| Latin hip-hop | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1970s,The Bronx,New York City, U.S. |
| Typical instruments | |
| Subgenres | |
| Fusion genres | |
| corridos tumbados | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Reggaeton | |
Latin hip-hop (also known asLatin rap) is a subgenre ofhip hop music that is recorded by Spanish-speaking artists inNorth America,South America, andSpain.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, most Latin rap came from New York and the West Coast of the United States. Due to the heaviest Puerto Rican migration to New York City in the '50s, during the '70s, the birth of Latin Hip-Hop involved Hispanic from the Caribbean island. Early hip-hop from the United States had a significant influence on earlyPuerto Rican hip-hop pioneers such asRuben DJ,DJ Negro, andVico-C.[1]
Mellow Man Ace, fromCuba, was the first Hispanic artist to have a major bilingual single, the 1989 track "Mentirosa". This song went platinum, leading Mellow Man Ace to be described as the "Godfather of Latin rap" and inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame inductee. In 1990, fellow West Coast artistKid Frost further brought Hispanics to the rap forefront with his hit song "La Raza."[2] In 1991, Kid Frost, Mellow Man,A.L.T. and several other Latin rappers formed the rap super groupLatin Alliance and released a self-titled album which featured the hit "Lowrider (On the Boulevard)". The remake of the songTequila was an A.L.T. hit later that year.Cypress Hill, of which Mellow Man Ace was a member before going solo, would become the first Hispanic rap group to reach platinum status in 1991. The group was also the first major hip-hop music group to includeSpanish and Latin slang in their lyrics. Cypress Hill gained hit "Insane in the Brain"(1993) and Platinum record.[3] Ecuadorian-born American rapperGerardo received heavy rotation on video and radio for his singleRico Suave. While commercially watered-down, his album enjoyed a status of being one of the first mainstream Spanglish CDs on the market.Johnny J was a multi-platinum songwriter, music producer, and rapper who was perhaps best known for his production onTupac Shakur's albumsAll Eyez on Me andMe Against the World.[4] He also produced the 1990 singleKnockin' Boots for his classmateCandyman's albumAin't No Shame in My Game, which eventually went platinum thanks to the single.[5]N2Deep, A Lighter Shade of Brown,Proper Dos, andSlow Pain were popular in latin rap scene.
In the mid-1990s, the success of LA'sCypress Hill led to additional Latin hip-hop artists finding label support.Delinquent Habits were a horn-sampling trio that found MTV support for their breakout bilingual single "Tres Delinquentes" in 1996. By the early 2000s, two Mexico-born, United States-raised Latin hip-hop acts found success on major labels. LA'sAkwid fused banda with hip-hop on hits like "No Hay Manera" while Milwaukee'sKinto Sol told tales of Mexican immigrant life over more minimalist beats. Mr.Criminal, Mr.Capone-E, Mr.Knightowl, Ms.Krazie, Charlie Row Campo and Mr.Sancho released Latin and Chicano rap CDs.[6]
DJ Charlie Chase fused hip-hop withsalsa and other music genres. Chase was the DJ for the New York hip-hop groupthe Cold Crush Brothers, from 1978 and through the '80s.[7] East Coast Latin artists such as theBeatnuts emerged in the early 1990s, with New Jersey nativeChino XL earning recognition for his lyricism and equal controversy for his subject matter. In 1992, Mesanjarz of Funk, led by the Spanish/English flow of Mr. Pearl, became the first Spanish rap group signed to a major label (Atlantic Records). In 1994, Platinum Producer and DJFrankie Cutlass used his own label, Hoody Records, to produce his single “Puerto Rico” which became a classic. In the late 1990s, Puerto Rican rapperBig Punisher became the first Hispanic solo artist to reach platinum sales for an LP with his debut albumCapital Punishment, which included hit song "Still Not a Player". The genre even spawned a bicultural novelty, the Brooklyn-based crewHip Hop Hoodíos, who fused their dual Jewish and Hispanic cultures on songs like "Havana Nagila" and "Raza Hoodía."
