The impact Puerto Ricans have had in the field of hip hop is undeniable. Right from the foundation of the genre, one could find Boricuas being part of the culture in one way or another. However, the island never really recognized this form of music until rapper Vico C made it popular in the late 1980s and the 1990s. While eventually Puerto Rico would serve as one of the breeding grounds to the sub-genre reggaeton and now Latin trap being led by Bad Bunny, the island has always failed to embrace those Mainland Puerto Rican rappers who have managed to excel in such a competitive field. Prince Markie Dee One of the first Puerto Rican rappers to gain some form of recognition, Mark Anthony Morales is known for his work with golden age rap group The Fat Boys who reached mainstream ears in the mid-1980s with their self-titled debut as well as The Fat Boys Are Back, Big & Beautiful and Crushin’. He has also served as a songwriter, record producer, radio personality and is currently vice-president for the Uncle Louie Music Group. Big Pun Probably the most respected Nuyorican rapper by the hip hop community as a whole comes in the form of Big Pun due to his amazing lyrical ability, as displayed in his albums Capital Punishment and Yeeeah Baby as well as multiple collaborations, which aided him to tell street tales filled with crime, sex, drugs and hardship. While the artist sadly passed away due to health complications, the respect for his work can always be found. Fat Joe One of the few Nuyorican rappers to receive high praise on the island after his 2000s singles “Lean Back” and “Make It Rain” hit the airwaves, Terror Squad founder Fat Joe aided in bringing Big Pun’s work to light and to this day still receives praise for his music as he continues to collaborate with some of the biggest names in hip hop today. Hurricane G The Brooklyn native born Gloria Rodriguez is best known for her only studio album, 1997’s All Woman, and her collaborative project with fellow Nuyorican rapper Thirstin Howl III, Mami & Papi, as well multiple guest appearances in the works of rappers such as Keith Murray, Redman and Xzibit. Thirstin Howl III An unapologetic Brooklyn native who wears his Puerto Rican heritage on his shoulders, Thirstin Howl III is a Nuyorican rapper known for his attention to lyrical skills and his ability to rap in both Spanish and English. Ever since releasing his debut project in 1999, Skillionaire, he has never stopped putting out work. N.O.R.E. One of the few Nuyorican rappers who has successfully displayed lyrical ability in traditional hip hop while also exploring reggaeton and other pop-oriented sounds, N.O.R.E., formerly known as Noreaga, started his celebrated career in the mid 1990s eventually joining forces with fellow rapper Capone to form the duo Capone-N-Noreaga (CNN). Aside from working with Capone, N.O.R.E. has also released solo music, been featured in the video games Def Jam Vendetta and Def Jam Fight for New York and expanded to having his own podcast, Drink Champs, alongside Miami hip hop pioneer DJ EFN. Jim Jones Known for being part of the hip hop collective The Diplomats, also known as Dipset, alongside fellow Latino Juelz Santana and rappers Cam’ron and Freekey Zeekey, the Harlem-bred artist has been active since the late 1990s having his biggest single in 2005 with “We Fly High.” Ever since then, the artist has continued to stay active with his most recent project being 2018’s Wasted Talent. Joell Ortiz Born Joell Christopher Ortiz, the Brooklyn native is known for being a versatile lyrical rapper who made his debut in the Kool G Rap single “It's Nothing” in 2002 and eventually released his debut album The Brick: Bodega Chronicles in 2007. After releasing a few solo projects and collaborative efforts with the now defunct supergroup Slaughterhouse, Ortiz most recently released his latest project That's Hip Hop in 2016, was part of the Lin-Manuel Miranda single "Almost Like Praying" and is scheduled to release a collaborative album alongside producer Apollo Brown entitled Mona Lisa. Nitty Scott MC A young rapper with a variety of projects already to her name, Nitty Scott MC is known for carrying her heritage on her shoulders with projects like her most recent solo release CREATURE! and the collaborative effort alongside Joell Ortiz and Bodega Bamz entitled Westside Highway Story, which saw the three artists paying homage to their roots by mixing hip hop with Latino sounds under the group name NO PANTY. Bodega Bamz The third member of NO PANTY and a very active rapper on his own right, Nathaniel DeLa Rosa has a variety of mixtapes to his name, among them the widely praised