Alt.Latino: Rapper PJ Sin Suela on Puerto Rican hip-hop and more

Summary

All Songs Considered: Alt.Latino Episode Summary Episode Title: Alt.Latino: Rapper PJ Sin Suela on Puerto Rican Hip-Hop and More
Host: Ana Maria Sayer
Release Date: May 1, 2025

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Introduction to PJ Sin Suela

The episode opens with Ana Maria Sayer introducing PJ Cinzuela—also known as PJ Sin Suela—as a prominent Puerto Rican rapper and hip-hop artist. PJ is acclaimed for his influential role in shaping the Puerto Rican hip-hop scene alongside big names like Bad Bunny and Raunquejandro. Ana Maria highlights PJ's commitment to using his music as a platform for political and social change, emphasizing his active participation in campaigns such as La Alianza during recent Puerto Rican elections.

The Evolution of Puerto Rican Hip-Hop

PJ shares his personal journey into hip-hop, reminiscing about his introduction to the genre during his early teenage years.

“My introduction to, like, Puerto Rican hip hop was probably when I was like 14 or 15... I found out about who was Tecuanue PA flo Intifada.”
— PJ Cinzuela [03:02]

He explains how, transitioning from bands like Blink 182 to hip-hop, PJ discovered influential artists through friends, which ignited his passion for the genre. This period in the early 2000s was pivotal in shaping the contemporary Puerto Rican hip-hop landscape.

Cultural Influences: Bomba and Plena

Ana Maria delves into the rich tapestry of Puerto Rican music by introducing Bomba y Plena, emphasizing their African roots and their role in protest music. PJ acknowledges the deep connections between traditional Puerto Rican rhythms and modern hip-hop.

“Plena has always been solidario with having something to say and about caring which... what's happening in Puerto Rico and Latin America.”
— PJ Cinzuela [09:15]

He draws parallels between Plena and hip-hop, noting that both genres emerged from community struggles and serve as mediums for expressing social and economic challenges.

Hip-Hop vs. Reggaeton: Distinctions and Overlaps

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on distinguishing hip-hop from reggaeton within Puerto Rico. PJ articulates his perspective on the cultural and thematic differences between the two genres.

“For me, he (Tego Calderón) is hip hop because he raps and he respects the Culture.”
— PJ Cinzuela [13:06]

He highlights that while reggaeton often dominates the commercial music scene with themes centered around nightlife and personal exploits, hip-hop in Puerto Rico remains a vessel for more profound social commentary and protest.

The Role of Protest in Music

PJ emphasizes that authentic protest music arises organically from personal and communal experiences. He criticizes the commercialization of violence-themed content, suggesting that when artists adopt such themes solely for popularity, it distorts the genre's true purpose.

“If all your songs are about buying a gun and killing someone, then obviously there's something wrong about it.”
— PJ Cinzuela [17:42]

He advocates for a balance where music reflects real-life struggles without glorifying negative aspects.

Influential Figures: Tego Calderón and Niejo

The discussion shifts to influential artists like Tego Calderón and Niejo, who have significantly impacted PJ's musical journey. PJ praises Tego for blending traditional Puerto Rican sounds with hip-hop, thereby paying homage to his roots while addressing critical social issues.

“Tego was doing reggaeton, but he would incorporate bomba, plena, boleros... and he was also talking about his black community and how the economy and being poor affected them.”
— PJ Cinzuela [10:50]

Regarding Niejo, PJ admires his storytelling ability and authentic portrayal of life’s dualities—balancing social struggles with moments of joy and celebration.

“He's like a happy rapper because he can mix social and economic struggles with going out to party and drinking and smoking.”
— PJ Cinzuela [20:07]

PJ Sin Suela’s Musical Journey

PJ offers an intimate look into his dual life as a medical doctor and a musician. He recounts his shift from pursuing medicine to fully embracing his passion for hip-hop, especially during his time in Philadelphia where he became deeply involved in the local hip-hop and trap scenes.

