Hispanic Heritage Month is here. While the festive month is all about celebrating the hispanic community at large, there is no uniform tradition when it comes to culture. This is especially true when it comes to music. From the club anthems of reggaeton, to the more passionate folk, latin and hispanic music vary greatly in style. 

However, one of the categories among the realm of hispanic music that has lately been transcending language barriers and countries’ borders is the latin urban genre, which spans anywhere from reggaeton to rap and trap, La Prensa Latina reports.  

Though it is true that Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates all genres and traditions, artists in the urban genre, such as Bad Bunny, have been particularly outstanding in celebrating their roots and trespassing the international scene while also staying true to their culture. 

Here are five artists to look out for (or keep streaming) to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Though this list tries to be as fair as possible, it is still important to highlight the gender imbalance in the latin urban industry. In fact, from 2015-2017, the ratio for every 10 male urban artists was one female, according to The Recording Academy.

     1. Bad Bunny

This goes without saying. Bad Bunny (Benito Martinez) is simply the biggest Latin American artist in the hispanic scene. After the release of his fourth studio album “Un Verano Sin Ti” (A Summer Without You), Martinez became the staple of summer 2022. The album has spent 13 weeks at the No. 1 spot in the Billboard Hot 100 list. 

“Un Verano Sin Ti” is pure hispanic bliss. From the cheerful drums that make up the mambo section in “Después de la Playa” to the EDM influences in “El Apagon,” the album sets itself out to be a source of latin-american pride for generations to come.

      2. Rosalía

Rosalía first “crossed the pond” with her sophomore album “El Mal Querer” back in 2018. Highlighting her Spanish culture, “El Mal Querer” is a combination of the signature Spanish flamenco mixed with more modern pop influences. However, she truly became a sensation this year with the release of “Motomami,” which not only debuted at No. 1 on the Latin Pop Album charts, but also became a TikTok meme as the singer made exaggerated judging faces when singing one of her singles “BIZCOCHITO” on tour. 

Rosalía is easily one of the most distinctive artists in the genre currently. Her often illegible lyrics and almost annoyingly catchy beats makes it impossible to escape her presence. The Grammy award-winner not only blends music genres but also cultures, as she is able to successfully fuse her Spanish roots with her Latin American audience to create a multi-continental phenomenon.

     3. Rauw Alejandro 

The Puerto Rican singer would easily fall under the category of “la nueva generacion” (the new generation) of artists who are coming to change the latin urban genre. Last year, he solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with, with the release of his album “Vice Versa,” which earned him his first No. 1 at the Billboard Latin charts. However, he further established himself as one of the biggest artists in the latin urban genre when he was featured in Bad Bunny’s “Party” on “Un Verano Sin Ti.” 

Rauw’s signature dance moves, his incorporation of 80s disco to his music and his inevitable sex appeal will make even the stiffest of listeners want to go to a club in Puerto Rico and dance to the rhythm of the Caribbean beats.

     4. Karol G 

In a genre that is undoubtedly cruel to female artists, Karol G makes herself stand out as the voice to minorities while also empowering her female listeners. She first broke the international barrier in 2019 with her song “Tusa” featuring Nicki Minaj, which became a 10x multi-platinum album just after three months, according to Forbes. 

However, as the years have passed, the Colombian singer has further developed her “bichota” persona, an embodiment of female power. An advocate for women rights in an industry dominated by the common “machista” men, Karol G has become a respected artist among the genre. 

“I can say that there is still a lot to do culturally, but I am very happy and feel very proud to be able to say that we are promoting women a lot more, so they respect what we do,” Karol G told remezcla. 

     5. Mora

Though a relatively newer face in the industry, Mora is a behind-the-scenes master puppeteer for the biggest names in the industry (he has written songs for every artist on this list besides Rosalia.) Last year, he was named Billboard’s “Latin artist on the rise,” due to his multiple collaborations with Bad Bunny and his sophomore album “MICRODOSIS” peaked No.3 in Spain’s Top 100 albums.

While he is slowly but surely establishing himself as the future artist of the industry, bigger artists’ trust on the Puerto Rican singer— as seen with his immense list of songwriting repertoire— makes Mora’s lyricism stand out from the rest of the up and coming artists.