Bodega Bamz – Rappers to Watch in 2013

Bodega Bamz, a Spanish Harlem native, had humble rap roots, rhyming in school yards as a teenager and battling his high school classmates. Growing up, hip-hop was banned from his Christian household, but once he got his hands on tracks like Tupac’s ‘Dear Mama’ and later Biggie’s ‘Life After Death’ album, he couldn’t leave the genre alone.

Late last year, the rapper released 'Strictly for My P.A.P.I.Z.,’ a mixtape boasting such songs as 'P.A.P.I.' and the Flatbush Zombies-assisted 'Thrilla.' On the project, he incorporates his Latin influences with an aggressive sound dubbed Latin trap. Bamz wants his TanBoys to get put on, but in the greater scheme of things, wants to put New York hip-hop back on the map. Cheers to the New New York.