Italian hip hop started in the 1980s. One of the first hip hop crews to catch the attention of the Italian mainstream was Bologna's Isola Posse All Star, then and still today produced by Sandro Orru, who had written the soundtrack to the animated TV series Signor Rossi in the 1970s. The European Music Office's report on Music in Europe claimed that, in general, hip hop from the south of Italy tends to be harder than that from the north.
Luis Armando Lozada Cruz, known by his stage name Vico C, is an American rapper and record producer. Regarded as the founding father of reggaeton, Vico C has played an influential role in the development of Latin American hip hop and urban music.
María Rodríguez Garrido, known as Mala Rodríguez, is a Spanish Latin hip hop rapper based in Barcelona. She appeared as a judge on Spain's La Voz prior to releasing her first album in seven years, Mala, in May 2020. Rodríguez released her memoir, Cómo ser Mala, in June 2021. Rodríguez is also the first female artist to win both Best Urban Album and Best Urban Song at the Latin Grammy Awards, as well as the first urban artist to win Spain's National Music Award.
Emboscada is the fifth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Vico C released on July 2, 2002 by EMI Latin. Produced by Mr. Funky and described by the artist himsefl as the most complete album with deep lyrics and musical variety. it contains eleven tracks ranging topics such like christianity, redemption social criticism and the explicit lyrics in the latin urban genre and their consequences in society and among the youth audiences. The album incorporates christian rap with elements of alternative reggaeton and tropical house. It includes "El Súper Héroe", released as a bonus track on Vivo (2001) and a new version of the song "La Movida", original from "Con Poder" (1996), which included a sample "He Renuciado de Ti" by Jose Jose.
Aquel Que Había Muerto is the fourth studio album released by Puerto Rican singer Vico C released on December 1, 1998. It was his first album to be released under the EMI Latin label. Recorded after a near-fatal overdose in 1997 and later rehabilitation in Orlando in an evangelic-Christian church, strong social conscience lyrics, it contains semi-autobiographical lyrics about his heroin addiction, his recovery, born again-Christianity and spiritual resurrection. With repeated references to Jesus Christ and disses" to his brethren in the gangsta-rap school, exposing the flipside of Puerto Rico's underground rap scene, in terms of the consequences of exposing young listeners to antisocial messages, it is his second Christian oriented album following Con Poder (1996). The album includes new versions of some of Vico C's greatest hits.
En Honor a la Verdad is the sixth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Vico C. It was released on November 4, 2003, in the United States and Puerto Rico and November 18, 2003, by EMI Latin worldwide. The album incorporates aggressive sounds of hardcore rap and reggaeton and explores house, Afro-Cuban son riffs, salsa along with the production of Noruega, Echo, Luny Tunes, D`Mingo, DJ Blass and Menace. Raging diverse topics from drug addiction, rehabilitation, social conscious, prison, tales and storytelling inspired on the streets of Puerto Rico, it contains 15 tracks, including one skit and three remixes. It featured guest appearances Eddie Dee, Tony Touch and Tego Calderon. The album also includes "5 de Septiembre" dedicated to his daughter.
Lito & Polaco were a Puerto Rican Latin hip hop duo from Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Paul Frederick Irizarry Suau,, known professionally as Echo, is a Puerto Rican record producer and songwriter.
Myriam Raquel Hernández Navarro is a Chilean singer, songwriter and television presenter. She has dabbled mainly in romantic ballad, which is why she is sometimes nicknamed "La baladista de América", although she has also fused her style with other genres such as electronics or hip-hop.
Luis Raul Marrero, also known by his stage name Funky, is a Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter. With seven solo albums and multiple jobs as a producer, Marrero is internationally recognized as a hip hop and reggaeton Christian artist. He has collaborated with Christian music musicians, including Marcos Witt, Jesus Adrian Romero, and KJ-52. Marrero has been nominated for two Latin Grammy awards.
Vivo is a live album released by Puerto Rican singer Vico C released on June 5, 2001, by EMI Latin. It offers a collection of Vico C's greatest hits recorded entirely live in a concert held at the Luis Muñoz Marín Amphitheater in Hato Rey recorded in 1999. Also, Vivo presents a medley made up of some of Vico C's most popular songs: "El Filósofo", "La Calle", "En Coma", "Sin Pena" and "La Recta Final" and the unreleased song "El Super Heroe" along with a comic book focused on that character was included in the album.
Misión: La Cima is a rap album released by Puerto Rican singer Vico C. The songs "Me acuerdo", "Viernes 13, "She likes my reggae" and "Tony Presidio" are considered standouts. This last track appeared in "Aquel Que Había Muerto" under the guise of being a new version, and was more popular than the original.
Hispanic Soul is the debut album released by Puerto Rican singer Vico C released on 1991 by Prime Records. Recorded at Unicornio Studios, the album is credited, along with his previous EP La Recta Final (1990) and Misión La Cima (1990), to take the Hip Hop moviment in Puerto Rico, known as "Rap en Español", from Underground to international exposure. Eventually, the album reached number ten on US Billboard Tropical/Salsa and was his first album to be officially distributed in Latin America. Following the success of the album, he was nominated for the 1992 Lo Nuestro Awards.
Robert Torres, also known as Sabor Latino is an American hip hop artist and author. He is from Jamaica, Queens, New York. Sabor Latino creates music to inspire individuals to become productive members of society.
Emmanuel Rodríguez, better known as Manny Montes, is a Puerto Rican rapper, known one of the major Christian artists in Puerto Rico. He has been nominated multiple times for the Premios Arpa and recently, at the Tu Música Urbana Awards for "Mejor canción cristiana".
Fermín IV Caballero Elizondo is a Mexican rapper and Evangelical pastor, better known as a former part of the Mexican hip hop group Control Machete.
"Corazón Sin Vida" is a song recorded by Spanish singer and songwriter Aitana in collaboration with Colombian pop singer Sebastián Yatra. Written by both performers alongside Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo, the song was released on October 2, 2020, through Universal Music as the second single of Aitana's sophomore studio album 11 Razones released in December 2020. The track features a sample of Alejandro Sanz' 1997 signature single "Corazón Partío".
Alexis Vélez Alberio, also known as Alex Zurdo, is a Puerto Rican Christian music rapper and songwriter.
Manuel Varet Marte, known as Vakero, is a Dominican singer and rapper, believed to be one of the most important acts of the Dominican urban music movement and one of the first to gain international exposure. Known for blending elements of punta, cumbia and merengue with Dominican urban and dembow music, he is heavily influenced by reggae and afro-pop with his characteristic style influenced by the rastafari movement.
Avelino Junior Figueroa Rodríguez, known by his stage name Lápiz Conciente, is a Dominican rapper. He is described as one of the pioneers of Hip hop in the Dominican Republic. In 2013 he was nominated at Premios Juventud, in the category (Favorite Urban Artist), in 2016 he was awarded at the Latin Music Italian Awards, and in 2017 he was nominated in the Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Song, "Papa" in collaboration with Vico C.
