The Godfather of Latin Rap, Mellow Man Ace

Prominent in Hip-hop as Mellow Man Ace from the iconic rap supergroup Cypress Hill. In Latin Hip-hop, however, fans simply refer to him as, “The Godfather”.

Hailing from South Gate, Los Angeles County and of Latin-American heritage, the name Mellow Man Ace directly headlines the chapters of Latin rap's earliest years, being the first artist to release a bilingual single, listed off of his memorable debut album back in 1989.

Escape From Havana features the platinum-certified single, “Mentirosa” which was inspired from Chicano rocker Carlos Santana's “Evil Ways”. Being the first rapper to successfully incorporate Spanglish rhymes into mainstream audiences , Mellow Man Ace became known as, “The Godfather of Latin Rap”.

“I remember when we recorded 'Mentirosa'... it was the most troublesome, up to that point we never did a song that was bilingual,” said Mellow Man narrating the background behind his breakout single, “I hadn't discovered how to do that, even though I had lived in a predominantly Latin neighborhood, it hadn't hit me yet that we spoke bilingual. So when I figured out the style, it became a no-brainer, the rest poured out like water.”

The artwork for Mellow Man Ace's iconic debut album Enter The Havana now comes in trendy apparel, now available through Rap Central Station's online store, so be sure to check it out! 

By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com