We recently connected with Jeynu Nunez and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeynu, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

I’m part of the Latin Rap Scene, which for some strange reason seems to require artists to stick to the same two musical genres in order to grow and meet certain “standards”. I’ve always tried to stand apart from that through my expression, but being different often means going against the current.

Over the years, I’ve had to work a little harder than others to make people realize that what I do is different — but still worth listening to. That’s really what I want in the end. Beyond just talking about sex and dance (which I genuinely enjoy), I want people to know that I can also tap into deeper human ideals, concepts and emotions like pain, introspection, love, patriotism, time and death through my music.

I’ve often felt that because I pursue these more sensitive ideals, I’m labeled as the “underdog.” People expect me to deliver a commercial, whitewashed reggaetón tailored by the industry and aligned with whatever’s trending. But what I really want to do is expand my ear to new sounds — and through each piece of work, become more sensitive to the world around me. To be more empathetic, more supportive, and to understand myself better.

I’m not an “urban singer” — I’m a Latin American Artist who uses rap to express what I live. The good and explicit things, but also the painful and uncomfortable ones.

Jeynu, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I can’t shake the feeling that sharing this feels a bit self-centered — like condensing the brightest moments of my artistic life into a bite-sized autobiography while avoiding the “boring parts” is kind of egocentric, right?. Oh well, vamo’ allá.

My name is Jeynu Núñez, and I’m a Puerto Rican writer and rapper. From a very young age, I felt the need to find myself through art, which led me to live in different parts of the world, including Santiago de Chile, Puerto Rico, and Florida. In 2014, I wrote my first book of poetry, “Crónica de un ente tergiversado”, while also beginning to publish early works in literary magazines like “Estantería de Sofía” (2015) and “The Hound Magazine” (2016, 2017).

Starting in 2018, I began producing artistic projects through my own platform, JeynuStation. This included photographic projects like “Perspectiva” (2019), in collaboration with California-based photographer Shanice Xaili, and “Layback”, a collaborative music project featuring multiple Puerto Rican artists.

In 2020, I released my mixtape “Lowkey”, which gained traction on several Puerto Rican independent music playlists such as Expresión HipHop, En La Casa, and ProductoTV. It also received international coverage through the podcast CuartoArte. This success led me to step back from social media in 2022 to focus on crafting my first music demo.

In January 2023, I released that demo, which gave me enough momentum in the scene to perform at some of Puerto Rico’s most recognized venues — including La Respuesta, Club 77, and El Local. This opened the door for me to join Puerto Rican rapper PJ Sin Suela as an opening act on his “TETSE” tour, marking my first performance in the United States.

Inspired by that milestone, I released my first extended play project, “debut”, a couple of weeks ago.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The socio-political climate in the United States—where I currently live—has been far from ideal in recent months. Watching how the lack of solidarity and empathy is masked with patriotic and economic rhetoric has stirred in me a deep sense of justice. While creating my latest project, “debut”, I often found myself reflecting on how disheartening it is to share space with people who treat the suffering of millions as a joke—who justify it as a necessary outcome of how “the world works.” During conversations, you hear dozens of ways to excuse a deeply rooted xenophobia and racism that lives just beneath the surface.

It all takes me back to those days in Santurce—without electricity, without water, without money—alone in my small room in Barrio Obrero, questioning the future of my life as a person and as a creative. A total emotional storm inside me.

Faced with this, I felt the need to search for the intention behind my expression. If my community and my society impact me this deeply, then what can I do to help others see it too? How can I make people who live outside of that suffering at least feel some solidarity—or view these drastic global changes through a more human lens?

I believe that’s where my mission as an artist was born: by allowing myself to be vulnerable to those uncomfortable feelings that arise when I turn on the news.

While “debut” doesn’t explicitly address social issues or offer critique, its creation was essential in helping me realize that I have a responsibility as an artist. The intention behind my expression is to help us become more sensitive—to feel more.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

To be able to grow and change, man. That’s it.

I’ve always said that art is completely useless—until it stops being useless. Art serves no purpose… until it serves every purpose. You get me?

In my case, art has helped me grow and understand myself as an individual. It’s helped me forgive myself for things from my past that have stayed with me as traumas. It’s helped me deconstruct myself through passion.

Just the other day, I was texting with a friend, finally putting into words things that should’ve been said a long time ago—and it felt freeing, man. I did the same with my girlfriend, and with my mom. It’s intense. And in other contexts, that kind of sacrifice is even heavier than just taking a hit to your pride or ego.

But in the end, it’s liberating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jeynustation.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeynustation/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeynuStation
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeynuStationOficial
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jeynustation
• Other: https://jeynustation.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits

Kevin Puertas
José Martínez
Sofía Nevares