Strictly 4 My P.A.P.I.Z., as well as his most recent album, 2018’s PAPI. Bamz is also well known for being one of the leading members of the TANBOYS movement, which seeks to join Latinxs across the United States. Aside from music, DeLa Rosa is also an actor known for his work in the Showtime series SMILF. Wiki Known for his love of New York while looking back at his Irish and Puerto Rican heritage, Patrick “Wiki” Morales is a young rapper who is influenced by all types of hip hop as well as punk rock. After exploding in the hip hop scene alongside fellow musicians Hak and Sporting Life with the group Ratking, he has slowly developed a solo career after releasing his mixtape Lil Me and his debut album No Mountains in Manhattan. Princess Nokia After slowly paving her path by releasing a few mixtapes under a few aliases and collaborating with fellow Nuyorican rapper Wiki in a few songs, Destiny Nicole Frasqueri A.K.A. Princess Nokia exploded in the scene with her diverse debut album 1992 Deluxe, which earned her a spot in 2018’s Coachella. Recently she released an emo rock and hip hop blend with her 2018 mixtape A Girl Cried Red. Chris Rivers The son of the lyrical master Big Pun, Chris Rivers does great by his father as he himself is a wordsmith who can stand on his own with anybody who controls the craft as seen in his collaborations with the Wu Tang Clan, The Lox, Joell Ortiz and Canibus. Ever since 2013, Rivers has been a very active member of the community releasing a few projects, the most recent being 2017’s Delorean. Young M.A Katorah Marrero, also known as Young M.A, is a Brooklyn native whose career began with a few mixtapes in 2015 and eventually exploded with the hit 2016 single "OOOUUU." Later in 2017 she released her debut EP, “Herstory,” and is expected to release a debut album soon. Her work displays great control of lyrical abilities while providing bangers or songs which explore topics of hardship, bravado and her life as a lesbian in the field of rap. Wifisfuneral One of the younger rappers to be exploding right now, the Florida native already has a few projects to his name with four mixtapes, the most recent of which being 2018’s Ethernet. Throughout his work one can see subject matter related to his problems with substance abuse and other personal problems. BIA A Boston native who found her shot by working in the reality show Sister of Hip Hop, Bianca Landrau, or BIA for short, is currently signed to Pharrell’s i Am Other record label and recently released her debut EP, Nice Girls Finish Last: Cuidado. She has also collaborated with artists such as Ariana Grande, Victoria Monet and fellow Latina Kali Uchis. Siya Though she was born in California, Siya was raised in Brooklyn by her grandmother after her mother fell to drug addiction and her father to incarceration. After entering the music business at an early age, she eventually released her debut mixtape in 2011 with Elevator Music and she would not release any more lengthy projects until 2015 when she released two mixtapes, Better Late Than Never and What Never Happened. The year after she released her debut album SIYAvsSIYA in 2016 and in 2017 she put out the EP Commitment and the lengthier project 383 - For Roosevelt. In addition, she has opened up for artists such as Wyclef Jean and Fat Joe. 6ix9ine Easily one of the most controversial rappers right now, the Brooklyn native exploded into the scene with his single “Gummo,” which eventually led him to release his debut mixtape Day69. More recently he has released collaborative singles alongside artists like Nicki Minaj and Anuel AA. The impact Puerto Ricans have had on hip hop cannot be denied and while many in the island mainly embrace acts in the fields of the reggaeton and Latin trap sub-genres, we can always look at our fellow Boricuas in the United States who have had left their own mark in the culture for extra insight into the diaspora experience in order to create some form of connection between island and U.S. Boricuas.
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AuthorFernando E. E. Correa González is the author behind over 30 self-published poetry books. He has been published by literary magazines & journals [Id]entidad, El Vicio del Tintero, Sábanas Magazine, Smaeralit, The Occulum, Tonguas and Hound Magazine. Other than writing, Correa is also the host of FENCast, a podcast dedicated to documenting the Puerto Rican independent art scene. Aside from this, he experiments with filmmaking, photography, drawing, painting, multimedia and transmedia. He currently lives in his native Puerto Rico. Archives
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