MTV is ringing in the holiday season by announcing a new special: MTV Unplugged Presents: LL COOL J From the Rock The Bells Festival. The special will premiere on Dec. 5 (10 p.m. ET/PT) in the U.S. and globally.

The hour-long show is taken from LL COOL J’s set at the 2022 Rock the Bells Festival. The Grammy Award winner and Rock and Hall of Fame member performs a string of his classic hits, including “Going Back to Cali,” “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “Rock the Bells” and “All I Have” featuring Jennifer Lopez. See the video teaser HERE.

In an emailed comment, LL COOL J exclusively tells Billboard, “I’m honored to have been part of the inaugural Rock The Bells Festival, a celebration of hip-hop’s roots and its future. This festival carries the same energy that inspired my latest album, THE FORCE. It’s just the beginning of what Rock The Bells is building to elevate the culture we love.”

The inaugural Rock The Bells Festival took place at a sold-out Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY. The festival franchise is an offshoot of CEO and founder LL COOL J’s Rock The Bells Radio channel on SiriusXM. The hip-hop legend recently celebrated the 40^th anniversary of Def Jam Recordings, his original label home, during the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. He received his first VMA award for best rap in 1991 and was presented with the show’s Video Vanguard honor in 1997.

MTV Unplugged Presents: LL COOL J From the Rock The Bells Festival is executive produced for MTV by Bruce Gillmer and Vanessa Whitewolf. LL COOL J, Claudine Joseph and Stone Roberts are the executive producers for Rock The Bells TV.

(In 2018, the Billboard staff released a list project of its choices for the Greatest Pop Star of every year, going back to 1981. Read our entry below on why Jennifer Lopez was our Greatest Pop Star of 2001 — with our ’01 Honorable Mention runner-ups, Rookie of the Year and Comeback of the Year pop stars at the bottom — and find the rest of our picks for every year up to present day here.)

A pretty good accomplishment to topline any single-year resumé: In February of 2001, Jennifer Lopez had both the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 (sophomore LP J. Lo) and the No. 1 film at the U.S. box office (romantic comedy The Wedding Planner) — making her the first entertainer to ever hold both top spots simultaneously. It was illustrative of Lopez’s decade-long evolution from a primetime TV backup dancer to one of the biggest stars — musical or otherwise — in the entire world. 

Beginning in the early ‘90s as one of the Fly Girl dancers on Fox sketch show In Living Color, Lopez left the show in ‘93 to pursue acting. She scored supporting roles in box office hits Money Train and Jack before achieving stardom in the title role of Selena, hit biopic of the late singer and Queen of Tejano. Selena portended Lopez’s own musical breakout, which she pursued in 1999 with the blockbuster debut album On the 6. The set spawned a pair of Hot 100 smashes in “Waiting For Tonight” and “If You Had My Love,” the latter becoming her first No. 1 and cementing the triple-threat as one of the biggest artists of the TRL era. 

By 2001, a headline-grabbing (and Google Image Search-jumpstarting) appearance in a revealing dress at the Grammys the year before had also established Lopez as perhaps the ultimate sex symbol of the new millennium. That image continued in the video for J.Lo lead single “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” released at the end of 2000, in which Lopez sheds an unsatisfying relationship, along with most of her clothes, on the way to a liberating swim in the ocean. 

“Love Don’t Cost a Thing” was climbing the Hot 100 as the calendar turned to 2001, peaking at No. 3 that February. The next two singles off J. Lo didn’t fare as well, so for fourth single “I’m Real” Lopez’s label president Tommy Mottola recruited red-hot rapper Ja Rule for a guest turn on a new remix. The redo was rooted in R&B, via a sweet sample of Mary Jane Girls’ ‘80s bubblefunk classic “All Night Long,” but had a knockout pop chorus, traded off between the two co-leads. The song was a smash on both formats, becoming Lopez’s second Hot 100 No. 1 that September, while also setting the formula for her third — “Ain’t It Funny,” another Ja-featuring Murder Remix, which dropped that December and topped the chart the next March. 

As many headlines as J. Lo made for her music and film success in 2001, she was as regular a presence in the news for her personal life. A much-publicized relationship with Sean Combs (then known as Puff Daddy) had exploded at the turn of the century with the couple’s arrest outside a Times Square nightclub shooting, after which they officially split in early ‘01. Lopez rebounded quickly, however, striking up a whirlwind romance with Cris Judd, a backup dancer of Lopez’s from the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” video. The two were married in September in a “secret” ceremony — one that nonetheless landed the couple a People cover story that October. 

