Current Hip-Hop Movement

The current Latino hip-hop movement is increasing in its music sales and now has a substantial role in the music industry. Latino hip-hop artists such as Big Pun and Cypress Hill have dominated the hip-hop industry, selling millions of records worldwide. This trend will continue as Latinos continue to play an influential role in the hip-hop industry. Currently, Latino hip-hop artists such as Pitbull and Mellow Man Ace have released new albums this year. Pitbull’s new album, El Mariel, debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top Independent Chart, selling 50,000 CD’s in the first week (2). Mellow Man Ace’s CD, Ghetto Therapy, was released in October, and was number sixty-two in November on Billboard’s R&B album chart (3).

These are just two influential artists in the main hip-hop movement, there are many other popular artists such as Shaggy and Daddy Yankee who have branched from the main hip-hop music. Both of these artists are known for their reggeaton music which combines Spanish, English, hip-hop, samba, bomba and Jamaican music.

 Although reggaeton incorporates samba, bomba, and Jamaican rhythms, it is still based on the Hip-Hop movement as its lyrics include a mix of Spanish and English rap. This blend of hip-hop and traditional music has spread across the globe and its artists have sold millions of records. 

Although reggaeton has been very successful, the Latino hip-hop movement is still in motion as new Latino artists are flooding the hip-hop industry. Although the majority of these new Latino artists may not be main stream, there are definitely many popular local Latino hip-hop artists that are raising in popularity.