Vico C
Luis Armando Lozada Cruz began rapping in Spanish in the mid-1980s in San Juan, releasing what's widely considered the first commercial Spanish-language rap record and earning the nickname 'El Filósofo del Rap.' His storytelling, moralizing lyricism, and rhythmic experiments blending hip-hop with Caribbean sounds laid groundwork that later generations of reggaetón and Latin trap artists built on.
Vico C first heard old-school US hip-hop like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five over the radio and on imported records, and adapted its rhythmic, story-driven rap structure into Spanish.
listen forGrandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's 'The Message' lays down the social-commentary rap blueprint you can hear reworked in Spanish on Vico C's 'La Recta Final.'
Run-D.M.C.'s stripped-down, declarative rap delivery was part of the wave of imported US hip-hop that pushed Vico C toward rapping in the first place.
listen forRun-D.M.C.'s chant-like cadence on 'It's Like That' resurfaces, translated into Spanish, in the confident delivery of Vico C's 'Aquel Que Había Muerto.'
Over his career Vico C folded the Panamanian reggae-en-español sound pioneered by El General into his hip-hop foundation, adding reggae-toasting cadences to his rap.
listen forEl General's chanted riddim hooks on 'Tu Pum Pum' show up echoed in the sung-rapped hooks of Vico C's 'Xplosión.'