Lopez would have further film and music hits, and went onto even more high-profile tabloid romances than with Combs or Judd (from whom she was divorced in June of 2002). But 2001 marks the peak of her all-consuming celebrity from the period when she was still America’s sweetheart, still believable as a plucky rom-com underdog, still ultra-approachable even at her most glamorous (From that People wedding story: “Even when Jennifer was walking down the aisle, she was saying hi to people”). The backlash was inevitable and overwhelming — as was her eventual comeback — but in 2001, no one was bigger or more likeable in their superstardom than Jenny From the Block. 

Honorable Mention: Usher (8701, “U Remind Me,” “U Got It Bad”), Janet Jackson (All For You, “All For You,” “Someone to Call My Lover”), Destiny’s Child (Survivor, “Survivor,” “Bootylicious”)

Rookie of the Year: Alicia Keys

Following the late-’90s breakthroughs of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, the mainstream was littered with young female top 40 aspirants with high-octane dance moves, glossy music videos and even shinier pop singles. That’s what made Alicia Keys’ breakthrough in 2001 so conspicuous: Keys eschewed the bare midriffs and Max Martin production for a grand piano, a mighty voice and a throwback soul sound a world removed from the kids running MTV. But she had a bigger hit than all of ‘em in ‘01 with powerhouse ballad “Fallin’,” a Hot 100-topper that led parent album Songs in A Minor to 6x platinum sales. The next year, American Idol debuted, and suddenly Keys’ stardom made total sense. 

Comeback of the Year: Shaggy

When Jamaican-American reggae fusionist Shaggy had one major hit in the mid-’90s with the big-talking “Boombastic” and then gradually faded from the mainstream before the new millennium, it seemed like the end of that chapter. But Shaggy’s greatest success would come with 2000’s Hotshot, which included a pair of irresistible top 40 smashes that hit No. 1 in the first quarter of 2001, the Steve Miller Band- and Juice Newton-borrowing “Angel,” and pop’s all-time least-credible cheating defense, “It Wasn’t Me.” Always good to have Shaggy back, but shouts to the hook singers on those two songs — Rayvon and Ricardo “RikRok” Ducent, respectively — who did a lot of the heavy lifting there. 

(Read on to our Greatest Pop Star of 2002 here, or head back to the full list here.) 

One of the highlights of the New York Comedy Festival so far has been Chris Distefano, who performed three back-to-back sets at three different locations of the New York Comedy Club. It wasn’t quite the same as Phil Collins playing at Live Aid in London in 1985 then hopping on the Concorde to do the same at the Philadelphia show, but you try making people double over in laughter for three hours in a single day.

Distefano’s Hat Trick — an excerpt is posted below — was more than a stunt. He was taking a page from Taylor Swift‘s playbook, and recording live bits that he performed on previous Comedy Central and Netflix specials, so that he could reclaim ownership of his work. The material will be culled from the Hat Trick shows and released as Chrissy’s Version, a nod to his inspiration, on Chrissy Chaos, one of two podcasts that he hosts. He and co-host Yannis Pappas recently revived the second, History Hyenas, after a four-year hiatus.

Forty-year-old New York-based Distefano, who has been performing stand-up since 2009, is as savvy about the changing nature of the comedy business as he is funny, and he spoke to Billboard about the value of podcasting, fan-building and his love of The 1975 — and as a comic and father whose partner and her family are Puerto Rican, his take on Tony Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” joke at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in October.

You performed at three locations of the New York Comedy Club in one day. What was the impetus behind that?

It was actually Emilio Savone, my manager and the owner of the New York Comedy Club, who was like, “I want to have a headliner come in and do three headlining shows back to back to back at my clubs — something different for the New York Comedy Festival.” He asked me if I wanted to do it. I was like, “Sure.” I was supposed to do the show later in the festival, but I’m going to be in a TV show with Tom Segura and the shooting schedule got changed. So, I did it sooner. And it was fun, man, because I was calling each show Chrissy’s Version — because I was doing old jokes that I did on my Comedy Central and Netflix specials because technically they own the audio rights to that stuff.  

I was going to ask you about that. You name-checked Taylor Swift and her re-recorded albums at the show.

Yeah, Taylor Swift rerecorded her stuff to regain ownership of her songs, and I did it with my comedy that night. We’re going to take a mashup of the three shows that I did — three hours of material — take the old bits, call it Chrissy’s Version and upload them on Sirius XM and wherever. Now I’ll own them outright.

