Un Paso a la Eternidad

Sindicato Argentino del Hip Hop's Un Paso a la Eternidad garnered international attention after being awarded the Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the 2001 Latin Grammys. The group features a number of different MCs, including Smoler, Frost, Huexo, and Derek, along with DJ/percussionist Fabry. Though no doubt influenced by the stateside hip-hop tradition firmly rooted in New York, these Argentineans draw more heavily from Latin music styles than funk, disco, or soul like their stateside contemporaries. They're also not afraid to feature vocalists on their hooks, such as in "Del Barrio, Pt. 2," though they stick to MCing for the most part. Though this album probably won't convert many monolingual stateside listeners, it's no doubt a dazzling accomplishment for these artists, who don't have such a rich hip-hop tradition to draw from like their New York contemporaries.