Rapper PJ Sin Suela on Puerto Rican hip-hop and more

By Anamaria Artemisa Sayre

Published May 1, 2025 at 9:03 AM EDT

There's nothing more honest than PJ Sin Suela rapping about his island, Puerto Rico. From his early days competing in cyphers and hosting rap parties in med school, he has used hip-hop as a vehicle to express both a love for his home and his frustrations living there.

PJ Sin Suela is one rapper in a long lineage from the island who have either overtly or subtly voiced pain points from the island in their music.

This week PJ Sin Suela joined with Anamaria to walk us through that history — hip-hop's use as protest on the island — and where it sits in comparison to what is now the island's globally recognized export, reggaeton.

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Anamaria Artemisa Sayre

Anamaria Sayre is a multimedia producer for NPR Music with a focus on elevating Latinx stories and music. She's the producer for Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture, and the curator of Latin artists at the Tiny Desk.

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