Benny Blanco ‘Hermoso’ Album Controversy, Explained

Benny Blanco just released Hermoso, the follow-up to 2025’s I Said I Love You First, his joint project with his wife Selena Gomez. The new album features Gomez again, plus an array of Latin and Spanish-language artists like Becky G, Myke Towers, Mora, Netón Vega, BB Trickz, the Marías, and Colombian producer Ovy on the Drums. The sounds on Hermoso include a mix of música mexicana, cumbia, and reggaeton folded into Blanco’s pop-focused sound, and the release marks his most Latin-music-forward project since making a name for himself as a mega pop producer for stars like Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran.

But now, the internet is debating the album, with some people accusing Blanco of cultural appropriation. Here’s a rundown on what’s going on.

Some critics began calling Blanco out after he unveiled the Latin-focused tracklist and album cover, which features the producer in a caricature-style mask. Some have dubbed the cover itself as racist, while others are saying Blanco’s non-Latin background as the problem. “It’s actually so sinister to make your entire persona a downtrodden Latino man when you’re literally a Jewish guy from Virginia,” one X user wrote. “Its interesting how he tries to code himself as Latino. I was not aware until literally today that he isn’t,” wrote a Reddit commenter.

Others pointed out that the release of Hermoso comes at a particularly grueling time for Latinos in the U.S. as the Trump administration’s immigration policy demonizes the immigrant community. “At least speak out against ICE if you’re going to larp as a Latino, Ben Levin,” one commenter wrote on Blanco’s recent Instagram post.

Blanco, 38, was born Benjamin Levin and has always been upfront about his background. He says his stage name was something he came up with when he started rapping early in his career. “I was in the studio one day, going through names like Lil’ B, Short Stuff … I was Benny Bounce for some time, and then I was like, ‘I’m white!,’ and I was studying Spanish at the time, so I was like, ‘Blanco!’” he told Billboard back in 2010. “A friend said, ‘You should be Benny Blanco, like in Carlito’s Way.’ All my other names sucked, so I didn’t really have a choice. I just went with that one,” Blanco said, referring to John Leguizamo’s character in the 1993 movie. 

Blanco has said that he’s from Reston, Virginia in interviews and his background is Ashkenazi Jewish, which inspired his 2024 cookbook Open Wide. Many fans have noted that Blanco has never actually claimed to be Latino and has spoken about how Latin music has inspired him. “I grew up in an area with a large Latin population, so that music has surrounded me since I was a child,” Blanco recently told El País when asked about his motivations behind Hermoso. “You’d get in the car and Jeanette would be playing; in another car, cumbia would be on,” he said. “I was always drawn to the drums and how the rhythms interacted with each other. It’s a culture that’s always full of fresh ideas and people who aren’t afraid to go against the grain.”

In the same interview with El País, Blanco criticized the mass deportations that have targeted Latinos. “They are taking away some of the best people. They are the backbone of America,” he said. “I find it very sad that they are taking innocent people simply for a piece of paper.” Blanco also supported Gomez’s pro-immigration activism. “I’m very proud of my wife; she always stands up for what she cares about and took a very strong stance against ICE. It’s ridiculous. It shouldn’t even be necessary to take sides in this.”

And while some detractors have been upset about Hermoso, some of his fans have pointed out that it didn’t come out of left field. Blanco has dabbled with Latin music for several years. In 2019, he hopped on Latin pop banger “I Can’t Get Enough” featuring Gomez and J Balvin after Tainy played it for Interscope. Since then, the hitmaker has worked with Kali Uchis on her 2022 single “Moonlight,” and teamed up with Grammy-winning songwriter Edgar Barrera on Grupo Frontera’s “Quédate Bebé.” 

It’s not his first time collaborating with Vega or the Marías either. Last year, he helped produce a handful of tracks on Vega’s Delirium. “It’s some of my favorite music in the world and my wife [Selena Gomez] grew up on it, so we listen to it a lot,” Blanco told RS of his work with música mexicana acts like Vega. “It’s very much what we’re playing at the barbecue… It’s the best shit to play when you’re by the pool or at the beach.”

On I Said I Love You First, Blanco tapped the Marías for “Ojos Tristes,” which interpolates “El Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes,” the classic from Spanish singer Jeanette. “I think they’ve done such a gorgeous job. It’s lovely,” she told RS in an interview last year.

It made sense that Blanco tapped Becky G for the cumbia-inspired “Te Olvido (La La)” since they’ve been in each other’s circles a while. “I’ve known Benny for so long now, which is crazy,” Becky told Rolling Stone recently. “I remember the day we went into the studio, again, no intention set, just kind of like, ‘Let’s create and let’s see what happens.’ And I feel like it was a few weeks after, the song was so stuck in my head.” (The only real baffling choice on Hermoso may be his song with Bb Trickz; last year, Bb Trickz came under fire for saying she could “learn things” from Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler on a podcast.)

Fans have also pointed out that the Hermoso cover art, and name seems to come from a more personal note as Blanco takes the criticism he’s received over his appearance and tries to poke fun at it. “If I had to guess, I think he’s leaning into the whole ‘he’s ugly’ thing you see a lot on stan Twitter/adjacent spaces. It looks like an exaggeration/caricature of him made to look specifically hideous,” wrote another user on Reddit.

The eight-track project is out now. “Te Olvido (La La)” has been a particular standout, reaching No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Pop Songs. The video, which is full of Chicano imagery, has garnered 7.5 million views.