M-P ft. Lil Keyu | “LOCA”, Resuscitates Latin Hip-Hop
M-P, also known as M-P The Tiger, is bringing something electric to the world of Latin hip-hop. His latest single, “LOCA,” delivers the signature addictiveness of Latin music paired with M-P’s dynamic presence on the mic. Accompanying him is featured rapper Lil Keyu, who only elevates the track with her dazzling performance and slick bars.
M-P grew up in a Dominican-American household settled in the Edenwald Housing Projects in the Bronx, New York. Growing up, M-P was enclosed in inner-city street politics, an unstable home life, frequent moves, and other personal struggles. As a result, M-P turned to music to relieve all his pent-up frustration, allowing him to find a sense of peace through songwriting and storytelling.
As he dipped his toes into the hip-hop world, M-P was inspired to follow in the footsteps of one of his favorite rappers, Jadakiss. Some of M-P’s other musical influences include greats like Jay-Z, Nas, Tupac, and Biggie, which listeners can catch of glimpse of given M-P’s vibrant energy on “LOCA.” In an interview with The New Mvmt, M-P noted…
I’ve been listening to Jadakiss before I was allowed to listen to Jadakiss. His wordplay, the storytelling, the ideas, everything, – M-P.
M-P first started experimenting with music in 2019. His mentor, Dukaran, gave M-P the opportunity to lay down some bars in his home studio. And as soon as M-P got a taste of getting lost in the musicality, he immediately fell in love with the process. On the first day he stepped into a studio, M-P recorded his single, “Scholarships.” From there, the rapper has only developed his craft and honed in on mixing Spanish and English lyrics in an aesthetically-pleasing way.
After taking a two-year hiatus from his initial step into making music, events in M-P’s life led him to pursue music professionally. And the artist quickly earned recognition for his intriguing performances. That said, M-P recorded his first project, “The Hood Prospects,” and released it in February 2021. As soon as “The Hood Prospects” hit social media platforms, M-P’s fanbase blew up, and he started performing live shows for Majorstage.
Shortly after, M-P released an EP entitled “BOBO.” This project resulted in the rapper signing to Ethika Music Records and expanding his fanbase even more. Another unique aspect of “BOBO” is that it was the first time M-P utilized music to connect to his Spanish heritage.
With that, M-P wanted to pay homage to his parents’ birthplace and drew inspiration from creatives like El Alfa, Chucky73, and TiVi Gunz. To effectively capture the vibe he needed, M-P hand-selected each producer on “BOBO.” As a result, the project embodied creativity and uniqueness, adding a new edge to Latin hip-hop.
After “BOBO” was released, M-P proved that he could add a different twist to the Latin hip-hop game. Now, with his latest single, “LOCA,” quickly gaining more and more recognition, don’t be surprised if M-P is crowned the new leader of the genre.
Overall, “LOCA” is a prime example of how blending cultures and creative minds can produce something energizing, refreshing, and dynamic. With M-P being from the Dominican Republic and Lil Keyu being from Puerto Rico descendants, “LOCA” brings something that just hits different to the table.
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