I grew up listening to Hip-Hop just like I listened to my mother's Bachata and Merengue every Sunday morning and from what I remember, the artists I The main people I listened to were black people, or Eminem. The only Spanish rappers I listened to were Reggaeton artists, which means I didn't listen to many predominantly English-speaking Latino rappers. This revelation of my early musical tastes begs the question of why I wasn't exposed to more Latino rappers in the late '90s and early millennium. In learning how Latinos participated in the field of Hip-Hop, one learns that although Latinos played a major role in its foundings, the call for a strong identity emerged due to the rejection of the Latino presence by various groups . To understand the distinct contributions of Latinos as it relates to Hip Hop and how they have been exploited, one must be aware of the areas of Latino influence within the genre over the years. Many early hip-hop jams, which began to emerge in the late 1960s and 1970s, took place in primarily Hispanic areas around New York City, such as Spanish Harlem and other neighborhoods (Barco 65) . From the beginning, Latin American, particularly Puerto Rican, participation extended to various fields, including rap, graffiti, b-boying, breakdancing, as well as as an active listener and performer (Flores , Recapturing History, 63-65). Puerto Ricans in particular have always had a special connection to hip-hop in which they "used rap as a vehicle to assert their history, language, and culture", thus making hip-hop history theirs as well (Flores, Puerto Rocks 90). , 103). When we say that the history of hip-hop is also the history of Puerto Rico, it is suggested that ... middle of paper ... is celebrated within its own people. Although Latinos helped build hip-hop, many along the way helped break down the respect it was owed. Latinos have faced rejection not only from African Americans, the media, and industry, but their own peers have also expressed disdain for being authentic Latinos. My friend pointed out that African Americans are not as united as they should be because of efforts in the civil rights movement and pointed out that black people should be as "united" as Hispanics. However, as hip-hop illustrates, if Hispanics can't agree on the importance of marketing their heritage as a united force, how are we supposed to unite against larger, more important issues? We can only hope that these artists' call for Latin American unification can be realized, not only musically but as a whole..