#2 Big Pun

Let’s set the record straight, Latinos have been apart of hip-hop since day one! From DJ Disco Wiz, to the Cold Crush Brothers’ DJ Charlie Chase, to the Rocksteady Crew’s Crazy Legs, Latinos are hip-hop! More often than not the Latino contribution to the culture gets overlooked because for years spanish cats lacked that one superstar MC. But when Big Pun emerged in the mid-nineties all of that changed.

After a a debut verse off of Fat Joe’s Jealous One’s Envy album, Pun stole the show on the Beatnuts’ 1997 single “Off the Books.” But when the Puerto Rican rapper emerged in 1997 with his groundbreaking, “Still Not a Player,” it was over! Once he released his multi-platinum debut Capital Punishment in 1998, Pun had already cemented himself as a hip-hop great. Latinos finally had the champion they were looking for. Equally regarded on the streets and the pop charts, Pun became more than just “a spanish kid who could rhyme,” he became the greatest off all time. But after his untimley death in 2000, there was a gapping void left in hip-hop.

Ask any Latino to rattle off their top 5, dead or alive rap list and Pun will come up damn near 100% of the time. Maybe he never got the Grammy, or the Source Award that he was famously jerked out of, but it didn’t matter. Still not a believer? Throw “100%” on at any party and witness Puerto Rican pride at it’s finest or try to recite “Dead in the middle of little Italy…” amongst a gang of battle MCS.

Now even 10 years after his death, hip-hop is desperately searching for the next Pun. No there will never be another, but there has been a resurgence in Latin MCs. Joell Ortiz is a beast, Termanology shows tons of promise and Omar Cruz is reppin’ the West Coast to the fullest. Still it is something about Pun that makes him our G.O.A.T. Oh so he isn’t on your top 5 yet? Keep playing, I’ll cut you puto!

#1 Baseball

Let's keep it all the way real, Baseball hasn't been America's favorite pastime for quite a while now. Ever since Roberto Clemente revolutionized the game in the '60s, Beisbol took a turn for Latin. Now the Major Leagues is dominated by Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Venezuelans and names like A.Rod, Sosa and Big Papi will take place in the hall of fame besides luminaries like Ruth and DiMaggio. The fact of the matter is we’ve taken Baseball and we’re not giving it back.

Take the Dominican Republic for example, a country who’s chief export is homerun hitters, Baseball is like religion to Latinos and the fact the MLB is over 30% Latino is proof in the pudding. In ’07 Detroit Tigers outspoken outfielder Gary Sheffield remarked on the rise of the Latino player in an issue of GQ. “I called it years ago. What I called is that you’re going to see more black faces, but there ain’t no English going to be coming out,” said Sheffield. Sheffield went on to suggest that Latinos will supercede Blacks as the dominant minority in the Major Leagues, mostly due to the language barrier which makes, Latinos easier to control. Yes Sheffield’s comments were asinine, but he was right about one thing, Latinos have taken over.

Still the Latin obsession with baseball goes beyond the diamond. Check the stickball legends from the Bronx who adapted the game without a bat, baseball, or gloves. The fact is that Beisbol is tradition and has become a vital part of the Latin DNA. For Americans baseball is simply a pastime, a sport- for Latinos it is a way of life. Cuba’s national baseball team is world renown, made up of amateur (a.k.a THEY DON’T GET PAID) players, the team from Cuba has been the most dominant team in the Olympic play and finished second in 2006’s World Baseball Classic.

With Boxing, Baseball and Futbol already in the bag- we’re going after Hockey next!