From the Afro-Latin funk of Ricardo Lemvo and the Cuban hip-hop of Orishas to the new-jack boogaloo of Los Mocosos and the French salsa rap of Alliance Ethnik, Mo' Vida is a fun and fascinating journey to Latin music's next generation. Mo' Vida also includes the steamy salsa of Sergent Garcia, the French-tropical hip-hop of Menelik, and Venezuelan ska fusionists King Changó. The Honduran raggamuffin star Bombón and Xiomara Fortuna, an adventurous new voice from the Dominican Republic, also provide memorable tracks. Mo' Vida is rounded out by newcomer Patricia Melecio, whose modern boogaloo cut "Funky Latin Boogalú" was recorded especially for this collection.

Ever since Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo teamed up to blend Afro-Cuban rhythms and be-bop, Latin music has served as a catalyst for fusion. From Latin jazz in the 1940s to boogaloo in the 60s and Latin rock in the 70s, the music of the Spanish Caribbean is always in transition, incorporating new elements, even as it stays true to its roots. Recently, the popularity of Latin music has swept the world...again, and the appeal of its rhythms, melodies and culture has inspired artists of today's generation to experiment and create. As is often the case, it is contemporary African-American urban styles that are at the forefront of the new blends: hip-hop, funk, R&B and soul.

The title of this album is a play on words intended to reflect the multi-layered blend of the traditional and the contemporary, Latin and urban, English and Spanish, classic and hip. In Cuban street slang movida means a party: ¡Que movida! It derives from the same root as "movement" and implies that things are shaking, moving, vibrating. We played with the punctuation to create Mo' Vida, which fuses African-American slang for "more" and the Spanish word for "life."