Latin Hip Hop - Latin Rap Around The World

Latin Rap Around The World

The constant migration of people from one country to another has greatly influenced the dispersion of cultures and music across the globe. In the music realm, this can be heard with many different genres, like reggae, (which later led to dancehall), rap/hip-hop, reggaeton, and Latin rap. The latter form of music has been a hit especially in countries with a large number of migrators to the United States. For example, Mexico has a growing hip hop scene with groups such as Control Machete, Cartel De Santa, and Molotov. Similarly, the movement has spread to Puerto Rico, a country where many of its residents have moved to New York, Miami and Chicago over the years. Latin rap was jumpstarted by a wave of rappers that included Ruben DJ and Vico C. Ruben DJ's hit, La Escuela, (The School) and Vico C's hit, La Recta Final, (The End of the Road) received considerable radio time during the late 1980s. In addition to Latin rap in Puerto Rico developing around the same time as early American hip-hop, and rap and reggae simultaneously having a substantial impact on each other, all three genres (rap, Latin rap, and reggae/dancehall) relate a certain message to their respective audiences. Puerto Rican rap emerged as a form of cultural and social protest within the Puerto Rican context. 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 Puerto Rican youth like dancehall and rap music are methods of expression for their Jamaican and lower-class U.S. youth counterparts as they made it in France too since 2003 "1492 Army".

Latin rap has also surfaced in the UK with a group called Cultura Londres who list Eric Bobo of Cypress Hill as one of their members, as well as in Australia with Maya Jupiter.

It should also be noted that a number of East Coast rappers that have been usually identified as African American have parentage from a country that speaks Spanish, usually Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, or Panama. This list includes N.O.R.E., Lloyd Banks, Kane & Abel, Peedi Peedi, AZ, Juelz Santana, and Fabolous.