hip hop
Photo courtesy of Hispanicize

You’re living under a rock if you haven’t heard the latest chisme surrounding Latinos and hip hop. Who does it involve? We’re talking about the American rapper of Puerto Rican and Cuban parents, Fat Joe, who was criticized for saying that Latinos and Black people were equally involved in hip hop’s creation.

Near the fifty-minute mark on the video, he brings up how he’s seeing people on Twitter talk about Latinos in hip hop. “Lately, they [have been] talking about Latinos wasn’t in rap… and this and that. These guys are f*cking delusional,” he said on Instagram Live. “So when hip-hop started, it’s Latino and Black — half and half,” referring to Black and Latin people’s contribution to the genre.

He then says that social media users who disagree only go after him because he’s the “only Spanish dude with a big voice.” All of this conversation started because some disagreed with Fat Joe’s, a social media tribute to Latino figureheads in hip hop.

But did Latinos help create this genre? Well, it depends on who you’re asking. Fat Joe’s video sparked many conversations, including commentary from Grandmaster Caz, who is prominently known for his contribution to putting this music genre on mainstream radio.

“Some of the first Latinos in Hip Hop were down with me. Disco Wiz. Charlie Chase. Joe Conzo, the man who took Hip Hop’s babies pictures. Prince Whipple Whip. All Latinos. All part of my crew,” he said on an Instagram post.

But the conversation has gone further than Fat Joe’s remarks. Social media users are also talking about a clip that claimed that the Latin community has always been part of this culture made by BET.

“There were so many LIES in this one clip, I don’t know where to start,” film director Tariq Nasheed posted on Twitter. “They said Latinos have contributed to hip hop for the past 50 years (????) what Latino influences were there to hip hop 50 years ago? Name them.”

As you can tell, it’s been a heated and ongoing discussion.

We can all agree with the fact that Latinos influence and are influenced by hip-hop — and continue leaving their mark in the genre today.