Will there be a video streaming version?

Yeah. Every Sunday at 7:00 p.m. for the past, I think it’s 10 weeks, I upload that week’s material on my YouTube channel —  20-30 minutes of my week of standup  So, this Sunday, I’m going to put up some of that material. Then Emilio’s guys will take the audio version and get it uploaded to SiriusXM and hopefully they’ll start spinning it. This way, I own the rights.

Are you constantly touring? Are you the Bob Dylan of live comedy?

My rule is I typically only go away two weekends a month. I leave Friday, and I come home Sunday. I’ve got family, little kids, so I don’t want to be eternally on the road. I’ll make less money to have more time with my kids. This idea of a world tour seems good in theory, but it’s just too much time away from my kids. I would only go if they could come with me. I enjoy going on the road, getting my material out there for new audiences across the country.  But I try to limit it to one or two times a month, and then the rest of the time I’m usually at one of the New York comedy Club locations or the Comedy Cellar working on my material. Then I’ll post that every Sunday.

You have two podcasts.

Yes, I have Chrissy Chaos, which comes out every Tuesday. Then, I also relaunched my old history podcast, History Hyenas, with Yannis Pappas. We just started doing episodes again. It was really a fan favorite. We took a four-year hiatus, and now that we’ve brought it back, fans are really digging it. [Distefano also co-hosts Teach Me Daddy with Matteo Lane.]

Streaming and podcasts seem to be more and more important to comedy. Do they enable you to cut back on touring without sacrificing too much revenue?

To be honest with you, most of my peers and me could live off the money we make podcasting. I still do the road because I enjoy it but as time goes on, I’m always looking for ways to stay home, stay in New York more, and the podcast is that avenue. Especially Patreon, where History Hyenas lives . That’s the best because that’s all fan-generated. They pay $5 a month or $10 a month to get extra content or to get the episodes early.

Really, my whole career and life changed when I put my career in the hands of my fans. I still respect the industry. I have a TV show in development — I’m doing all those things, while generating income because of my fans. I’m living my dream and doing what I want to do with or without the industry. That’s why streaming, podcasting and all that is very important. More than that, having a direct relationship with your fans is humungous. It’s changing so rapidly before our eyes, and it’s a beautiful thing. You can have relative anonymity this way.

Take a guy like Tom Segura. He sells out arenas all over the country, and he’s still able to go to those towns and the general population won’t recognize him on the street. He’s making $50 million a year, but he doesn’t have to be locked behind gates with security everywhere — because he has a direct connection with his fans. As far as entertainment goes, we’re living in such a transitional period. You might think, “I should go on this television show to promote myself and sell tickets.” I still do it — but I can do the podcasts from my home, and they will be 10 times more impactful than going on a late-night talk show.

It’s the same in the music industry. Maggie Rogers has yet to have a platinum record, but she sells out arenas all over the world because she has a direct relationship with her fans.  

That’s why I like my manager, Emilio. He has adapted to this change. It used to be, a manager booked your flights and set up meetings. That’s not what I need anymore. I can book my own flights on an app with two taps on my phone. I need my manager  to digitally market me. When I’m coming to Salt Lake City, calling into a radio station or going on the local news doesn’t work anymore. What I need is — how do you digitally market me so that when everyone opens up their Facebook or their Instagram, they’re seeing an ad for my show, with a link to click for tickets? Emilio and his team are making it very easy for me. It used to be you needed all these middlemen. Now, you don’t. Some of us recognize this shift, but some of my peers… either they don’t want to admit it or they don’t want to adapt. That’s fine, but the old ways — getting a late-night set or a sitcom — don’t put butts in seats anymore.

In your set at the comedy club, you alluded to Tony Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rico remarks at the Trump rally in New York. You also talked about the Puerto Rican heritage of your partner, your children and your extended family. Since you straddle both these worlds, how did Hinchcliffe’s joke land with you?

It’s one of those things where, for me, it’s always comedy first. Obviously, I have Puerto Rican family, and I watched the video with them. They were all like, “It was a joke.” You can say, “Is the joke funny or not?” Comedy is subjective — I get it — and I understand that if you’re doing comedy at political rallies, which are non-comedy spaces, you’re definitely opening yourself up to more criticism. Comedy is one of those things where it’s got to be the right setting, the right ambiance.

But I subscribe to comedians that never apologize. The way I look at it is, you can’t be funny and hateful. Hitler wasn’t funny. So, if a joke misses, it misses. Don’t take one thing someone says and say, “This is who this person is.” That’s not going to get us further as a society.

