Meet Messiah El Artista, The Dominican Trap Rapper Who’s Caught 50 Cent’s Attention
If Messiah El Artista is any indication of where rap culture is headed, it’s clear the future is making way for hip-hop en español.
Since launching his music career circa 2010, Messiah’s voice has echoed on Latin American airwaves and in barrios around the world. The overarching theme of his lyrics is pride and swagger; there is a musical cadence even in his everyday speech. Yet, Messiah’s braggadocio doesn’t at all ignore complexity and context. His delivery is unrelenting and his rhymes often sound like they’re steadfastly bouncing off a concrete wall. More importantly, his songs are a sign of the times, proof that hip-hop really blew up and grew up. In other words, the 25-year-old is a rare breed of rapper, helping pave the way for future bicultural MCs and their mass appeal.
After going solo and independent, Messiah’s unique approach to trap music in Spanish caught the attention of Latino artists dripping seniority, such as Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam. Messiah would soon garner himself a more conventional push in the form of a collaborative mixtape, with Power 105’s DJ Flipstar titled It Was Time (Ya Era Tiempo). Meanwhile, Messiah grew increasingly popular in his native country of the Dominican Republic, without having to actually “live, breathe and make music” on the island–a source of pride for the guy who lives to set himself apart from the competition.
Today, the Uptown representer is on the cusp of intercontinental stardom. After being dubbed the first-ever Latino rapper from New York to sell out Stage 48, play Madison Square Garden three consecutive times in a year and step foot inside the Swedish music streaming giant Spotify, Messiah is ready to up the ante.
