Joel A. Bosch, also known by his stage name Taino, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer best known for his song "
Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tú Lo Sepas." The song, released in 1995, has become a symbol of Puerto Rican pride and has been adopted by many as a rallying cry for their identity. Taino's song has been performed by notable figures such as
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
and
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...
during their concerts in Puerto Rico. It was also used during an entrance for a Boxing match by
Tito Trinidad
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...
.
In 2002, Taino was also the host for Jamz
Reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
Show on Mun2 during that same year he also released his third album titled El Conteo Final.
In 2005, Taino was a featured artist on the album ''
Rappa Ternt Sanga
''Rappa Ternt Sanga'' is the debut studio album by American singer T-Pain, it was released on December 6, 2005. The title is an eye dialect of the phrase "rapper turned singer."
One of the leftover tracks from the album was, titled "You and Me"; ...
'' by
T-Pain
Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...
on the song "Como Estas". The album was certified Gold by
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. During the same year he also appeared with
Adassa
Adassa is the stage name of Hadassa Nohemi Candiani (born February 5, 1981), is an American urban reggaeton singer and songwriter. She is known for her Latin-infused dance-pop music and has released several albums throughout her career, including ...
in the album ''Kamassutra'' on the song "De Tra". In 2006 he was then featured on the song "Estoy Perdido" (reggaeton) remix by
Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs, most notably 2017's "Despacito".
Fonsi received his first Latin ...
.
In addition to his music career, Bosh is a founder, lead developer, and entrepreneur in the cryptocurrency space, where he helped develop I/O Coin, a blockchain-based system for securely storing data and managing digital rights.
In December 2022, Taino's song chorus "Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas" was cited by Congresswoman
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989), also known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the United States House of Representatives, US representative for New York's 14th congressional distric ...
during a discussion on the
Puerto Rico Status Act
The Puerto Rico Status Act, H.R. 2757, was a bill introduced during the 116th United States Congress. The intention of the bill is to grant Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, admission into the Union as a state. The ...
, marking the first time it was entered into the
Congressional Record
The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Ind ...
. This historical reference highlights the significance of the song as a symbol of Puerto Rican culture and identity. The song has been widely recognized as a symbol of Puerto Rican identity and pride, and has been covered by various artists throughout the years.
In 2019, Taino released a compilation EP album, also titled ''Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas'', featuring new and remixed versions of the song.
Early life and career
In 1994, Taino released his first debut compact disc self titled Taino under the label VC Records, owned by
Vico C
Luis Armando Lozada Cruz (born September 8, 1971), known by his stage name Vico C, is an Puerto Rican rapper, singer and record producer. Regarded as the founding father of reggaeton, Vico C has played an influential role in the development of ...
.
The album was produced by Lumberjack.
Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas!
After Taino ended his contract with VC Records, his second album was released under Lumberjack Records, titled Con Mi corona. He released his second studio album in 1995, which included "
Yo soy boricua pa' que tú lo sepas" as its final track. The song was inspired by an incident during a recording session in New York when a sound engineer insulted Puerto Ricans. Taino quickly wrote the song in response, with the chorus "Yo soy boricua pa' que tú lo sepas" (I am Puerto Rican, just so you know) as its central theme.
The song did not gain immediate popularity but later became famous when boxer
Félix "Tito" Trinidad used it as his entrance music for important matches. The song's video, which was financed by
Banchy and Oscarito Serrano of Grupomanía, propelled its success after premiering on the TV show "
No te duermas" with host
Antonio Sánchez "El Gángster". Taino broke barriers of Latin Rap with his successful track, Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas!, as it became an anthem for Puerto Ricans around the world.
In 2015 Newspaper
Primera Hora wrote a piece calling the title "a 20 años de nuestro coro mas famoso"
nglish"20 Years After Our Most Famous Chorus" calling Taino's chorus to be the most famous in Puerto Rico's history in the past 20 years.
Legal issues
In 2018, there were several legal cases where Bosch claimed he owned all rights to his songs and that companies like
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
,
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand of telecommunications by Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG (, ; often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a partially state-owned German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and the largest telec ...