Some of the best comedy pushes against political correctness and the status quo — and even makes light of tragedy. What are your limits when you’re onstage?

My thing is, like — you can say whatever you want and cross that line, as long as there’s an attempt at a joke attached to it. Don’t just say a shock-value word to say that shock-value word. That’s being corny. That’s not what comedians do. My job is to thread that needle of saying something that crosses the line and possibly offends someone, but offends them and makes them laugh by making a heavier subject more lighthearted. It’s hard.

When you come to a comedy show, you have to understand what you’re buying a ticket to. There’s a lot of times we all swing for the fences and miss. That’s part of our job. We’re the group that makes light of a situation with humor. To me, it’s my defense mechanism. The reason I’m a comedian — I really started doing this for me, because I was upset that my mom and dad were divorced. So, I would make jokes and try to make my dad laugh when he would come pick me up. I did this because I was upset that my dad wasn’t there, so I would try to make him laugh to hide my tears.  

Most comedians come from a place of — it’s our coping mechanism for the world. The comments about Puerto Rico were one of those things where most of us understood that whether you thought it was funny or not, it was just a joke. It didn’t land, he knows that, and it’s fine.

Do you think the outrage that followed had any impact on the election?

Dude, it didn’t have an impact on the election because most adults don’t give a s–t about that. Most adults were like, “Hey, I can’t buy gas and groceries, so I’m not going to not vote for whomever I want to vote for because of a joke.” That’s when you’re going to have the celebrities coming out on social media. It may have made a difference ten years ago, but [now] nobody cares.

As a matter of fact, it looks worse when you have J.Lo or even someone who’s conservative telling people what to do and who to vote for. It’s like, “Really, you’re going to tell me what to do in your $50 million f–king mansion? I can barely get by here, so shut up.”

But with my career, I have to be a man of the people. You’ll see some comics get humongous, and then they have a comedy special talking about their mansion or their private jet and it doesn’t hit as hard — because the viewers are like, “Wait, wait, wait, where is the comedy?” I’m listening to what the common man is going through every day.

You’re also saying the things they’re thinking but are afraid to say, and making people laugh in the process.

That’s why Ricky Gervais is my favorite comedian of all time — a hero of mine, a guy who I would love to work with one day and who I strive to be like. He is far and away my favorite, because look at what he did at the Golden Globes a few years ago. He just destroyed [the celebrities there]. He said to them, straight up, “You guys are in no position to lecture to the public, so get your little f–king award and f–k off.”

Your exchange with the Norwegian guy who said “Americans are dumb” at your show was fascinating. I couldn’t see his face, so I couldn’t tell if he was enjoying the interaction.

You take a chance going into the crowd. He looked like he wasn’t having the best time, but I figure he’s a guy, he’ll be able to handle it. So, I’m like, “Let me poke at him a little bit.” If that was a woman not having a good time, I wouldn’t mess with that. But a guy not having a good time, you can typically f–k with. I think that he liked it, but I do think he had that European attitude when he said that Americans are dumb and stupid. I was agreeing with him — but I also was like, “I’m the one with the microphone in my hand, so I’ll just overpower you with my stupid American logic.”

When he said that, I imagined there was one of those vintage cartoon thought bubbles above your head with a big juicy steak in it.

Yeah. that’s why I love doing live stand-up because even though I did relatively the same jokes in the same order all three shows,  every set was radically different because of the crowd. I would weave in crowd work with this guy and that would change this joke a little bit or whatever it is. That’s why, I know comedy is all over the internet — and I post it there — but the live stand-up comedy experience to me is still the best. Because you could go see your favorite comic and hear them tell the same jokes you heard him or her say on the internet or their special, but it’s going to be a totally different experience, because every audience is like a living, breathing organism that’s changing little things here and there about the show.

Besides your podcasts, do you have any other projects in the works?

I have my Hulu special coming out February 21. Hulu is doing its first foray into comedy specials — they’re trying to dethrone Netflix, and they have a different stand-up comedy special every month. I think they’re starting off with Jim Gaffigan, Sebastian Maniscalco, Bill Burr, Andrew Santino, and them I’m the month of February so that’s big.

Since this is Billboard, what music are you listening to?