“I was just gonna do hip hop... I want to do what I love.”
— PJ Cinzuela [21:13]

He discusses his track "Sandunga," which marks his transition into more danceable music infused with cultural narratives. This song gained significant traction when performed at the La Fieta de Gallasan Sebastian festival, especially after the mayor danced to it, propelling PJ into the mainstream spotlight.

The Future of Hip-Hop in Puerto Rico

In contemplating the future, PJ envisions a fusion-driven evolution for Puerto Rican hip-hop. He believes that blending traditional genres like salsa, bomba, and cumbia with hip-hop will continue to innovate and prevent the genre from becoming stagnant.

“I think that hip hop is gonna keep evolutionizing in that you could do hip hop and make it a fusion with reggaeton or sarsia, cumbia or anything you want.”
— PJ Cinzuela [29:37]

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Ana Maria encouraging listeners to explore PJ Sin Suela's Tiny Desk Concert, celebrating his contributions to the Puerto Rican music scene both as an artist and a community advocate. PJ's dedication to integrating social issues into his music exemplifies the powerful role of hip-hop as a tool for change and cultural expression.

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Notable Quotes:

• PJ Cinzuela [10:50]: “Tego was doing reggaeton, but he would incorporate bomba, plena, boleros... and he was also talking about his black community and how the economy and being poor affected them.”

• PJ Cinzuela [17:42]: “If all your songs are about buying a gun and killing someone, then obviously there's something wrong about it.”

• PJ Cinzuela [29:37]: “I think that hip hop is gonna keep evolutionizing in that you could do hip hop and make it a fusion with reggaeton or sarsia, cumbia or anything you want.”

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Further Listening: Be sure to check out PJ Sin Suela's Tiny Desk Concert for an immersive experience of his unique blend of hip-hop and traditional Puerto Rican rhythms.

Transcript

[Ana Maria Sayer]

What's up, pj?

[PJ Cinzuela]

What's up?

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay.

[PJ Cinzuela]

I might Spanglish some, but I'll try to do it.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

You're already in trouble for saying I can't talk bad. This is going to be really hard for pj.

[PJ Cinzuela]

No.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

From NPR Music, this is All Latino. I'm Ana Maria Sayer. Let the chisme begin. And the chisme this week is that I'm taking over you. Yes. Felix is out. Don't worry, he'll be back next week. And in the meantime, I brought my boy PJ Cinzuela to be a co host of sorts with me. For those who don't know, PJ Consuela is a Puerto Rican rapper, hip hop artist who came up with the likes of Bad Bunny, raulejandro and a lot of other big reggaetoneros. You know, today. This is PJ's song. PJ has spent years voicing concerns about the government and pushing for political and social change in his music. He's one of many Puerto Ricans who sound off when things get difficult on the island, demanding change. At his live shows, he leads dancing crowds to chant las playas on del pueblo no de las touristas, meaning the beaches are of the people, not of the tourists. He and many other artists lent their art to the most recent elections where they campaigned for the opposing party, La Alienza. Like so much puerto rican music, PJ's work is deeply rooted in protestant. This is PJ Cinzuela's song Es Laura. What we're gonna do is we're gonna break down a little bit of hip hop in Puerto Rico. I honestly did not know a ton about the hip hop scene of the 90s. So I wanted to bring you on to share a little bit about what the history of it was, what it looks like now, your place in it, all. That kind of stuff sure sound cool.

[PJ Cinzuela]

I'm not an expert either, but I'm a fan.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

You told me you were an expert.

[PJ Cinzuela]

But I'm a fan. Actually, it's more like early 2000s, I would say. I was born in 89, so it was like the music that I grew up listening to probably when I was like 13, 14, 15.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Well, so take me back. What was your introduction?

[PJ Cinzuela]

My introduction to, like, Puerto Rican hip hop was probably when I was like 14 or 15. Before that, I was listening to like, Blink 182 and stuff. And my best friend called Gabriel Bal, he used to make CDs of, like, these new songs that came that of his older brother. And that's how I found out about who was Tecuanue PA flo Intifada.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

So from hip hop to reggaeton to Bombay y prena, the tiny island of Puerto Rico has an incredibly outsized impact on the music of today. Some of the biggest music in the world right now. To understand why and how that is, we have to go way back.

