Scroll through and see which 10 rappers you didn't know were Latino!Graham Denholm, Getty Images
If you talk to the average hip hop listener, he or she will probably be able to name only a handful of rappers that are Latino. Fat Joe, Pitbull, and Big Pun are normally some of the prime Latino rappers that fans can name off the top of their heads. Believe it or not, some of your favorite emcees are of the Latino descent.
There’s a handful of Latinos and Latinas who can get busy on the microphone. Some are from the old school, and some are rookies waiting to make an impact in today’s game. Either way, their heritage will never be placed to the side.
Take a look at which rappers you probably didn’t know were Latino.
Lloyd Banks has a penchant for dropping hard-hitting lyrics. The platinum-selling rapper is part Puerto Rican. Jim Jones and his buddy Juelz Santana are good friends and teammates on the battlefield when it comes to The Diplomats. Unlike Santana, Jones isn't bashful about his Latino roots. The rapper is half-Puerto Rican. Like we mentioned, Santana is part of the Latino culture. Can you guess what his ethnicity is? He's actually half-Dominican, courtesy of his Dominican father. Nas' protege is quickly blowing up. The Harlem rapper is prepping his debut album set to drop next week. He's half-Bajan and half-Dominican. This may bemuse some of you, but Kevin Gates has rapped about his Puerto Rican background on several occasions. Roxanne Shante is a rap veteran who didn't mind flexing her lyrical muscles in the late 80's and early 90's. She's of Cuban descent. Remember "The Choice is Yours" by Black Sheep? Well, Dres helped craft the classic record you may often hear today in commercials. Believe it or not, he's half-Puerto Rican. Here's another one that surprised us. Who would have thought that Trina was half-Dominican? Sadly, Trina doesn't have any connection to her Dominican side because of her absent father. "I really have no connection to the Dominican side of the family. It’s sad, but it’s the truth. I do have friends who are Dominican and it’s a wonderful culture. I’m sad that I wasn’t really exposed to it as a kid," she said in a 2012 interview with Latina. Fab earned his place in rap as one of the top-notched lyricists in the game. His metaphors are second to none. What many may not know is that he's half-Dominican. Nitty Scott is quickly emerging as a rising artist in rap. After teaming up with Joell Ortiz and Bodega Bams to form their trio No Panty, her stock has been on the rise. The half-Puerto Rican rapper definitely can go toe-to-toe with the best of them.
