Joell will release his street album called "The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)" April 24 on Koch Records. The album was recorded while Joell was trying to get signed and going through some tough times personally. Even though he is signed to Aftermath Entertainment, Dr.Dre allowed him to release the street album on Koch Records. The Brick will feature productions from DJ Premier, Showbiz, The Alchemist, Domingo, Ho Chi from Killahertz Productions, Lil' Fame of M.O.P., Novel, and Moss, among others. Guest spots will include Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, M.O.P, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, Ras Kass, Stimuli, and Novel.
He is currently part of the hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse
Latino
Joell Ortiz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uhh, look around in my neighborhood (aquΓ en el barrio, tΓΊ sabes)
See how we live, see right there on that corner
That's where they sell the drugs (la manteca broder)
Run the numbers and, play dominoes, whistle at the fly ladies
You know, I'm Latino, hahahahaha (pa que sepa)
[Joell Ortiz:]
While y'all call it dope, we call it the manteca
We don't look for lotto numbers in the newspaper
We play it right over the counter by the Now & Laters
Sit down on milk crates and play dominoes
Β‘Capicu! Slam it down, tell 'em adios
Another round of beers before we go upstairs
And watch a fuzzy TV on some of the oldest chairs
Relax, take a bath and get nice and clean
Come out just in time for dinner, you know rice and beans
A little chicken, maybe tostones, it's up to Ma
She might be tired keepin this house all up to par
Sometimes I look out the window and see some nice wheels
I got a thing for rims, they give me slight chills
Round here you get killed over a ice-grill
Guns pop but the O.G.'s carry knives still (word)
[Chorus: Joell Ortiz (La Bruja)]
(Latinooooo) I'm that and I'm proud
If you don't know us let me tell you about (Latinooooos)
We got beautiful women (la-la-la la-la-la la-la)
And they all seem to know their way around the kitchen
I'm (Latinooooo) yeah we stick together
We had hard lives so our skin is thick forever
We (Latinoooooos) I'm that and I'm proud (la la la la la la laaaa)
If you don't know us let me tell you about
[Joell Ortiz:]
See e'ry block got a different crew
This kid I knew got paralyzed cause of his tattoo
And he wasn't in a gang
Just some young punk tryin to come up and get a name
Put a bullet in his brain, it's a shame
But yo, on a better note
Latina women look so good from head to toe, get 'em and never let 'em go
Baseball is big in my town
So is boxing, a hundred he don't see the ninth round
These young girls is fresh, they like to get piped down
Babies havin babies, guess who on the WIC line now?
Guess who got welfare? Guess who on Medicaid?
Guess who left they kid with their girl for eleven days?
Without callin, cause he's ballin
One year from now he'll have a child support warrant
It happen all the time in my community
That's the difference between someone like you and me - I'm
[Chorus]
[Joell Ortiz:]
Big Chino got a truck, and a bike, and a boat
But Chino got a gun cause his life full of coke
And Chino havin fun, he don't like bein broke
But Chino gon' be done, FBI is no joke
And I don't want Chi' to get knocked
When the truck around he buy ice cream for the block
See where I'm from the kids look up to the hustlers
Even if they're family with some of the customers
My abuela used to tell me to stay off the corner
You heard what happened to Mrs. Rivera's daughter?
See she had got caught in the crossfire right there in broad day
Shot her in the back tryin run in the hallway
By my buildin all you hear is, "Oye
Ten cuidado la policia esta en la esquina de Broadway"
There's action all the time in my neighborhood
But see we all mind our business like a neighbor should
See this one right here is for all my Latinos around the world
Around the world man, there's so many of us man
Be proud of who you are man, I love y'all niggaz
Joell Ortiz
[Chorus: w/ ad libs]
[Joell Ortiz & La Bruja:]
Latinooooos
In Joell Ortiz's song "Latino," he offers a detailed narrative of life in the Latino neighborhood. He starts by giving an observational view of his neighborhood, outlining places where things happen, for example, the sale of drugs. In a later verse, he offers a glimpse of ordinary life in the block, where playing dominoes on milk crates, capping round beers, and enjoying traditional meals are commonplace. He also discusses the struggles faced in Latino communities such as young parents, poverty, lack of opportunity, and drug use.