[PJ Cinzuela]

When people ask like, ah, why does Puerto Rico have such a big influence on in the music scene? I always say it's probably one of three things. One is la puella mecla como. We have influence from Africa in the slave trade and people who moved here, Spain who came and conquered, United States who came bombarding and conquered. We, we are always, since we're small, we're always traveling. Like it's rare to see a 15 or 16 year old in Puerto Rico who hasn't traveled to Orlando at least once or to New York or to Pennsylvania or New Jersey because they have family members, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters who are living in the United States. And also being so small, everybody is trying to look for an opportunity to expand and export their music. And we do have a lot of Spanglish and a lot of influence from the music scene in the United States. Salsa was born in Puerto Rico and Cuba, but also in New York at the same time. And our hip hop definitely has influence from mostly probably east coast hip hop, but also west coast reggaeton, I would say has a lot of influence from Panama, they were the first ones to do it, and Jamaica probably. But it's also in the way we speak and the way the culture and the dress code, it has a lot of United States influence too.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Well, and it's interesting because when you're talking about hip hop and reggaeton side by side, both independently influenced by experiences of black marginalization. Right. Like on the hip hop side, that's the black experience in the US and then on the reggaeton side, the, the black experience in Panama and eventually in Puerto Rico. So it's like there's this alignment there that actually is derivative of two distinct, See experiences.

[PJ Cinzuela]

I, I agree. And reggaeton was like, like illegal. Not illegal, but like frowned upon. I guess when it started in Puerto Rico it was like ah, the people who listen to reggaeton are like, I don't know how to say it in English, como del barrio or people who don't have money or like como marginalized that. It also happened with salsa. And I think that's what gives it its power. Like parents don't want you to listen to it. So when you're My first cd, my mom broke it. I remember she was like. They had given to me. She put in the radio two songs and she was like, bam, bro, you can't listen to this. But obviously it was. I was probably like in sixth grade. And it was talking about smoking and having sex and. And having a gun.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

What was the cd?

[PJ Cinzuela]

What's the name of it? I remember by. By DJ pr Because the beginning of reggaeton, just like probably hip hop. The first albums were DJs because they had the equipment to record people and they would record a whole bunch of different artists. And it was more like a kind of a mixtape.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Quick pause. We cannot talk about Puerto Rican protest music or hip hop without talking about Bomba y Plana, two deeply percussive styles of music featuring distinct drums with African roots born in Afro Puerto Rican communities. Los Pleneros de la Cresta is just one of the contemporary groups keeping Plana tradition alive. You probably heard them and this sound recently on Things As Big as Bad Bunny's latest album. The song Cafe Conron is one of their beyond the danceable beats. The lyrics that characterize the music are narrative driven. A lot of music that comes from marginalized communities has utilitarian origins. The stories serve as a means to share information, express feelings that would otherwise stay dormant. Bomba was created by enslaved Africans on the island in the 16th century, while Plana evolved from Bomba in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Bombay Plena of past and present are always protest. You have to understand they weave these stories about community struggle.

[PJ Cinzuela]

There's always been an underground scene of Bomba and Plana that are doing protest music. Bon vai. Plena has always been solidario with having something to say and about caring which. What's happening in Puerto Rico and Latin.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

America, for example, did you feel like there was a connection? Because when we're talking about referring to Bombay Plena, that's like such a distinct, in my. At least sonically, style of music from hip hop. Was there any level of a connection?

[PJ Cinzuela]

100%. Plana came from el barrio and from talking about what your neighbor was doing and. And your grandmother to what was affecting them. And you're still basically rhyming. You could rhyme differently. Some people do decimas, which is a different type of rhyme scheme. But you're basically talking and rapping in. In Plana specifically. And I think that where hip hop comes from, that's the birth of these type of music genres come from struggle and come from looking for a way to talk and get it out. Of your chest, what's affecting you and affecting your community.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

For PJ, in the early 2000s, as he was ditching his Blink 182 for hip hop mix CDs, Tego Calderon was taking all these histor roots and making something new.

