Music genre
Chicano rap is a subgenre of hip hop that embodies aspects of the Mexican American or Chicano culture.
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Chicano rap is a subgenre of hip hop that embodies aspects of the Mexican American or Chicano culture.
The first recognized Chicano rap album was the 1990 debut album Hispanic Causing Panic by Kid Frost; [1] the album's lead single, "La Raza", which combined East L.A. and Tex-Mex elements, was a hit song and became an "East L.A. anthem. [2] His success brought attention to Chicano rappers on the West Coast. [3]
In 1990, A.L.T. released the album Another Latin Timebomb, featuring his hit remake of the song "Tequila". In 1990, the Chicano hip hop group A Lighter Shade of Brown released their album Brown & Proud , [4] which included hits "On a Sunday Afternoon" (a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100) and "Latin Active". Rap group Cypress Hill (One Cuban, One Puerto Rican), would sometimes use popular Chicano slang and culture in their music and videos. The lead rapper, B-Real, was of Mexican descent. Cypress Hill has also collaborated with another Chicano group, Psycho Realm. Chicano rap derives from American rap which bases its music on drum beats, jazz music, and bass amongst others. Early influences for Chicano rap include "oldies", funk music and later incorporated conjunto and banda. [5] Stemming from a long culture of mestizaje, Chicano rap uses samples from a wide range of music. Chicano can differentiate itself by sometimes having acoustic guitars playing Spanish melodies in the background or intros with Mexican regional music beats. Chicano Rap can be distinguished by sometimes having both English and Spanish verses. Some of the common themes within Chicano rap include but are not limited to: Love, experiences of being Mexican in the United States of America, Political problems, inequality, but also drug usage and money. [1] Chicano rap often include narratives that include gang violence and life in the varrio, by using lyrics in 'Spanglish', Chicano rap embraces the reality of being Mexican-American. [6]
During the late 1980s and 90s Chicano rap was brought by artist who shared their personal experiences through their lyrics. [6]
In the mid-1990s, Eazy-E formed the group Brownside. Consisting of members Wicked, Klever, and Trouble, Brownside was essentially the Chicano equivalent of N.W.A. [7] Drawing their experiences in society into their music, Brownside illustrated the harsh realities of life and the Chicano experience.
During the 1990s, some Chicano rappers such as Sinful of the Mexicanz began using influences from Mexican music in their beats and delivery, although this subgenre of music is sometimes referred to today as "urban regional" and not always representative of Chicano rap. [8] [9] The hip hop group Akwid also combines traditional Mexican regional music with hip hop vocals.
Starting from the release of his 1995 album, Smile Now, Die Later, Kid Frost began to include the issues of immigration and drug trafficking related to the US- Mexico border by incorporating the sound of narcocorridos into his raps, further establishing the connection between Mexican folk music and Chicano rap. [6]
Thump Records, Urban Kings Music and Low Profile Records introduced new Chicano rap artists. New artists include Ms Krazie, [10] Knight Owl, [11] Chino Grande, [12] and Mr. Sancho. Charlie Row Campo released "Stop Studio Gangstas" album in 2007. [13] One of the most widely recognized Chicano rappers today is Lil Rob of San Diego, his album "Natural High/High Till I Die" sold 90,000 copies [14] and his single "Summer Nights" was considered a major crossover and received heavy rotation on radio stations and video programs not directly related to Chicano rap music. [15] This widely successful artist has recently reappeared in the limelight, with the song Summer Nights being used in TikTok trends, and even being sampled in Destiny Roger's 2022 hit by the same name. [16] Another widely known Chicano rapper is Serio of Los Angeles, with his 2012 single "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Mexican" featuring Proper Dos and Conejo, a controversial song that called for immigration reform. [17] [18] [19]
A Chicano rap scene has also begun to emerge in Texas. Prominent Texan artists in the genre include South Park Mexican (SPM) and Dope House Records. [20] SPM's sound includes influences similarly seen in the scene of West Coast Chicano rap: Latin beats, gangsta narratives, and G-Funk, however SPM differentiates itself by including sounds and vocabulary unique to the Houston hip hop scene with the newly added influence of corporate rap. [1]
Many Chicano rappers have been heavily influenced by Mexican history, including many themes relevant to the Mexican and Chicano people living in the United States and Mexico. [21] Chicano rap is mainly enjoyed by hip hop listeners in the United States, but also has established a cult fan base in Australia and the Philippines. Its main audience, however, consists of Hispanics/Latinos living on the West Coast, the Southwest, and the Midwest. Chicano culture has even reached Japan, [22] where a small minority dresses in flannels and baggy pants, drives lowriders, and listens to Chicano rap. The Chicano rap style and culture's introduction in Japan can be attributed to Mexican-American soldiers stationed in Japan. [23] Although there have been some concerns over cultural appropriation between these outcroppings of Chicano-style culture in other countries, comments under YouTube videos and reviews of music made by non-Chicanos has generally been positive. Many Chicanos choose to look at this outcropping as a sort of appreciation of their culture, rather than appropriation. Chicano rap's ability to reach large audiences without mainstream airplay or media promotion is due largely in part to nationwide lowrider car tours and their accompanying concerts headlined by Chicano rappers. [24] This environment allows Chicano rap artists to earn significant incomes through independent label releases while promoting directly to a target audience. [25]
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of hip-hop that conveys the culture and values typical of urban gangs and street hustlers. Emerging in the late 1980s, gangsta rap's pioneers include Schoolly D of Philadelphia and Ice-T of Los Angeles, later expanding in California with artists such as N.W.A and Tupac Shakur. In 1992, via record producer and rapper Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Dogg, and their G-funk sound, gangster rap broadened to mainstream popularity.
