Want a pick me up antes del fin de semana?  Nuestros amigos at Nacional Records are offering up some weekend goodies to pump up your party!

Check it out: for a limited time, you can download the Nacional Records Sampler 2009 | The New Sounds Of Latin Music for free.  The sampler features canciones by some nuestros artistas favoritos, like our current Descubre & Download artists Bomba Estereo, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Manu Chao, y Hello Seahorse!  Cool, we love getting free new music!

Photo via Amazon

The music business is in dire straits as patrons opt for free downloads over purchasing their personal soundtracks, however Shakira is cool with all this! In a recent entrevista, la Colombiana explained that she feels close to fans who appreciate her music enough to download it legally (or otherwise).

She states:

"It's the democratization of music in a way. And music is a gift. That's what it should be, a gift."

Hmmm... We wonder if her peers feel that way! Of course they're not sitting on STACKS like Shaki! [Perez Hilton]

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Llama los bomberos, porque Bomba Estéreo is on FIRE!  El grupo colombiano is making waves en la música urbana con un nuevo sonido, mixing the traditional regional sounds of champeta y cumbia with reggae, hip-hop and electronica.

Don't be fooled by singer Li Saumet's cute as a button exterior, porque esta cantante packs quite a lyrical punch alongside the intricate beats of bandmate Simón Mejía.  El grupo is already picking up steam in their native Colombia, and have performed with urban fusion heavy-hitters, Calle 13, in addition to landing a prime spot at this year's LAMC showcase.  Want to see what the hype is all about?  Download su más reciente canción, "Fuego," on the MTV Tr3s Descubre & Download page ahora. It's free and it's just as explosive as you'd expect from the title.

Quieres más música latina gratis? Don't forget to download more free tracks from Monte Negro, Federico Aubele, Aterciopelados y Los Amigos Invisibles and tell us what you think!

Photo via Nacional Records

Tours, clothing lines, endorsements, movie and record deals...

How much money is the famous B really bankin'? Enough to land her in a new Forbes list featuring the highest-paid stars under 30. We must warn that checking your bank account after reading these numbers may cause severe depression. Ready? Beyonce earned a total of $87 million in 2008!!! She even beat out La Britney's cool $35 million a year.

Bueno, it pays to be a "Diva" now doesn't it? [Forbes]

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What's better than blasting reggaeton for the entire neighborhood to hear?

Throwing on champeta, a genre African slaves gave birth to in the coast of Colombia. The ritmo de la calle came around way before reggaetoneros deemed themselves musical royalty, and Bomba Estéreo is making sure the rich rhythm stays alive. The electro vacilón crew melts champeta, cumbia, ska, and hip-hop all into the explosive compilation  “Bomba Estéreo Estalla: Volume 2.″ We got a chance to talk to lead singer Li Saumet and bassist Simon Mejía exclusively at the 2009 LAMC about why they call their music melodramatic pop and their message to fans after the jump!

Read more...

Paulina Rubio isn't the only estrella fighting to increase tourism in Mexico...

Juanes is also advocating for Mexico to be seen as a vacation destination once again since the swine flu epidemic killed eighty three people in the country. The Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism and the Mexico Tourist Board announced that they have lost approximately $524 million dollars in the tourism industry and are spending a total of $90 million on celebrity campaigns to help aid the initiative.

The Colombian singer landed in Cancun today along with his wife Karen Martinez and two daughters Paloma and Luna. He hopes the trip will prove to la gente that Mexico is now a safe place to travel with family and kids. Juanes even manages to do good while he is on vacation! Can't beat that right? [Es Mas]

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The Kings of Bachata are trying their hand at another type of música romántica: boleros. You heard it right -- Aventura recorded a bolero version of their nueva canción "Su Veneno" in addition to the original bachata.  We showed you a preview of the steamy new video last week, but now you can see for yourself as Romeo learns a lesson en el amor the hard way after falling in love with a beautiful bad girl! Watch the exclusive video premiere of the bolero version of "Su Veneno" below!

Do you think that Romeo should have gotten the girl?!  Leave your thoughts below!

Pauli is kissing her dulce possessions goodbye!

The "Causa y Efecto" singer tweeted about falling victim to a sudden burglary in her Miami mansion. When you are Paulina Rubio, you call the cops, start an investigation, and alert the entire mundo to keep a look out for your goods! Although the "Gran City Pop" queen was brave enough to announce the bad news, she did not go into detail about what was actually stolen from her casa.

The Mexican pop star left the following message on her Twitter page yesterday:

Last night someone broke in to my house in Miami but I'm glad that the police already have a lead from the security cameras Willgotthem!

Poor Pauli! No worries...karma is going to make sure the suckers don't sell your stuff on Ebay.

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Granted, Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's collaboration for the hit single "Lucky" is romantically irresistible...

Pero wait until you hear the bilingual version "Lucky (Suerte)" featuring Ximena Sariñana! The Latin Grammy-winner may have tucked away her "Vidas Paralelas" winter gear, but her mellow voz will still transport you straight to paradise. Adding an even smoother touch to Ximena's love confession is Jason's ode to the female spirit. Prepare to get lifted into a heavenly collaboration worth setting on repeat.

Watch the new video premiere off of Jason's third album "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things" right below and let us know what you think!

Photo via Warner Music

Wondering how la vida was like in the Santos familia?

We spoke exclusively to Aventura to find out! The "All Up To You" singers are busy dominating the charts by breaking top five in the Nielsen Soundscan charts, but they always have time for a good laugh. In honor of Father's Day this Sunday, we decided to ask Romeo to dish on embarrassing memories of his padre. The answer will definitely leave you gasping for air! Hombres will be hombres...

Watch our exclusive interview right below and share your funny memory of your pop's right below!

Keep it locked for more Aventura exclusives to come!

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