Rising Stars: Latin Hip-Hop

Whether reppin' Texas (Baby Bash, Chingo Bling), Miami (Pitbull), Southern California (Down, Malverde), New York (Tres Coronas) or even Milwaukee (Kinto Sol), a new breed of homegrown Latin hip-hop artists are holding it down for their ciudades. Of course, rap en español is also a global phenomenon, as evidenced by the growing popularity of artists like Spain's Mala Rodriguez and Mexico's Cartel de Santa.

Chilean turntable master DJ Bitman brings on the funk with the tropical-flavored "El Diablo" while Spanish bad girl Mala Rodriguez turns up the heat on the groove-heavy "La Niña." Best known as the percussionist for Cypress Hill and the Beastie Boys, Eric Bobo steps out as a solo artist with the help of vocal crew the Demigodz on the old school-inspired track "Chicken Wing."

With his trademark sunglasses, wide Texan grin, and bobble-head doll version of himself often in tow, Chingo Bling brings a much-needed sense of humor to a genre that often takes itself too seriously; "They Can't Deport Us All" is his redneck-bashing, guitar-charged response to the immigration debate. Up-and-coming crew Cuarto Poder lays down plenty of hot scratching over folkloric samples on the homage to their native land, "Venezuela."

Get ready for a bilingual hip-hop adventure with an edge. This list features many of Latin hip-hop's brightest stars, including Pitbull, Down, Baby Bash, Kinto Sol, and Mala Rodriguez. ¿'stás listo?