Popcast: Drake and Romeo Santos

This week the New York Times pop music writers discuss a platinum-selling rapper in search of new sounds and a Latin music superstar in search of new audiences.

The Times’s Jon Caramanica discusses the Canadian rapper Drake, who released a new album, “Take Care” (Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Republic), this week. Drake has become perhaps the biggest star in hip-hop partly by mining his own emotions to an extent that is rare among his peers, and his new record continues the trend.

But while such lyrical introspection is expected from Drake, Mr. Caramanica tells Ben Ratliff, the host of Popcast, that the album’s atmospheric darkness and audacious mish-mash of aesthetic styles is more of a surprise.

“It’s not a record that you would expect to hear from someone who is ostensibly the most famous and most relevant rap star of the day,” Mr. Caramanica says. “ ‘Take Care’ feels like, ‘Okay, I’ve proven I can make a mainstream Swizz Beatz-type record. I’ve proven I can make a mainstream record about girls who are pretty. Now I’m just going to make strange choices.’”

Larry Rohter reports on Anthony “Romeo” Santos, the Bronx-born bachata singer and frontman for Aventura. That band has achieved enviable popularity, selling millions of records and selling out four-night stands at Madison Square Garden, but has remained unknown to most American pop fans. Mr. Santos is looking to change that with his first solo album, titled “Formula Vol. 1,” and has recruited mainstream stars like Usher and Lil’ Wayne to help him do it — and perhaps raise their own profiles within the Latin music audience.

“In a way it’s a double crossover,” Mr. Rohter tells Mr. Ratliff. “It’s a crossover in the Latin-to-mainstream-American direction, but it’s also a crossover from the mainstream American direction into Latin music.”

Also on Popcast: reviews of new releases by Caveman, Los Campesinos!, and the Fall. Listen to this week’s show above or subscribe to Popcast here.