The verse talks about pride in Latino culture, an indication that they have gone through hardships and struggles that have made them thick-skinned. This pride is evident in their love for family, the dominance of baseball and boxing, the fantastic taste of their food and their love for tradition. The song also discusses the downsides of life in the Latino neighborhoods, like gun violence and drugs, which have claimed the lives of many people, including friends and acquaintances.
Fact 1: Joell Ortiz is of Puerto Rican ancestry, and he has been an active member of the underground hip hop since 2003.
Fact 2: The song is from his album called "The Brick: Bodega Chronicles," which he released in 2007.
Fact 3: The song features La Bruja, a New York-based performance artist, and poet.
Fact 4: The album topped at number 200 on the billboard charts.
Fact 5: The album was entirely produced by Domingo, a producer known in the underground hip hop scene.
Fact 6: The album pays homage to the New York hip hop scene, and especially the bodega culture.
Fact 7: The album has other great tracks, including "Brother's Keeper," which features Royce da 5'9".
Fact 8: The song has some nods to the work of Big Pun, who is a celebrated Puerto Rican rapper.
Fact 9: The song emphasizes the importance of staying connected with one's culture and ethnicity.
Fact 10: The album shows Joell Ortiz's awareness of the struggle people face in urban environments.
Chords: Unfortunately, the chords for "Latino" are not available as the track heavily leans on sampling.
Line by Line Meaning
Uhh, look around in my neighborhood
I'm about to tell you about my neighborhood
See how we live, see right there on that corner
I'm showing you a glimpse of our daily life
That's where they sell the drugs (la manteca broder)
That's where drug dealing happens in our area
Run the numbers and, play dominoes, whistle at the fly ladies
We pass time by playing games and admiring women
You know, I'm Latino, hahahahaha (pa que sepa)
I'm proud of being a Latino
The dope gets sold by the bodega
Drug dealing happens near the corner store
While y'all call it dope, we call it the manteca
We use a different term for drugs
We don't look for lotto numbers in the newspaper
We play lotto over the counter
We play it right over the counter by the Now & Laters
We play lotto while buying sweets
Sit down on milk crates and play dominoes
We sit on milk crates while playing dominoes
Β‘Capicu! Slam it down, tell 'em adios
We shout 'Capicu!' when laying down tiles in dominoes
Another round of beers before we go upstairs
We grab more beers before heading upstairs
And watch a fuzzy TV on some of the oldest chairs
We watch TV on old chairs
Relax, take a bath and get nice and clean
We take a bath before dinner
Come out just in time for dinner, you know rice and beans
We eat traditional Latin-American food: rice and beans
A little chicken, maybe tostones, it's up to Ma
We add chicken or tostones to our meal depending on what Mom decides
She might be tired keepin this house all up to par
Mom works hard to keep the house in order
Sometimes I look out the window and see some nice wheels
I admire cars with nice rims from afar
I got a thing for rims, they give me slight chills
I love cars with nice rims
Round here you get killed over a ice-grill
Wearing an expensive chain can lead to death due to robbery
Guns pop but the O.G.'s carry knives still (word)
Older gangsters still carry knives although guns are more common
(Latinooooo) I'm that and I'm proud
I'm proud of being a Latino
If you don't know us let me tell you about (Latinooooos)
Let me introduce you to Latinos
We got beautiful women (la-la-la la-la-la la-la)
Latinas are beautiful
And they all seem to know their way around the kitchen
Latinas are good at cooking
Yeah we stick together
Latinos support each other
We had hard lives so our skin is thick forever
Latinos have gone through hardships that made us strong
If you don't know us let me tell you about
Let me continue talking about Latinos
See e'ry block got a different crew
Every block has its own group of people
This kid I knew got paralyzed cause of his tattoo
Someone got paralyzed because of a bad tattoo experience
And he wasn't in a gang
He wasn't affiliated with any gang
Just some young punk tryin to come up and get a name
He was just a young kid trying to gain respect
Put a bullet in his brain, it's a shame
He was tragically killed
But yo, on a better note
Moving on to something more positive now
Latina women look so good from head to toe, get 'em and never let 'em go
Latinas are attractive and should be cherished
Baseball is big in my town
Baseball is popular here
So is boxing, a hundred he don't see the ninth round
Boxing is also popular and dangerous
These young girls is fresh, they like to get piped down
Young girls are sexually active
Babies havin babies, guess who on the WIC line now?