[PJ Cinzuela]

And suddenly Teocalderon was like a huge hit. And he was one of the first ones who integrated. Like, the rap world would be like Tego e unduro because Tego was doing reggaeton, but he would incorporate bomba, plena, boleros. That was typical music from Puerto Rico. And he would also, even though he was dissing someone, he was also talking about his black community and how the economy and being poor affected the es huen tol no musical. So he was the first one I remember who was mixing hip hop with other sounds, but was giving respect back to the community and talking about important issues.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

So you sent me a song, a table song, Gracias. Can you tell me a little bit about why you picked that song?

[PJ Cinzuela]

That's one of my favorite dago songs. Gracias is a very important song. And it's a song that he. He's saying thank you to his public. But while he says thank you, he also touches, like, social issues about poverty and his Latin and black community and being from Loiza. And I thought it was an important song because it's a song that people who wouldn't listen to protest music would listen to because it's terrorist. But it did introduce, like, ah, look what Tego's talking about. It's important.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay, so that was Tego Calderon, his son, Gracias. Now, pj, when I think Tego, I think mostly reggaetonero is what people think of him as an original. Why? Like, when your association of hip hop and rap on the island, why is that who you came up with first?

[PJ Cinzuela]

I have a different perspective on what maybe a rapper is than most people in Puerto Rico. People who want to live off music usually go and do reggaeton. In Puerto Rico, most rappers started doing hip hop and boom bop, and then they do something como reyeto or something danceable with salsa. And it usually works because we love to party, we love to dance. That's in our blood. It relates with Cuba and Dominican Republic, and Puerto Ricans are always traveling. Being a colony from the United States, there's more Puerto Ricans living in Florida and New York than in Puerto Rico. So Tego is hip hop, even if he does reggaeton and sansa and bomb. For me, he is hip hop because he raps and he respects the Culture. And that's where I put the difference. Not so much in the music you make.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

It's interesting to me that you make this distinction, because I think that the way reggaeton has been sold or the history of reggaeton has been sold to the rest of the world is often actually associating it as this, like, basic form of Puerto Rican protest music. Like, that's kind of like the origin story that many people are told. And you're making this distinction of reggaeton being the sellable product and hip hop being the actual, more like offsides, representative protest music. Is that accurate? Like, where. Where is that line for you? Was there a point where reggaeton was that? And why has hip hop become that?

[PJ Cinzuela]

I think that what you're saying in Puerto Rico, there's very little reggaeton artists who would touch social aspects of music like reggaeton's bass. If you listen to the subject matters, is very violent because we live in a colonized island where there's a lot of violence, where there's economies, economic struggles, where people have to leave Puerto Rico to find opportunities and jobs. It's very violent. It's very nightlifey. Like going out to the club, cheating on your wife, or having. Or going out with a woman who has a husband. It's. They repeat a lot of those subject matters. But there are some artists who touch protest music doing reggaeton. But there is like a. Under underground movement of like, hip hop and other type of type of music that is probably typical from Puerto Rico. And it's not very big in other countries. Como La Bombay, La Palena, Get Bad Bunny, use them. In this album, we have people como lo pleno de la Creta, Chewy Elijah and other rappers that made music that is purely social or. Or personal. They will talk about their personal struggle and talk about love stories, but it feels very authentic. Pero reggaeton artists, if you see how they dress and the artists they like, it comes from Niejo listens to, like, Biggie and to Tupac and to certain east coast or west coast rappers. Janki, I talked with him about this one day that I met him. The music he used to like is all of these rappers, from Lil Kim to Ludo Chris to so CIA. There's this connection between, like, English hip hop and Puerto Rican reggaeton and Puerto Rican hip hop.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Well, it is interesting to me, though, that you bring up this idea of, like, the value or even like, the protest value of talking about just life, reflecting life accurately in your art. This is an interesting debate for me that comes up A lot with right now, there's like a pretty heavy split of people that are like, this is promoting narco content, this is promoting violence versus people saying, but this is our reality and this is reflecting that. And I think you hear that come up a lot with rap and hip hop, both in a lot of places in the world in the US with the history that it has here. I mean, what you're describing to me to a certain extent is like some of these artists just reflecting what is. And what is isn't always positive.