Latin rap (as well as its subgenre ofChicano rap) has thrived along the Western, Southern and Midwestern states with little promotion due to the large Latino populations of those regions.Jonny Z is considered to be a pioneer of Latin hip-hop, due to him being one of the first Hispanic combining Spanglish lyrics with freestyle, salsa, mambo, and regional Mexican banda. He scored four Billboard Hot Dance singles between 1993 and 1997, including one of the greatestMiami bass songs of all time, "Shake Shake (Shake That Culo)". Besides bass music, he also recorded the Chicano anthem "Orale".The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States Volume 2, Page 301 states: "A new style of Latina and Latino hip-hop was created in Miami and Texas by the bass rappersDJ Laz andJonny Z, who mixed Latin styles with bass music".[8]
Urbano Music from Puerto Rico has had a substantial impact on Latin rap and relate a certain message to their respective audiences. Puerto Rican únderground rap (more commonly referred to as Únder in Puerto Rico, eventually known asReggaeton) emerged as a form of cultural and social protest within the Puerto Rican context.[9] This is similar to the way American and Jamaican youth used rap and reggae/dancehall as a means to communicate their feelings on social, cultural, and political issues. In essence, Puerto Rican rap became the voice of the Puerto Rican youth in which they use dancehall and rap music as methods of expression for the Jamaican and working-class American youth counterparts.[9]
In the mid-2010s, A new movement ofUrbano music referred to asLatin Trap (or "Trap Latino" in Spanish) began to emerge, led by the Puerto Rican rapperAnuel AA.[10] This musical movement was different from American trap, being influenced not only by Southern hip-hop, but also by Urbano music, R&B, pop, and reggaeton. The trap music movement brought artists like Bad Bunny to the mainstream who became the first non-English speaking rapper to become the most streamed artist of the year on Spotify, three consecutive times between 2020 and 2022, and also has the title of having the most streamed album on Spotify with his album Un Verano Sin Ti (2022).[11][12][13]
Also known as "Trap Latino", Latin trap similar to mainstream trap which details "'la calle,' or the streets — hustling, sex, and drugs".[14] Prominent artists of Latin trap includeArcángel,Bryant Myers,Anuel AA andBad Bunny.[15] In July 2017,The Fader wrote "Rappers andreggaetoneros from Puerto Rico to Colombia have taken elements of trap — the lurching bass lines, jittering 808s and the eyes-half-closed vibe — and infused them into banger after banger."[15] In an August 2017 article forBillboard's series, "A Brief History Of," they enlisted some of the key artists of Latin trap—includingOzuna,De La Ghetto,Bad Bunny,Farruko andBryant Myers—to narrate a brief history on the genre.[10][16] Elias Leight ofRolling Stone noted "[Jorge] Fonseca featured Puerto Rican artists like Anuel AA,Bryant Myers andNoriel on the compilationTrap Capos: Season 1, which became the first "Latin trap"LP to reach Number One onBillboard'sLatin Rhythm Albums chart."[17]
In addition, Venezuelan hip-hop has emerged in an explosive way with very talented artists such asNeutro Shorty andBig Soto
In the early 1980s as hip-hop was becoming popular in the United States with groups like Run-DMC and the Sugarhill Gang, a young rapper in Puerto Rico would be inspired by rap from the United States under the pseudonym "Vico C".[18]Vico C would go on and produce underground hip-hop mixtapes which would become very popular in theSan Juan metropolitan area, inspiring artists at the time likeRuben DJ,Brewley MC,Lisa M, andDef J. Le Fresh.[19] AsReggaeton started becoming a much more popular as a more "danceable" rhythm compatible to the Caribbean,Puerto Rican hip-hop became a niche underground movement in Puerto Rico. In the late 90s there was an attempt to reinvigorate the hip-hop movement in Puerto Rico by a group called "No Mel Syndicate".[20] While the hip-hop movement continues to be locally underground, modern artists such asSiete Nueve,MC Ceja, andPJ Sin Suela continue to produce hip-hop in Puerto Rico.
In the late 1990s, hip-hop took hold in Mexico, especially with the platinum success of Mexican rap pioneersControl Machete. The genre also found prominence with Latin alternative artists who fused hip-hop rhymes with live instrumentation, including rap-rockersMolotov andcumbia-rockersEl Gran Silencio.
A music scene, similar to the early undergroundgangsta rap scene, has emerged in northeastern Mexico (Nuevo León,Tamaulipas andCoahuila), where the musical phenomenon of hip-hop is being co-opted by the influence of organized crime and thedrug war in the region.
Some of the main exponents of the genre areCano y Blunt, DemenT and Big Los.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]
There are many hip-hop scenes in Latin America, including a growing rap movement in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.[28]
Hip-hop in Uruguay has had a significant presence since the late 1990s, with groups such as Sudacas en Guerra, Oeste Pro Funk, Plátano Macho and El Peyote Asesino. Starting in 2003, the genre began to develop progressively in the country, especially after latejapride* joined Bizarro Records. Since then, numerous groups and artists have emerged on the Uruguayan hip-hop scene, including Beat Urbano, Arrajatabla Flow Club & The Warriors, Magia Negra Squad, Primate and Cubaguayo, among others.[29]
Introduction: Since the late 1990s, Uruguay has witnessed the development of a thriving hip-hop scene, marked by the contributions of early pioneers and a variety of influential groups.2003 Onwards: A significant turning point was latejapride*'s signing with Bizarro Records, which led to a progressive development of the genre.New Artists and Challenges: The emergence of acts like Beat Urbano, Arrajatabla Flow Club & The Warriors, and Magia Negra Squad, as well as the challenges faced, including the tragic murder of rapper Plef, illustrate the scene's evolution and resilience.ConclusionEach of these countries' hip-hop scenes reflects their unique cultural contexts and social issues. While facing distinct challenges, these communities continue to use hip-hop as a powerful tool for expression and social commentary.[30] Uruguayan Hip-Hop Development: New Rappers such as 44 Kid, Zanto, Davus, Mesita, and Rodridi recorded rap singles or albums.
In the mid-1980s,freestyle music was initially called "Latin hip-hop". This dance music genre, not to be confused with improvisedfreestyle rapping, was dominated, at the time, byelectro funk beats and electronic Latin melodic and percussion elements, over which Latino vocalists sang melodramatic pop vocals, usually in English even though it was started by Nuyorican natives and African-Americans primarily.[31][32] Freestyle has been primarily popular among Hispanics in the New York City, Miami, Chicago and California club scenes, but achieved national mainstream pop success with hits byLisa Lisa,the Cover Girls,George Lamond,Stevie B,TKA andExposé, among others.[31][32]
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