Arturo R. Molina Jr., better known as Frost, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Los Angeles. He charted in the 1990s with his first four albums: Hispanic Causing Panic, East Side Story, Smile Now, Die Later and When Hell.A. Freezes Over. His most successful single is "La Raza" which hit number 6 on the rap songs chart in August 1990. His 1990 debut album is credited as the first Chicano rap album.
Latin hip hop is hip hop music that is recorded by artists in the United States of Hispanic and Latino descent, along with Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean, North America, Central America, South America, and Spain.
West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the early to-mid 1990s with the birth of G-funk and the emergence of record labels such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records, the continued success of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and others.
A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body that emerged among Mexican American youth in the 1940s. Lowrider also refers to the driver of the car and their participation in lowrider car clubs, which remain a part of Chicano culture and have since expanded internationally. These customized vehicles are also artworks, generally being painted with intricate, colorful designs, unique aesthetic features, and rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires.
Alvin Lowell Trivette, known as A.L.T., is an American rapper. known for the 1991 hit "Lowrider " and the 1992 hit "Tequila".
The term hyphy is an Oakland, California slang meaning "hyperactive". More specifically, it is an adjective describing the hip hop music and the culture associated with the Oakland area. The term was first coined by Oakland rapper Keak da Sneak.
Roberto L. Flores, also known as Ese 1218, and better known by his stage name Lil Rob, is an American rapper, producer, and actor.
Twelve Eighteen Part I is the sixth studio album by Mexican-American Chicano rap recording artist Lil Rob. It was released on July 26, 2005 via Upstairs Records. Production was handled by Fingazz and Moox with executive producer John Lopez. The album was Lil Rob's most commercial success, reaching number 31 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States. It spawned two singles: "Bring Out the Freak in You" and "Summer Nights", which both charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at numbers 85 and 36, respectively.
Brownside is an American hip-hop group founded in 1993 by Eazy-E. The group originally consisted of Toker, Fello but he died before being involved with recording, Wicked ,and Danger, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996. With Trouble and Klever Tokers baby brother joining later on. Originally, Eazy-E had signed Brownside to Ruthless Records to create a Chicano rap version of the rap group N.W.A. Toker was murdered in Rosarito, Baja California in 2018. Following Toker’s murder, Brownside’s status is currently unknown.
Knightowl, born Ramon Corona, was a Mexican-born American rapper. He began recording in 1993. His fame came with the hit singles Daddy I'm In Love With a Gangsta and Here Comes The Knightowl.
"La Raza" is a song by American rapper Kid Frost. It was released in 1990 as the lead single from his debut studio album Hispanic Causing Panic. "La Raza" is Spanish for "the race" or more symbolically "the people" as metonymy; it samples El Chicano's "Viva Tirado" from 1970.
Marco Cardenas, better known by his stage name MC Magic, is a Mexican-born American rapper, singer and songwriter known for singing and rapping, both in English and Spanish. He is also the founder of NastyBoy Records which he launched in 1990, and the hip hop group NB Ridaz.
"My 64" is the second single from Mike Jones' extended play The American Dream. It features rappers Bun B and Snoop Dogg. It samples "Boyz-n-the-Hood" by Eazy-E. The radio version doesn't feature Snoop's outro and the last chorus that follows thus the airplay single is 3:55 long.
1218 Part II is the seventh studio album by Mexican-American Chicano rap recording artist Lil Rob from San Diego, California. The album was set to be released in 2006, advertisement posters were created stating April 2007, but it ended up being pushed back because songs were being leaked. Lil Rob decided he needed to remake some songs that would differ from leaked tracks. Release date by Upstairs Records advertisements state October 21, 2008. The album leaked onto the Internet on October 18, 2008.
Latin Alliance is the self-titled studio album by a one-off collaboration of Chicano rappers. The group was formed in 1989 and released their one and only album in 1991 via Virgin Records. It features performances by Kid Frost, A.L.T., Markski, Rayski Rockswell, Mellow Man Ace, Lyrical Engineer, Hip Hop Astronaut and The Lyrical Latin, with guest appearances by WAR and Scoop DeVille. Recording sessions took place at Digital Sound & Picture in New York City, Skyline Recording in Topanga, Wide Tracks, Image Recorders and Echo Sound in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Kid Frost, Tony G, Will Roc, Todd Alexander, Ralph Rivers, The Baka Boyz, Julio G, Geoff Rios and Mike Greene.
Proper Dos is an American hip hop group formed in early 90s in California, composed of rapper Frank Villareal and producer Ernie Gonzalez. The duo released their debut album, Mexican Power, in 1992 through Skanless Records, which peaked at #32 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers. Their second album, We're at It Again, was released in 1995, followed by Heat in 1998 and Overdose in 1999.
Hip-hop or hip hop, also known as rap, and formerly known as disco rap, is a genre of popular music that originated in the early 1970s by African Americans and Caribbean immigrants in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. Hip-hop music originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre consisting of stylized rhythmic music that often accompanies rapping, a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech. According to the professor Asante of African American studies at Temple University, "hip hop is something that blacks can unequivocally claim as their own". The music developed as part of the broader hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, breakdancing, and graffiti art. While often used to refer solely to rapping and rap music, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of the culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.
Jonny Z is an American hip hop artist and producer.
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