From the Bronx with Beats: How Latinos Helped Birth Hip-Hop
By Maureen Martin | September 10, 2025 | Celebrity & Culture
As we gear up for Latin Heritage Month, which begins on September 15, it’s worth revisiting how CUNY TV honored Latino contributions to hip-hop with its six-part series, Hip-Hop Subway: L Line. The public educational channel of the City University of New York first aired the series in 2023, alongside LATiNAS, its Emmy-nominated program that highlights Latino voices and stories.
The debut episode premiered on August 11, 2023, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, marking that now-legendary house party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx where DJ Kool Herc’s mix of records sparked hip-hop’s birth with beats, rhymes and dance. Latinos were there from the very beginning, helping to shape the sound, dance, and energy that would ripple across the globe.
Hip-Hop Subway: L Line spotlights key figures in both the hip-hop and CUNY communities. Among them were Warren Orange, an adjunct lecturer at City College and co-founder of a conference and public lecture series on hip-hop, and Joe Schloss, an adjunct lecturer at Queens College who has written extensively about hip-hop’s cultural evolution. Their insights helped connect the dots between hip-hop’s roots and its influence on generations of artists and scholars. The series not only celebrates hip-hop’s milestone anniversary but also underscores the vital role Latinos have played in its rise.
Hip-Hop Subway: L Line remains a timely reminder that hip-hop is a cultural bridge, and Latinos helped build it. Episodes are available on CUNY TV’s YouTube channel, with photos and coverage archived on CUNY TV’s Facebook page.
Photo Credit: CUNY TV
