Enter Whitest Taino Alive. With even a name that riffs on influences as disparate as Norwegian indie rock band The Whitest Boy Alive and the Arawak indigenous group native to the Dominican Republic, the Dominican hip-hop trio perfectly reflects these collapsed boundaries. Comprised of producer DaBeat Ortiz and rappers Jon Blon Jovi and Dominicanye West (a rap name to end all rap names), they’re one of the few voices in independent hip-hop on the island.

DaBeat Ortiz creates tropical, breezy trap beats that evoke avant-garde collective Future Brown while drawing upon cloud rap and the minimalism of Flying Lotus. Top this off with screwed down vocals and a drop that roughly translates to “refined ratchetness” (chopería fina), and you’ve got the recipe for The Most 2015 Sound Ever. It’s also the perfect soundtrack for the group’s funny, free associative lyrics, which are full of sly references in Spanish and English to Dominican and American pop culture. On last year's album ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Cueros?, they cite Sammy Sosa, Yoko Ono, Heisenberg, Chuck Norris, A-Rod—the list goes on and on. They rap “about anything:” driving down Santo Domingo’s boulevards, smoking weed, chilling withleathers (hoes), and drinking mamajuana. They’re fond of “rap game” jokes but with a Dominican flow: “Rap game Junot / I’m not a rapper or a producer / I’m a loser / This is how I lose her.” This is music for nerdy kids who grew up with merengue and a high-speed internet connection

- Isabelia Herrera (Noisey, 2015)