You might say Messiah El Artista was born to pioneer Latin trap: the Dominican-American rapper grew up listening to merengue and bachata at home and to Biggie and Nas in the streets. He laid down his first bars at age 11, and as trap music took hold of New York’s club scene in 2013–14, Messiah was perfectly positioned: prompted by Dj Flipstar, he started doing Spanish-language remixes of songs like Rick Ross’ “Yeah O.K”. The clubs ate it up, and so did musicians in Puerto Rico. Blessed with a dexterous, staccato flow, Messiah did a fantastic Latin-trap remix of Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” in 2017; his star swiftly rose.