[PJ Cinzuela]

I think it's a balance. I think it became pop and cool to talk about guns and buying, killing, and then some people who are not living that then talk about it because it makes them popular. If all your songs are about buying a gun and killing someone, then obviously there's something wrong about it. But if it's your Twentorno, like it's what you're seeing, what you're living, then it's what you're gonna talk about. And I think that now we have like con artists. We have people who are doing it because it is what they're living and what they're seeing and they become popular. And then you have other people who are like, oh, this is what people are liking. So they start exaggerating and trying to be that. And that becomes a problem, really.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay, but you say that there are reggaeton artists who do hip hop and are influenced by artists like Biggie or Tupac. Can you give me an example of a Yankee or a Niejo song that you think of as hip hop?

[PJ Cinzuela]

Niejo has a whole bunch such is life. And he talks about, about living in a neighborhood where there's 15 year old girl in the corner prostituting herself and how his friend is selling drugs and how he started, he became rich and bought a expensive car and then was poor again and had to start his struggle again. And even though it may not be directly talking about political issues, he is describing the social and economic struggle in his or his surroundings.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

That was Asias La Vida by Mejo. Now, pj, you have talked to me a little bit about Neho being an influence for you. Why? Like what about his music? Have you gravitated toward what. What was it about it that that made you?

[PJ Cinzuela]

Well, now he's one of my best friends, so that's one thing. No, I love him. He's.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

He wasn't always.

[PJ Cinzuela]

No, he wasn't. He sang at my prom and I opened for him.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Puerto Rico is really small.

[PJ Cinzuela]

Okay? He's. He's like the rapper who's from where I'm from. He's probably the biggest rapper that's from Ponce other than his music. I like that he does like a lot of storytelling and perfect rhymes. And he's like a happy rapper because he can mix social and economic struggles with going out to party and drinking and smoking. And I could relate in my high school and college life. But him personally, more as a person, he's inspired me just because he's someone who. Who's never forgotten where he's from. He cares a lot about dogs. Puerto Rico has over a million dogs in the street, so that's his social sugar, Anito Darena. Like we say, he puts his positive influence into that. And I just love him.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

The core of what NIHO and PJ make is aligned. PJ knew he always wanted to have political elements in his sound, but he wasn't thinking of it as a career. The light bulb didn't go off for him until he got to med school.

[PJ Cinzuela]

And then I moved to Philly for two years and I was gonna study medicine. So I was like, ah, I'm just gonna do hip hop. Cause it's what I like. I don't have to do music to lift off music or to. I want to do what I love. And I started doing hip hop and there was a scene who. Who. We were only doing hip hop or trap in that moment. And we used to upload music to soundcloud and that was Al Barodilla, Mike Towers, Bry Babboni, Joy Santana, raulejandro, Me Fuerte Villete. We were like a group who we were mostly doing only like hip hop and trap.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

PJ got his MD in 2015. That's right. PJ Cinzuela is an actual medical doctor who practices currently in Puerto Rico and he directs a free clinic on the island. He also pitches in during big stints of need on the island, like during Hurricane Maria or Covid. So around this time, you said that 2016, 2017, you're part of this kind of SoundCloud era of releasing music. You stuck with hip hop and trap rap, more or less or what? What were you making at this point?

