America Has Failed The Latino Community But Hip Hop Has A Solution

Since the beginning of Hip Hop in the early 1970’s in the South Bronx, hip hop has been a community for minorities to express their feelings and thoughts in creative ways. The political and economic hardships that Blacks and Latinos faced is what helped foster what would become hip hop with four elements; rap music, DJing, B-Boying, and Graffiti art. Yet, when we discuss hip hop, the Latin community is all but left out. Their voice has been nullified by the same art form they were originally apart of. The lack of diversity in America is already problematic and hip hop is supposed to be the place to foster the outcasts and make something of themselves. Latinos are the nations largest minority group at around 17%, according to the US Census Bureau in 2013. But because of fear of prejudice, racial profiling and the fear of deportation many of them live in hiding. They come to the United States in hopes of chasing the ‘American Dream’ which to many minorities is about as imaginary as the Tooth Fairy. They’re told to work hard and it will pay off in the end. Well Latinos are viewed as hard workers but in that same breath stereotyped with jobs as car mechanics, short order cooks and if not that then they are just called drug dealers and receive welfare.

That oppression should create a common bond with black people in hip hop in theory. But the practice and execution is always harder. Example, when asked who the greatest Latin rapper of all-time? From the casual listener you are going to hear Big Pun, maybe a Fat Joe mention, but why? Because Big Pun is the only Latin rapper you can name and that is a problem. When a new rapper that is Hispanic even gets a hint of notoriety they are compared to Big Pun. Regardless of flow, lyrical ability or content that rapper is in a battle against a ghost and it is not fair. Many rappers of Latino descent have come in the game through the years and despite that, Pun has become this universal standard for Latin rappers to reached. Even the promotion is not the same for Latin hip hop artists. Every year XXL complies a list of rappers they consider next and put them on the cover of that issues magazine. This has happened every year since 2007, with the exception of 2008, and guess how many rappers that are Latino made the cover?

Saigon, Plies, Lil Boosie, Lupe Fiasco, Rich Boy, Joell Ortiz, Gorilla Zoe, Crooked I, Young Dro, Papoose, Wale, B.o.B., Asher Roth, Corey Gunz, Blu, Mickey Factz, Ace Hood, Currency, Kid CuDi, J.Cole, Pill, Nipsey Hussle, Wiz Khalifa, OJ Da Juiceman, Freddie Gibbs, Jay Rock, Big Sean, Fashawn Donnis,Meek Mill, Big Krit, Cyhi Tha Prince, Lil Twist, Yelawolf, Fred The Godson, Mac Miller, YG, Lil B, Kendrick Lamar, Diggy Simmons, Future, Kid Ink, Danny Brown, French Montanta, Macklemore, Don Trip, Machine Gun Kelly, Hopsin, Iggy Azalea, Roscoe Dash, ScHoolboy Q, Trinidad James, Joey Badass, Ab-Soul, Logic, Action Bronson, Kirko Bangz, Travis Scott, Dizzy Wright, Angel Haze, Chief Keef, Chance The Rapper, Rich Homie Quan, Isaiah Rashad, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Durk, Kevin Gates, Troy Ave, Vic Mensa, Lil Bibby, Jon Conner, Jarren Benton, August Alsina.

One. It should be noted that there are seven white rappers so somehow white rappers have outnumbered Latinos by that much on these covers. There are Latinos trying to bring more attention to the plight they face in this country through hip hop. Rapper Produkt, from Bronx did not get the XXL exposure and took to the grassroots model by getting one fan at a time. The results have been successful as he has been nominated for awards, reached over a million views on YouTube but he even still faces prejudice from whites and blacks. Produkt posted a video on Worldstar that received a lot of racist comments that even in the internet age is eye-raising. He is actually releasing an EP June 16th called “in·con·spic·u·ous”. The word “SPIC” is a slur but he is flipping it into a powerful acronym, Spanish, People, In, Control. In the EP’s self title song he addresses the same issues that plague black people including police brutality.

While the rate of police attacks is higher in blacks, it does not mean Latinos do no experience it either. What is different is the amount of coverage their attacks get. In a month’s time, three Mexican-Americans were killed , all unarmed. None of their names you will automatically know in the way you know Mike Brown and Freddie Gray. The result of providing a better life for your family appears to be death. After those killings the Mexican Foreign Ministry asked the U.S. Justice Department to step in. The media attention is clearly not the same when a Hispanic loses their life to an officer. Mediamatters.org was tracking these cases and said Fox News did not even cover any of the three murders once. Latinos that have come to this country in hope of a better life may find themselves disappointed. The lifestyle may be more comfortable but the profiling and the possibility of losing your life negates it. The hip hop culture has long been one that speaks on this in hope of empowerment and changing the system. For the Latin community however, the two have been working one in the same for a while now. The culture needs to do more to include them as they fight for what we fight for. Hip hop is not about whose oppression is greater, but a vehicle for battling and raising awareness of that oppression.

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