De La Ghetto, Las Raíces and DJ Exxtra Heat Up Calentón

Article by Olivia Phipps, University Union Editorial Board

Assistant Editor | Photo by Asia Lising

De La Ghetto lit up our third-annual Calentón Music Fest in Goldstein Auditorium on Sunday as a fiery conclusion to a night full of reggaeton, dance and celebration of Latine heritage. The show, also featuring performances from DJ Exxtra and Las Raíces Dance Troupe, concluded SU’s series of Latine Heritage Month events across September and October. The “hotspot,” as the Spanish name translates, provided students a unique opportunity to come together and appreciate Latine culture through a fun night of music and dance.

Dominican American NYC-native DJ Exxtra returned for a third year to open the show with a variety of music from across Latin America. From Rauw Alejandro, to salsa, to 2000s throwbacks, to a wide range of Bad Bunny tracks, he got the crowd on their feet and on the dancefloor to start the night. Closing out with an emotional vibe shift with “DeBÍ TiRaR MáS FOToS,” he encouraged us to tell our friends and family we love them, and importantly, to have fun.

Photo by Colin Hulme

His set gave way to a performance by Raíces Dance Troupe, the university’s only Latin-based dance group. The audience cheered as Raíces danced to a diverse musical mashup featuring artists like Young Miko and Bb trickz. Since 1997, the group has strived to appreciate and educate the SU community about Latin American culture through dance, and their performance reflected this well; we’re glad Raíces could spread their “love of Latin culture, dance and community” with us for another year.

Photo by Troy Conner

As the main act, De La Ghetto took the stage last, to the delight of the crowd. He played a variety of his urban Latino discography from across his 20-year career. Born in The Bronx and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he began his music journey in 2004, forming a duo with fellow star Arcángel before embarking on a solo career in 2006. Since then, he’s racked up Billboard Hot 100 hits, Latin Grammy nominations and over 18 million monthly listeners on Spotify while playing a major role in pioneering the Latin trap genre. At Calentón, De La Geezy brought us a number of his hits, including “Sensación del Bloque,” “ACHO PR,” “La Ocasión”, and “Caile,” in a high-energy and jam-packed 45-minute set. He also took moments between songs to shout out the Boricuas in the audience, express his excitement to be in Syracuse for the first time, and offer to come back for Calentón 2026. We’d love to see him again!

Thank you to all who came out to Calentón to dance and celebrate Latine heritage with us! 

Photo by Joe Zhao