I grew up listening to hip-hop just as I listened to my mother's blaring Bachata and Merengue every Sunday morning and from what I remember, the artists I mostly listened to were black, or Eminem. The only Spanish rappers I listened to were reggaeton artists, which means I didn't listen to many predominantly English-speaking Latin rappers. This revelation of my early musical tastes begs the question of why I wasn't exposed to more Latin rappers during the late nineties and early millennium. In learning how Latinos participated in the realm of hip-hop, one learns that although Latinos played an important role in its founding, the demand for a strong identity emerged due to various groups' rejection of the Latino presence. understanding the distinct contributions of Latinos to hip hop and how they have been exploited and the like, you need to be aware of the areas of Latino influence within the genre over the years. Many of the early hip-hop jams, which began to emerge in the late 1960s and 1970s, were held primarily in Hispanic areas around New York City, such as Spanish Harlem and other neighborhoods (Barco 65). From the beginning, the participation of Latinos, especially Puerto Ricans, has encompassed various areas, including rapping, graffiti, b-boying, breakdancing, as well as being an active listener and performer (Flores, Recapturing History, 63-65). Puerto Ricans in particular have always had a special connection to hip-hop where they "used rap as a vehicle to affirm their history, language and culture", thus also making their history of hip-hop (Flores, Puerto Rocks 90, 103). When you say that the history of hip-hop is also Puerto Rican history, you suggest... that the medium of paper... manifests itself within its own people. While Latinos helped build hip-hop, many along the way helped destroy the respect owed them. Latinos have faced rejection not only from African Americans, the media, and industry, but their own peers have expressed disdain for being authentic Latino. My friend commented that African Americans are not as united as they should be due to their involvement in the civil rights movement and commented that blacks should be as “united” as Hispanics are. However, as hip-hop has illustrated, if Hispanics can't agree on how important it is to market our heritage into a united force, how are we supposed to unite against bigger, more important issues? One can only hope that the call of these artists for the unification of Latinos can be satisfied, not only in the musical aspect but as a whole..