serves As Joyous Space For People Of Color

Seeking to bring various underrepresented cultures together, Picó Picante is not just an anchor of POC and Queer nightlife in Boston. It's a place to exhale.

Local Coverage

Aug 14, 2018

Bad Bunny (Courtesy photos; illustration by Eddie Cepeda for WBUR)

Latin Trap Rapper Bad Bunny Is Redefining Masculinity In A Genre Steeped In Machismo

Bad Bunny serves as a messy case study of a rapper attempting to reinvent masculinity outside of homophobia -- however clumsily and problematically -- in a genre steeped in machismo.

Local Coverage

Aug 8, 2018

Some of the best hip-hop albums of the year include SZA's "CTRL" and Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN." (Courtesy)

The 15 Best Hip-Hop And R&B Albums Of 2017

For the first time in history, hip-hop and R&B overtook rock as the most consumed music in the United States. Music critic Eddie Cepeda highlights the best of the music...

Local Coverage

Dec 19, 2017