[PJ Cinzuela]

I did only hip hop. Like I was. I'm just gonna do hip hop. And then 2017, 2018, I did a song called Sandunga. That was my first song that was like danceable. I had done before when I was like my old songs when I had like duels, but my first as a solo artist as PJ Cinzuela. That I was like, ah, I'm gonna do this because I love it. And I don't care if I do music for, like, singing in front of people or being at a club. I'm just gonna, like, get my feelings out. The first song that I did that was in hip hop, say I'm a Sandunga. And it was my first song in the radio. So that changed, like, a lot for me. And at the beginning, I was actually like, am I selling out como having those two issues? Because I sang that song in La Calle de San Sebastian. I dropped it in January. And even though it's a danceable song, it has Tienes Unido de Womba. And I made a story out of it. San Dunga is like a saint. And I had a Puerto Rican artist sculpt a saint because I wanted to. I'm gonna do a dance, a song that you can dance to, and that's kind of reggaeto. Then I want to have, like, culture around it. And that song, I performed it in La Fieta de Gallasan Sebastian, which is probably the biggest festival in Puerto Rico. And in that moment, that was, I think, yeah, Trump was the president back then, and the mayor of San Juan was called Carmen Jurin. And they had had, like, a fight because she had said some words about him, and she got up on stage and she danced the song. So she like Perrio San Dunga. And that went viral. And that's why the song got on the radio, because people started playing it because she had danced the song. But I was still, like, on. That was probably my first song that put me in the. Like, I'm not an underground artist anymore.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Okay, I'm gonna make you listen to some of this. So. So at that point, that kind of set a trajectory for you if you're being associated with this, like, kind of politically charged moment with the mayor. No. Did that impact your desire to make or engage with political things in your music?

[PJ Cinzuela]

It might have had some inspiration, but I don't think so. Like, all my songs, if you ask me about a song that I've written that talks about a social issue, I could probably point out the exact time when I sat down and wrote it and why. For Hempro Mambru, I was working in a hospital, and I had, like, three patients who were veterans. And then I remember that I went to my house and Donald Trump was talking about a third world war, and I talked about politics in a group chat with my family. And then my grandfather got super mad because I have my grandfather from my Mom's side. He's from the United States, and he was a proud veteran. And then my Puerto Rican grandfather, which both of them are not alive still, he was also a veteran, but he was a veteran because he didn't have another option. So he was like, ah, war sucks. I became a veteran basically because it was my only option. So I saw the two sides of war, basically, and I made mambru. This is your call, El Edijo. I don't speak English very well, but I know numbers, even though I can't spell. Vivo was a song that I wrote, I think 2019 or 2020. And my sister was graduating from law school and she didn't have a graduation because they were trying to take money off the public system in Puerto Rico. And all the students were protest because we need more health, more education. And I made that song. All my friends were moving to the United States. My WhatsApp group of like 15 friends, 10 of them live in Ohio, Las Vegas, Florida, Philadelphia, because of lack of opportunities in Puerto Rico. And half of them went to college, half didn't. But regardless, they're leaving Puerto Rico to find opportunities. Like, my songs all come from some sort of reality, my reality and realities that I speak with other people who tell me their stories.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Where do you think hip hop is going in Puerto Rico? What's the future for it?

[PJ Cinzuela]

I really think that right now, fusion is like the future. People are trying not to be boxed in anymore. Me, personally, I'm a fan of hip hop, but I'm also a fan of house and salsa and bomba and plana. And I think that when. When one is younger, when you're like, in high school, you get. You're a huge fan of maybe one. Most people are like, fans of one type of music, and that's what you want to listen to. And suddenly you grow up and you start to see beautiful things in every genre. And there's people who are doing, like, country with reggaeton. So I think that hip hop is gonna keep evolutionizing in that you could do hip hop and make it a fusion with reggaeton or sarsia, cumbia or anything you want. That's what I prognosticate.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Prognosticate. Very medical of you. That's it. Thank you so much for coming on the show, pj.

[PJ Cinzuela]

Thank you for having me. Ana Maria.

[Ana Maria Sayer]

Be sure to check out PJ Sin Sula's tiny desk concert out now. You have been listening to Alt Latino from NPR Music. Special thanks as always to Grace Chung, who keeps us on track this episode was produced by Lauren Migaki. Our executive producer is Saraya Muhammad, and Keith Jenkins is VP of music and visuals.