Today, March 17, is the birthday of Bodega Bamz. The Spanish Harlem rapper turns 33 today.

Born Nathaniel De La Rosa, Bamz started dropping music in 2009 and gained major attention for his 2012 mixtape Strictly 4 P.A.P.I.Z. which included features from Joell Ortiz, A$AP Ferg and more.

Bamz talked about what he's learned from fellow New York rap acts like Flatbush Zombies in an interview with XXL back in 2015: "What’s crazy is when we’re around each other, it’s not even about music, they just teach niggas about life. That’s what I really get from them."

He also spoke about the Latino voice in hip-hop today: "Anyone who has been paying attention to what Bodega Bamz and the Tanboys have been doing can’t say it’s lacking. Since I’ve been here and got my mark in the game, people been noticing and I can’t make that any more clear. It can be lacking in the sense that there aren’t a lot and there never will be a lot. That’s just how the business is. You’re never going to see the rap game dominated by Latinos. But you will see a few make it out of the crop who will be making as much noise as everyone else and that’s what you see Bodega Bamz and the Tanboys doing."

Bodega has used his artistry and platform to promote the Tanboys even more and collab with people like Nitty Scott and Joell Ortiz, forming the trio called No Panty. The trio dropped their first collaborative project in 2016 called Westside Highway Story. He's also broken into acting, with a role on the TV series SMILF.

Happy Birthday, Bodega Bamz!

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