Since the emergence of West Coast rap back in the late 80s, musicians from the African American community and the Mexican American community in Los Angeles county have provided the outside world with hard-hitting depictions of social issues and gang violence as well as cannabis culture and party anthems. While a large number of the curators such as Ice-T, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg have been Black, there's no denying the significant contributions of Chicano artists such as B-Real from Cypress Hill, Frost, and Johnny Lee Jackson (2Pac's producer). Black and Brown communities throughout Los Angeles County often intertwine, which is one of the main reasons why it isn't uncommon to see rappers from both ethnic groups that borrow from each other's culture. For example, there are several Mexican rappers from Los Angeles County that use the N-word in their lyrics. In contrast, Black rappers from the area have had an affinity for lowriders since Gangsta rap first rose to prominence in L.A. Tyga is a primary example of a rapper from one community being heavily influenced by the other.

Shortly after signing a record contract with Young Money back in 2008, the Los Angeles County native dropped a song called "Tatted Like a Cholo." In the years that followed, he would go on to release a series of tracks that were heavily inspired by Mexican culture, such as "Go Loko," "Ayy Macarena," and "Ay Caramba." But what started off as a gesture of homage slowly began to garner a bevy of complaints about cultural appropriation. The 32-year-old recently dropped a music video for "Ay Caramba," where he can be seen rapping while dressed up as a male flamenco dancer with a long wavy ponytail. One of his lines is the song says, "My b*tch hot, she remind of me of Tabasco." This has caused backlash from a number of people within Tyga's Latino fanbase, which prompted him to make an appearance on a segment with co-hosts Gil Tejada (aka American Cholo), Justin Credible, and DJ Sourmillk from the L.A. Leakers to issue a heartfelt apology to the Mexican-American community live during a broadcast on Power 106.

“When I dropped the video, I wasn’t in L.A. I was in Europe,” Tyga said. “Then I started seeing a lot of people offended by it and I was kind of confused, so that’s why I didn’t respond. I took time...I want to apologize to the Mexican community and my fans that are Mexican. I have a lot of Latin fans that are Puerto Rican or Dominican that probably weren’t offended by this video. But, my Mexican fans in L.A., there definitely was some that were offended.”


Scroll up to watch Tyga issue a heartfelt apology to the Mexican community.

Source: YouTube