The early to mid ’90s was an early Latin rap renaissance of sorts, giving birth to a new breed of Latin hip hop artists and MCs. It was influenced by what was happening at the time in mainstream and popular underground hip hop with Miami bass, West Coast rap and hip hop in Spanglish gaining popularity. Three ground breaking Latino artists from that era will be in Austin on Sunday, October 7, at Cielo for one of the biggest old school parties of the year.
The first performer will be Cuban-American rapper Mellow Man Ace, an early adopter of Spanglish rap. Mellow first gained success in 1990 with his now classic single “Mentirosa” off of his album Escape From Havanna. The younger brother of Sen Dog from Cypress Hill, he was the first Latin Rap artist to reach Gold and Platinum in the U.S. After a long career that included writing songs for Cypress Hill and five more solo releases, Mellow Man was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002.
Also performing will be One Dope Mexican (Robert Gutierrez) and Don’t Try To Xerox (Bobby Ramirez), better known as Lighter Shade of Brown. The duo is best known for their hits “Latin Active”, “Hey DJ” and their 1991 Billboard Top 40, R&B & Rap hit single “On A Sunday Afternoon.” Lighter Shade of Brown also had songs appear on soundtracks for classic urban Latino movies Mi Vida Loca and I Like It Like That.
Finally, Latin Bass legend Jonny Z will be throwing down at Cielo on Sunday. After making his name with the release of his club bangin’ single “Shake Shake” in 1993, Jonny Z went on to release his self-titled debut album in 1996 that solidified his legend status in Latin Bass. The album gave us more club classics including “Latin Swing,” Mamacita” and “No Señor.” Over the next few years, Jonny Z released three more albums.
Cielo is located at 505 Neches Street. Doors open at 9 p.m. $15 cover until 10:30 p.m. 18+ are welcome. Austin-based DJ 2DQ will be spinning throughout the night. Dress code strictly enforced. For more information call (512) 474-1949.
