5 Rappers Who Are Actually Afro-Latino

Nowadays so many people are making music and making it big in the industry that it’s too hard to keep track. Hip-hop and Rap is one of the genres with the most artists and the most variety of artists from all over the world.

With all the rappers blowing up in the past couple of years, most people don’t even know where they are coming from. It may be surprising to some, that many of these rappers and artists come from an Afro-Latino descent. These rappers are representing their culture and heritage through their music and have gained quite a following in their careers.

In honor of Black History Month and celebrating the relationship between African Americans and Latino Americans here is a list of 5 rappers you may not have known were Afro-Latino

Schoolboy Q- 

To start us off, Schoolboy Q was actually born in west Germany on a US Air Force base to an African American mother and a Houndoran father. The Top Dog Entertainment rapper was then raised in Los Angeles and has become the second big-name man at his label, only to Kendrick Lamar.

Schoolboy Q has a unique flow on most of his projects, with most of them having different styles and sounds over his career. He is also a strong lyricist, with witty and head-scratching bars that are fun to hear as you enjoy his beat selection. While Schoolboy Q has never mentioned his relation to Latin Americans explicitly he’ll always be the man of the year.

Kevin Gates

This next Afro-Latino rapper may come as a surprise for everyone, but it really shouldn’t when you think about how good his dance moves are, but Kevin Gates is the next name on the list. Born to a Puerto Rican Mother and African American Father, Kevin Gates comes from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Gates has been an OG southern rapper for around a decade now and is one of the most interesting personalities on the list. He’s continued to make hits over the years and is the owner of some iconic 2010’s bangers like “Really Really’ and “2 Phones”. Kevin Gates has gone out and discussed his experience being Afro-Latino and he’s claimed he feels more Puerto Rican than he does African American.

Miguel

Miguel Jontel Pimentel was born in San Pedro, California, to an African American Mother and a Mexican American Father. Coming in as probably the most stylish male on the list, Miguel is more considered of an RnB Singer than a rapper but he has never been one to shy from a verse.

With his melodic voice and soothing beats, he’s built quite a long-lasting career in the music industry, while making many collaborations with various artists. Miguel has yet to talk about his Mexican heritage but in an interview with Viceland he stated “Most people think of me solely as a black artist, but there’s a reason why my name is Miguel.” 

Cardi B

Someone who people can possibly hear rolling her Rs in their head comes as really no surprise, but some people didn’t know Cardi B was Latino. Cardi B was born in Manhattan, New York City to a Dominican father and a Trinidadian mother. Cardi B has come out and talked proudly about her Spanish descent plenty and has credited it for some of her physical attributes.

You can hear her fun inner Latina come out in both her music and her interviews, and it is part of the reason everyone loves her. Some of her music has a clear influence from Spanish culture with her most popular of the batch being her song “I Like It”. Cardi B has gone from rapper to mother to icon and we are just so happy to see her family with Offest grow so beautifully, who knows where life will take her next?

Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi was born out of Cleveland Ohio to an African-American mother with his father having Mexican descent. Kid Cudi has had a long-lasting and decorated career in the music industry, collecting multiple billboard hits along the way.

His style is, like many artists with longevity, always changing and advancing, sometimes escaping from the rap genre. Kid Cudi has been hypnotizing the public with his melodic hums for over a decade and continues to make great music.

He returned this year with a new experimental rap album called “Entergalactic” and it is more than a worth-it listen.