My all-time favorite musician is Whitney Houston. I’m obsessed with anything Whitney Houston. But my favorite band right now, and has been for the past five years — the only band I’ve ever really cared about — is The 1975. I love those guys. Through comedy, I’ve gotten to know Matty Healy and Ross MacDonald, and we keep in contact once in a while. I mentioned my fandom for them on The Joe Rogan Show two years ago, and Matty Healy reached out and we connected.

I wasn’t a big music fan growing up. I never went to concerts. But The 1975 came into my life at a time when I needed them, I guess. Then, I listened to interviews with them where they said they’ve been influenced by Whitney Houston. So I’m like, “Oh s–t, this is all connected.”

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Jennifer Lopez is letting her holiday spirit shine in a new Christmas-themed promo for JLo Beauty. As you build your gifting checklist for all the music lovers in your life, the “Jenny From the Block” singer wants to get fans and beauty lovers excited to “deck your skin in radiance” with a 2024 Glowing Gift Guide featuring bundles, savings and free gifts with purchase.

As the founder of JLo Beauty, it was a no-brainer for the brand to tap the 55-year-old entertainer to be featured in the promo video — and she made sure to leave an unforgettable mark. Dressed in an all-red ensemble, including a matching lip, J.Lo belts out her take on the holiday hit “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” while her bestselling skincare products are given close-ups in tune with the beat.

“The glowiest time of the year,” she captioned her Instagram post on Saturday (Nov. 9).

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A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo)

For a limited time, the skincare brand is discounting their exclusive holiday gift sets for up to 61% off. Plus, most of the kits come with a free gift with purchase when you subscribe to receive the products every 90 days, which means you can treat yourself and the beauty fan in your life with some J.Lo-approved beauty products.

Outside of the holiday season, JLo Beauty bundles are typically priced $100+, but the singer and her brand are providing you with the gift of savings. Keep reading to shop the 2024 gift sets below.

For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best beauty products under $15, stress relieving tools and celebrity fragrances.

Jennifer Lopez introduced Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at a rally in Las Vegas on Thursday night (Oct. 31), imploring the audience to take a hard look at the stark differences between the sitting Vice President and twice impeached former President Donald Trump.

“At Madison Square Garden, he reminded us who he really is and how he really feels,” Lopez said of Trump in reference to his rally at MSG on Sunday in which a comedian told a succession of racist and sexist jokes, including one in which he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”

“It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day, OK? It was every Latino in this country, it was humanity and anyone of decent character,” said Lopez, who endorsed Harris this week. The offensive comment from the comedian who also made an off-color joke about the O.J. Simpson murders tied to Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, set up more than a dozen other opening speakers who warmed up the crowd for Trump with equally offensive comments. One referred to Democrats as “degenerates… low-lives [and] Jew-haters,” while fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson purposely misstated Harris’ heritage by calling her the “first Samoan Malaysian low IQ, former California prosecutor to ever be elected President.”

The Puerto Rico slur, in particular, drove endorsements for Harris from Lopez, as well as P.R. natives Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin and Luis Fonsi. Nicky Jam, who was born in Massachusetts to a P.R.-native father, withdrew his previous endorsement of Trump to throw in with the Harris/Walz campaign amid the wave of anger over the slur about the U.S. territory whose 3.2 million residents are U.S. citizens, but who cannot vote in elections. Lopez stressed that she was not on stage supporting Harris at the event in the crucial swing state “to trash anyone or bring them down.”

But with just days before Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) election, the singer explained, “I know what that can feel like and I wouldn’t do it to my worst enemy, or even when facing the biggest adversary I think America has internally ever had,” in reference to convicted felon Trump, who has vowed to use the engines of presidential power to take vengeance on his political enemies if re-elected. “But over Kamala Harris’ entire career, she has proven to us who she is. She has shown up for us every day, for the people. And it’s time for us to show up for her.”

Lopez noted that her parents were born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York before she was born, saying, “We are Americans. I am a mother. I am a sister. I am an actor and an entertainer and I like Hollywood endings. I like when the good guy, or in this case the good girl, wins. And with an understanding of our past and a faith in our future, I will be casting my ballot for Kamala Harris for president of the United States proudly.”

She also added, “You can’t even spell American without ‘Rican.”

Pollsters continue to call the contest between Harris and former reality TV host Trump a toss-up, which might also explain why Harris invited Lopez and Mexican rock band Maná — who performed at Thursday’s rally — to join her in a state where Latinos represent around 30% of the population; across the country an estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year. Earlier in the day, Los Tigres del Norte performed at a Harris rally in Phoenix.

