Latin Los Angeles

Ritchie Valens made rock history with “La Bamba,” combining a Mexican style called son jarocho with rock and roll despite not having much of a command of Spanish. East Los Angeles had a major burst of rock/r&b bands in the ‘60s and ‘70s such as El Chicano, Tierra, and finally Los Lobos. It also established bilingual rap with Cypress Hill and Mellow Man Ace, who was the brother of Cypress Hill’s Sen Dog Reyes.

In the ‘90s and beyond, norteño and banda music grew with local performers Lupillo and Jenni Rivera, while hybrid banda-hiphop acts like Akwid made a major impact. Gerardo accidentally brought Latin hip-hop to the mainstream with the cartoonish early ‘90s hit “Rico Suave,” but streetwise acts like Lighter Shade of Brown and Proper Dos gave Latino MC’s credibility in the early days of the genre. Ozomatli exemplifies the socially conscious wave of newer Latino L.A. alterna-rockers.

Although better known for its music rooted in Mexico, Los Angeles also boasts a vibrant tropical music scene, with Chino Espinoza and the Echo Park Project being some of genre’s leading local proponents. ‘80s skate-punk pioneers Suicidal Tendencies and new school femi-rockers Go Betty Go represent for the harder rocking side of Latin Los Angeles.

Los Angeles has been a crucial hub for Latin music ever since the first corridos started filtering up from the Rio Grande in the 19th century. It has a rich tradition of Latin-flavored rhythm and blues, mambo, rock, punk, norteño, hip-hop, jazz, electronica, and ska. From Ritchie Valens, who recorded the first Spanish-language top 40 hit “La Bamba” to Cypress Hill, who pioneered bilingual rap with “Latin Lingo,” L.A. has always been the place to be for la música.