Teenagers are having babies and needing assistance from the government
Guess who got welfare? Guess who on Medicaid?
Many people in the community are dependent on welfare and Medicaid
Guess who left they kid with their girl for eleven days?
A man left his child with his girlfriend for a long time
Without callin, cause he's ballin
The man didn't bother to call because he's too busy partying
One year from now he'll have a child support warrant
He will soon be in trouble for not paying for child support
It happen all the time in my community
This is a common occurrence in our neighborhood
That's the difference between someone like you and me - I'm
This demonstrates the difference between me and people who don't live in my neighborhood
Big Chino got a truck, and a bike, and a boat
Chino has multiple vehicles
But Chino got a gun cause his life full of coke
Chino carries a gun because he's involved in drug dealing
And Chino havin fun, he don't like bein broke
Chino enjoys his lifestyle and doesn't want to be broke
But Chino gon' be done, FBI is no joke
Chino is in danger of being caught by the FBI
And I don't want Chi' to get knocked
I don't want Chino to get arrested
When the truck around he buy ice cream for the block
When Chino is around, he buys ice cream for everyone
See where I'm from the kids look up to the hustlers
Some kids admire drug dealers in our area
Even if they're family with some of the customers
Even if the drug dealers are friends or family of their customers
My abuela used to tell me to stay off the corner
My grandmother warned me about staying away from the drug corner
You heard what happened to Mrs. Rivera's daughter?
Mrs. Rivera's daughter was caught in a shooting
See she had got caught in the crossfire right there in broad day
She was shot in the middle of the day while walking
Shot her in the back tryin run in the hallway
She was trying to escape by running away
By my buildin all you hear is, "Oye
In my neighborhood, all you hear is
Ten cuidado la policia esta en la esquina de Broadway"
Be careful, the police are on the corner of Broadway
There's action all the time in my neighborhood
There's always something happening in my area
But see we all mind our business like a neighbor should
Despite the violence, we keep to ourselves as good neighbors do
Contributed by Mason J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Powerule
Not Latino, but I love this song. Classic Joell - vivid lyrics. I saw this video in my mind when I first heard the song, before checking for the video. When he's locked in, this man can paint a canvas like no other.
MysticBigBabe
this is the type of shit that makes me love joell. he chronicles the life of our people and the struggle. this is only one example of how he is able to capture life and put in such a way that it compels you to listen.
Eddy Cutz
Yo I'm so glad Joel is reppin for our people. When it comes to Hip Hop, Puerto Ricans were there from the get.
ANYTHING GOES VIDEOS (Part - 2)
yep, they were right there when Blacks invented it
Jason Batista
β@ANYTHING GOES VIDEOS (Part - 2) corny. Latinos helped start hip hop. You might need/want to dig deeper.
Robert Garcia
Ummmmm hmmm
Ibrahima NDIAYE
Dope Sound Bro we realy respect you...Salute Since Senegal West Africa....we never forget Slaughter Band
A. Pena
cld hear this hook hitting hard in a club, Joell Ortiz uh beast.
Jairo Arteaga
LATINOS STAND UP
MrDarkcity1
I loVE THIS SONG!!!!