Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month 2025: Latin Contributions to Hip Hop
Hip Hop culture is often seen as an outgrowth of African-American culture. Much of Hip Hop’s practices, particularly those related to music such as emceeing, break-dancing, and DJing, emerged from predominantly Black areas of the late 1970s in the Bronx. At the time, disco was at its peak in popularity, and had made the shift from a primarily Black genre to one with an increasingly White and bougie reputation. Much of Early Hip Hop consisted of remixes and parodies of these songs. From there, a new style of music emerged, with a culture surrounding it. As a result of these beginnings, most popular artists in the genre and culture have been Black. However, in honor of September’s distinction as Hispanic Heritage Month in America, we want to highlight the importance Latin culture has had on Hip Hop as well.
Luis Cedeño, better known as DJ Disco Wiz, is often considered to be the first major Latino DJ in Hip Hop culture. Born in 1961 to a Puerto Rican Father and Cuban Mother, he was born and raised in The Bronx where he witnessed the development of early Hip Hop. Among his childhood friends was Grandmaster Caz, a rapper and DJ who later gained fame for his time in The Cold Crush Brothers and writing part of the first commercial Hip Hop release called “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang. He and DJ Disco Wiz formed The Mighty Force Crew, one of the South Bronx’s first DJ crews in the mid-1970s. They became well-known for their rap battles in particular. From the Mighty Force crew also came what is considered to be one of the first Latino rappers, Prince Whipper Whip. Like Cedeño, he is also of Puerto Rican descent. He would go on to perform with a number of Hip hop groups through the 1980s, as well as star in the music video for Ice Cube’s 1988 song “High Rollers.”
Outside of music, Hispanic people have also played roles in break dancing and graffiti art. Formed in 1977 by a mix of Bronx and Manhattan residents, The Rock Steady Crew was a Hip Hop group known not only for music but also breaking. Among their ranks were a mix of Puerto Rican and African-American members. They were one of the first breaking crews to receive mainstream attention, with the New York Times referring to them as “the foremost breaking group in the world.” In the realm of street art, Puerto Rico-born and Lower East Side-raised LEE Quiñones has been involved in graffiti art since the 1970s. As early as age five, he drew murals on New York City subways, often carrying his signature “LEE” moniker in all caps. He has stuck with the Subway canvas his entire career, painting over one-hundred-twenty full subway cars. In addition to his subway career, he is also an actor and paints on more traditional canvases, with many of his paintings being sold to Eric Clapton after a 2008 art exhibition.
Formed in metro Los Angeles in 1988, Cypress Hill was one of the first Latino Hip Hop groups to achieve commercial success. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1991, went on to reach double platinum status on the Billboard charts. They are known for having a distinct style with lyrics often in both English and Spanish, in addition to lead vocalist B-Real’s high-pitched and nasal voice which is considered one of Hip Hop’s most distinct. In addition to inspiring numerous other Hip Hop artists, many rap-adjacent nu-metal artists such as Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, System of a Down, and Korn also list Cypress Hill as influences. As of September 2025, Cypress Hill remains together after nearly forty years. They have released ten studio albums and sold over twenty million units.
Reggaeton, one of contemporary Latin music’s most popular genres, is significantly influenced by Hip Hop. The genre first formed in 1980s Panama as an eclectic mix of EDM, Latin, Dancehall, and Rap styles. Today, it has come to be more closely associated with Puerto Rico and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Rap-style vocals are very present in the genre, as is similar subject matter pertaining to social issues and street life. Both genres and their subcultures also emphasize dancing. Perreo-style dancing places similar emphasis on rhythm and fast-paced movement.
Miami, Florida, one of the United States’s most hispanic metropolitan areas, has had a significant impact on the development of Hip Hop culture. Much of the Latin music industry, including Reggaeton, is largely based out of Miami. Genre heavy-hitters like J. Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Ozuna today call the city home. Miami has also produced home-grown Hip Hop talent of its own, including Pitbull, DJ Laz, and Flo Rida. The Miami neighborhood of Wynwood has gained an international reputation as a hub of graffiti art. Numerous local artists, such as Krave, Atomik, and Disem have produced fine art in what was once seen as a gritty, industrial neighborhood.
A number of major events pertaining to Latin Hip Hop culture are hosted in Miami. MiamiBash is a yearly music festival that features many reggaeton, hip hop, and Latin trap artists. The 2025 iteration of this event was held on May 3, 2025 at the Kaseya Center, and featured artists like De La Ghetto, Wisin, Kapo, and Alexis Y Fido. Billboard Latin Music week is also returning to Miami this upcoming October, set for Monday through Friday from the 20th-24th. The festivities will include free-of-charge performances from the likes of Ozuna and Camilo, as well as an award ceremony on Thursday.
The Calle Ocho Festival in Little Havana has been held yearly since 1978. Started by Cuban-Americans looking to educate South Floridians about their culture, it has grown into the largest Hispanic street festival in America. Latin music, both of more traditional varieties as well as more modern and Hip Hop influenced sounds, can be heard and appreciated to their fullest here. The next iteration of the festival is scheduled for March 15, 2026 from 11am-7pm.
Conundrum Nation and Fine Art of Hip Hop are honored to highlight the contributions Hispanics and Latin Culture have made to the genre over the years. Working in music and mural painting ourselves, we see music not simply as rhythm, melodies, and lyrics, but as a medium to express ourselves and bring people together. A global and multicultural style of music, there truly is something for everybody.