,
Coca Cola, and
Popular Inc infringed on his US copyright for the song and trademark for the phrase "Yo Soy Boricua, Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas." by using the song in their products without permission. All cases were settled out of court amicably. In the case of Popular Inc., they acknowledged Joel Bosch's authorship and the use of the song in the special "Que lindo es Puerto Rico" by Pirulo and la Tribu e Ismael Miranda, following an amicable settlement.
Discography
* Taino (Released) 1994
* Con Mi Corona (Released) 1995
* Latin House Jam (Released) August 4, 1998
* El Conteo Final (Released) November 22, 2002
* Sin Censura (Released) 2005
* The Future (Released) 2007
* Reggaeton en la Parada Puertorriqueña, Vol. 2 (Released) June 7, 2005
* El Bravo (Released) September 16, 2019
* Yo Soy Boricua, Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas (Released) September 12 2019
P igital
* Toma Toma Single (Released) 2020
Better Caul Saul Season 5 Episode 3
* Mi Trayectoria (Released) 2022
* La Luz (Released) 2023
* Yo Soy Boricua, Pa’ Que Tu Lo Sepas Vol. 2 (Released) 2024
Song collaborations and producer credits
*
T-Pain
Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...
Feat Taino (
Rappa Ternt Sanga
''Rappa Ternt Sanga'' is the debut studio album by American singer T-Pain, it was released on December 6, 2005. The title is an eye dialect of the phrase "rapper turned singer."
One of the leftover tracks from the album was, titled "You and Me"; ...
) Song: Como Estas
*
Adassa
Adassa is the stage name of Hadassa Nohemi Candiani (born February 5, 1981), is an American urban reggaeton singer and songwriter. She is known for her Latin-infused dance-pop music and has released several albums throughout her career, including ...
Feat Taino (Kamasutra) Song: De-Tra
*
Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs, most notably 2017's "Despacito".
Fonsi received his first Latin ...
Feat Taino (Éxitos Eternos: Remixes - EP) Song: Estoy Perdido
*
Lisa M
Mary Lisa (Marlisa) Marrero Vázquez (born January 16, 1974) better known by her stage name Lisa M, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, dancer, record producer, and global DJ. She is known as the first female rapper artist to debut in La ...
Album (Respect) Song: Quitate Produced by Taino Song: Pa' La Calle, Quitate
*
Mexicano 777
Israel Perales Ortiz (September 1, 1972 – July 23, 2015), better known by his stage name Mexicano 777, was a Puerto Rican rapper who gained fame across Latin America, and in the United States. Mexicano 777 was from Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, and was ...
Song: Traga Remix Produced, Composer & Performer Taino
*
Mexicano 777
Israel Perales Ortiz (September 1, 1972 – July 23, 2015), better known by his stage name Mexicano 777, was a Puerto Rican rapper who gained fame across Latin America, and in the United States. Mexicano 777 was from Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, and was ...
Album Poeta Clásico Produced by Taino Songs: Ira Callejera (Original Version), Ponte Bruto (Rap Version)
*
Dj kane
Jason Cano (born in Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico ...
Song: Mientele Composer Joel Bosh Taino
* Angel Lopez: Perdoname Performer & Composer by Taino
Music videos and interviews
No Te Tomes La Pocion1994
Yo Soy Boricua Pa Que Tu Lo Sepas(Video Original) 1996
Festival2000
Una Noche2012
El Bravo2020
* Primetime Interview
Yo Soy Boricua Pa Que Tu Lo Sepas2020
*
Wapa TV Noticentro Interview
Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas2020
La Luz2023
References
{{Reflist
External links
Paul McCartneyBruno MarsFélix "Tito" TrinidadPrimerahora a 20 años de nuestro coro mas famoso
Puerto Rican male musicians
Puerto Rican male rappers
Puerto Rican male songwriters
American cryptographers
Puerto Rican composers
Puerto Rican record producers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Musicians from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Holyoke Community College alumni
University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni
21st-century Puerto Rican rappers
20th-century American male rappers
20th-century Puerto Rican rappers