Kinto Sol

The Garcia siblings—Javier "DJ Payback" Garcia, Manuel "Skribe" Garcia, and Eduardo "El Chivo" Garcia—embody the bicultural realities that shape many urban Latino youths today. Hailing from Iramuca, Mexico, the trio moved north and settled first in Milwaukee before reaching Chicago, where they absorbed the surrounding hip-hop sounds and attitudes. Rooted simultaneously in American youth trends and their Mexican roots, they turned to rap verses and turntables as outlets for expressing national pride. As Kinto Sol they issued their first album, Del Norte al Sur, thereby entering the growing circle of Latino musicians channeling political protest through their art.

Hecho en Mexico followed, urging listeners to embrace their cultural background, while La Sangre Nunca Muere underscored loyalty to family ties. Successive projects gradually expanded their reach and standing within an industry wary of unfamiliar voices. Though an explicitly political stance made major-label support elusive, Kinto Sol accumulated unmistakable forward motion. In 2007 they accepted an offer from Univision Records and delivered Los Hijos del Maiz, an album addressing issues such as ignorance, political corruption, and racism confronting young Latino listeners.

Carcel de Suenos appeared two years afterward as their first project for Machete Music, entering the rap charts at number nine and widening both their visibility and touring opportunities. El Último Suspiro arrived in 2010 and reached position 25 on those same charts, yet 2012’s Familia, Fe y Patria advanced comfortably inside the Top Ten. After maintaining a nonstop road schedule, the group waited until 2015 to release Protegiendo el Penacho, which again cracked the rap-chart upper tier at number nine. The independent Virus Enterprises imprint then issued Lo Ke No Se Olvida the next year, followed in 2017 by a compilation of earlier material while the brothers continued touring. Their established standing as the Public Enemy of hip-hop en español endures among underground audiences throughout the United States and Mexico.