Food for your Ears...

For those of you that have been living under a rock or a cave and not up on the latest in Latin artists, let me introduce you to Los Rakas. They are Panamanian 'hip hop' duo that reside in Cali. Their music is not just hip hop. It's a blend of hip hop, reggae and dancehall. Their lyrics are in both English and Spanish. They have been getting mad love. They recently performed in NYC with La Mala Rodriguez. Of course, I missed it. I was dead on going, but it slipped my mind and yes I'm a big loser. I'm going to have to wait till they come around again.

Check out their joint below. Their beats and lyrics are mad dope. I've been listening/following them for about 2 months. Tengo mi pistola y diente de oro......

Since I mentioned La Mala Rodriguez, I'm going to have to say a little something about her. On the real, if you have not checked out her music, you need to. A lot of people sleep on rap artists from Latin America/Spain, but they have mad skills. La Mala is a Spanish rapper that has been around for a minute. My sister introduced me to her music a couple of years ago and I've been a fan ever since. She's done collabos with Tego Calderon, Nelly Furtado, and Julieta Venegas. She is on the money. Her music and her lyrics are creative and fresh. Check out one of her older joints. It's one of my favorites. If you don't have her on your ipod, you need to add her to your playlist.

Last, but not least is Leon Marin. He is a hip hop artist hailing from the Planet of Brooklyn. I heard about this dude on Facebook. Some friends of mine have been shooting his videos and posting them. So, I decided to check this guy out. I have to say he's pretty good. He definitely has a pretty good flow. (Note: If you only like those club banging 'hip hop' joints, then this cat is not for you. Hell! None of my recommendations are for you.)
He did his Brooklyn version of 'Empire State of Mind' called 'Gowanus State of Mind'. He rhymes over Jay-Z's famous NYC tribute track. Check out the video below. I forwarded this video link to all my BK friends and they loved it.

He recently released a mix tape, L.E.O.N-Love Everything Over Nothing. Comparing it to his earlier mixtape, Food 4 Thought, this is definitely a huge improvement. L.E.O.N is a pretty good mixtape. The beats are better and so are his rhymes. He's definitely a guy to keep your eye on.

Check out the link below where you can download his mixtape for free. My favorite joint is 'Hey Lauren'.

Leon Marin

Hope you guys enjoy my recommendations. If you know of some artist/musician that I should be blowin up on my ipod, put me on son!

Heavy Rotation on my IPOD...Latino Hip Hop

One thing about me that you must know is that I LOVE HIP HOP. Not that fake ass Lil Wayne crap, but true Hip Hop. Common, Mos Def, Talib, Black Star etc. I also love Latino Hip Hop. With that being said, these are some of favorite Latino Hip Hop artists.

                             Ana Tijoux..French born Chilean rapper.

She was born in France since her parents lived there in exile during Pinochet's dictatorship. Not only is she hot, but she can spit and her beats are dope. She rhymes flawlessly. She's been around for a minute rhyming with a group and doing collabos with artists like Julieta Venegas and Control Machete. Not only does she rhyme in Spanish, but she also rhymes in French. She released her autobiographical album called "1977" which is the year that she was born. It's also the title off her single. Check it out below and tell me this song isn't hot!

My favorite song off that album is 'Obstaculo'. The beat is fresh and check out a sample of the lyrics..

tu me dices mi persona es la unica que condiciona
pero si se desmoronan los colegas y las zonas
que querian la corona y regarte con acetona
es la ambicion que condiciona
por que dentro de los juegos
despiertan todos los egos
pegados como los pliegos
escapando los ojos ciegos
te apuntaron con el dedo
querian verte con miedo
borrarte todos tus credos
convertirte en enredo...


Wooooo.....that shit is hot

Then there's this Mexican MC, Bocafloja. Straight outta from the DF.

This guy can also rhyme. I've seen him perform several times. I became an instant fan when I first saw him perform at a fundraiser for the homeless about 3 years ago at the Bronx Museum of Art. As soon as he was done performing, I had to cop his cd. It's definitely one of my favorite playlists.

Lastly, there is this Dominican female MC, Arianna Puello.

I just discovered her about 2 days ago. She definitely has a new fan.

Let me know what you think about my picks. I definitely have more to recommend. Enjoy!