Latin hip-hop found its footing in the bicoastal stomping grounds of the East and West Coasts where Spanglish-speaking communities were influenced and surrounded by urban rap and trap. Today that reach is much more global with booming subgenres extending beyond the United States, into Mexico, Puerto Rico and all the way down to Argentina. Amazon Music wants to showcase Latin rap’s growth and multicultural evolution by interviewing and spotlighting its most influential pioneers for hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with the new “Hip-Hop X Siempre” campaign.
With visuals designed by Puerto Rican artist COVL, “Hip-Hop X Siempre” invites audiences to explore the intersection between Spanish language hip-hop with unique programming and editorial content including an Amazon Original by Eladio Carrión, and new playlists like “Hip-Hop x Siempre,” “Sin Filtro,” “pov: ur hyped,” “Puro Trap,” and “Puro Rap.”
“Latinos have been an inherent part of hip-hop from its start, and hip-hop continues to inspire our culture and past, present and future generations,” says Rocio Guerrero, head of global Latin at Amazon Music. “Latino artists take inspiration from hip-hop beats and lyrics, infusing them with traditional Latin rhythms to make the genre our own, ultimately aiding in its global reach and relevance. ‘Hip-hop X Siempre’ pays respect to this shared history and its impact on our culture by highlighting the diverse and intergenerational voices that are part of the movement.”
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To bring the campaign to life, Amazon Music worked with DJ Tony Touch to create an original score titled “Toca’s Theme” for the campaign brand spot, teaser, and an upcoming documentary that premieres on May 24.
Executive produced by Jessy Terrero, the film asks artists such as Fat Joe, B-Real, N.O.R.E., and Residente — along with rising acts Carrión, Myke Towers, Alemán, Snow Tha Product, Villano Antillano, and Trueno — what the genre means to them.
“Hip-hop is my closest friend; it’s always been there for me,” says Carrión, whose latest LP “3MEN2 KBRN” boasted collaborations with 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Future, Fivio Foreign, Lil Tjay, Bad Bunny and more.
“It was a rebellious act to listen to it, even more rebellious to join it and become a rapper, when they [my family] wanted me to be a traditional mariachi singer,” responds Snow Tha Product. “You know what I mean? They wanted me to be a Catholic woman and get married, do all these things, and then I’ve become what I am now. If it wasn’t for hip-hop, I wouldn’t know what I’d be doing. [Hip-hop] became my life, my family, the reason my son’s gonna have a good life.”
The global live premiere of the doc will be followed by a panel with Torrero, whose directorial resume includes making music videos for Maluma, Nicky Jam, Karol G, Jennifer Lopez and more. Fans can tune in on the action via the Amazon Music app or the AmazonMusicEnVivo channel on Twitch, and at a special screening at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on June 1.