La Pozze Latina

La Pozze Latina was a groundbreaking Chilean rap collective, hailed as one of the pioneers of the underground hip-hop scene in their native country, along with Panteras Negras and De Kiruza. Initially composed of MC Jimmy “Funky Jefs” Fernández and DJ Rodrigo “Too Small” Méndez, the pair met in Santiago’s vibrant breakdance scene in the early 90s and bonded over their mutual love of hip-hop. Armed with a Roland drum machine and an Ensoniq EPS-16 sampler, the duo started making music under the name Latin Posse. Following Méndez’s return to Europe in 1993, Fernández recruited DJ Hernán “Chato X” del Canto and released Pozzeídos por la ilusión, their studio debut and the first release as La Pozze Latina. The album quickly gained underground cult status, spawning the hit “Con el color de mi aliento,” which was the first Latin hip-hop video to be featured in MTV Latino. They followed up with Una Nueva Religión (1996), a more polished-sounding LP that received heavy airplay on Chilean radios and paved the way for a new generation of hip-hop groups. In subsequent years, and with the addition of DJ Raff (of Frecuencia Rebelde fame) and Víctor “Solo di Medina” Flores, La Pozze Latina finally crossed over into the mainstream with Desde el mundo de los espejos (1999), an eclectic mix of electronica, reggae, and soul that featured the smash hit “Chica eléctrica” and a cover of Ruben Blades’ “Pedro Navaja.” Despite their newfound success, the group’s creative differences led to its eventual demise in 2000. Del Canto continued to use the name until 2009, which generated a legal dispute that was finally settled in court. Twelve years later after their dissolution, Fernández revived La Pozze Latina with the help of beatboxer and producer Chico Claudio, releasing the singles “Al Natural (From Jamaica)” and “Un Segundo (12 Marzo)” in 2016 and 2018, respectively.