While Lopez and Harris were encouraging people to vote, Trump staged a stunt in Green Bay, WI in which he dressed up like a garbage collector in an orange vest and drove in circles on an airport tarmac in a Trump-branded garbage truck. His campaign said it was in an effort to call attention to a video of President Biden saying “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter,” which the White House later clarified was a reference to the other speakers at Trump’s rally.

“His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden added.

Check out video and photos of Lopez at the Harris campaign below.

.@JLo endorses Kamala Harris

💙 pic.twitter.com/ZeIwxFBAAZ

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) November 1, 2024

🇵🇷🤍🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pb9Bo7INey

— jlo (@JLo) November 1, 2024

Thank you, Nevada—and thank you, @JLo. pic.twitter.com/WpuN3w01YT

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 1, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris is looking to secure Latino votes from battleground states, including Nevada, where she’s participating in a Las Vegas rally Thursday night (Oct. 31) with Mexican rock band Maná performing. The Harris-Walz campaign also confirmed that Jennifer Lopez will be in attendance, where she is set to speak about the importance of voting.

“These artists and public figures are trusted voices for millions of Americans, who listen to their music, follow them on social media, or otherwise are inspired by them,” the campaign said in a press release. “The Harris-Walz campaign believes that by using their voices to lay out the stakes of this election, it will further encourage and mobilize people to go vote.”

With five days until Election Day on Tuesday (Nov. 5), Nevada, considered a swing state, is expected to play a decisive role in the presidential election. Latinos represent about 30% of Nevada’s population and, across the country, an estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.

Maná has a long history of using their platform to encourage Latino voters to make their voices heard during U.S. presidential elections. They’ve also denounced Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric since he launched his first presidential campaign back in 2015, when the Republican candidate called Mexicans “rapists” and “criminals.” During their Latin Grammys performance that year, Maná, along with Los Tigres del Norte, pulled out a banner that said “Latinos, united, don’t vote for the racists.”

This time around, they’re being just as vigilant. After Nicky Jam endorsed Donald Trump in September — the reggaetón star has since withdrawn his support — Maná removed its 2016 reimagining of “De Pies a Cabeza,” a collab with Nicky, from streaming services, explaining that the group didn’t “work with racists.”

With their performance in Las Vegas on Thursday night, Maná doubles down on their efforts to secure the win for the Democratic ticket. Earlier Thursday, Los Tigres del Norte performed at a Harris rally in Phoenix.

Below, watch the rally in Nevada, where Lopez will speak and Maná will perform:

Jennifer Lopez and Maná are set to appear at a Kamala Harris rally and concert in Las Vegas on Thursday (Oct. 31).

The Puerto Rican superstar will speak at the event about the importance of voting and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz, while the Mexican band will perform, according to the Harris/Walz campaign.

“These artists and public figures are trusted voices for millions of Americans, who listen to their music, follow them on social media, or otherwise are inspired by them,” a press release states. “The Harris-Walz campaign believes that by using their voices to lay out the stakes of this election, it will further encourage and mobilize people to go vote.”

Part of the “When We Vote We Win” series, the rally aims to mobilize young and nontraditional voters ahead of the last day of early voting in Nevada on Friday (Nov. 1).

Both Lopez and Maná have supported the Democratic candidate or Democratic causes and have been very vocal about the importance of voting on this election.

Only last Sunday (Oct. 27), the singer and actress amplified Harris’ message about her commitment with Puerto Rico by sharing a video of the VP on her Instagram Stories, after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a racist joke at a Donald Trump rally in New York City, where he called the U.S. commonwealth a “floating island of garbage.”

Meanwhile, Maná has been a strong supporter of Democratic causes over the years, particularly related to immigration reform and other Latino related issues. “The way Trump expresses himself about Mexicans and the Latin community is incredible,” the band’s leader, Fher Olvera, tweeted in Spanish following a 2016 presidential debate. “Like a lot of people have perceived it, he is a racist.” The Mexican band also celebrated President Joe Biden’s 2020 win, writing on Twitter (now X), “Values won over perversity. There’s unity in diversity.”

Las month, the band even pulled its 2016 Nicky Jam collaboration “De Pies a Cabeza” from music streaming platforms following the reggaetón star’s endorsement of Trump. “Maná doesn’t work with racists,” the band wrote in Spanish on Instagram. “For the past 30 years, Maná has supported and defended the rights of Latinos around the world. There is no business or promotion that is worth more than the dignity of our people. That is why today Maná decided to remove its collaboration with Nicky Jam on ‘Pies a Cabeza’ from all digital platforms.”