| Influences | The Wu-Tang Clan and the Latino Community of New York...Wu-Tang Clan's RZA and Wu-Latino's President-Rayroq have changed the ways Urban Latinos do business, promote and market their products. The actions and accomplishments speak for themselves.
A genuine Mastermind and a lover of music, Rayroq Acosta is not only responsible for successfully co-launching and marketing the TV show, turned website, turned Latin powerhouse Latinflava, but he also helped established and build the non-traditional distribution and marketing system at UBO and is now President of the infamous Wu-Tang Latino.
After graduating with a Masters degree in design and marketing from the New York Institute of Technology, Rayroq went full fledge into his career in the music and fashion industry. Rayroq started a career in marketing and creative consulting. He co-owned the hottest design/marketing firm in NYC, Designey Inc., designing logos, images and marketing for Sony, Epic, Wu-tang, Rocawear, LL Cool J, Razorsharp Records, Wu-wear, Avirex, Disney, A&E, History Channel, Loud Records, SRC, Persaud Brothers, Source Magazine, Ave B marketing, Willie Esco, Champion, Durango, Sprite and Adidas, just to name a few. After helping to create trademarks and help start a few of the companies mentioned, Rayroq decided to make a career move, by launching a movement that was very dominate in countries outside the US, but unheard of stateside; that sound was Latin Hip-Hop. “I was trying to bring Reggaeton and Latin Hip-Hop to the states and people were basically laughing in my face.” Rayroq explained, “So I decided to start Latinflava. At first we started off a television show and we got such a good feed back that we decided to launch it as a website. Latinflava became the biggest latin website in the world with the most listened to internet radio show. The response was so enormous that we hooked up with UBO and launched a label. We knew that Latin Hip-Hop was a growing movement and who better to launch a home for it stateside than us.” With the rapid growth of Latinflava, Rayroq went on not only to be named the Vice President of Marketing and Musica Latina at UBO, but Rayroq also helped them build their highly effective non-traditional distribution and Freedom marketing system. After accomplishing so much at UBO, Rayroq felt it was necessary for an even bigger move. “ I felt at the time that I had done all I could do at UBO,” Rayroq said, “ I knew it was time to do something bigger and better than anyone has ever done for the Latin movement.” During his time at UBO he took Don Omar’s career to the next level with the video and hit single “Reggaeton Latino”. He made Chosen Few a Platinum project that won a Billboard award. With the explosion of Reggaeton, Rayroq knew it was time for stateside Latinos to not only control the image of their music, but be the ones who put it out all together. So when he thought about launching a Latin Hip-Hop powerhouse, he decided to team up with his old friend The RZA to launch Wu Tang Latino. “I love a challenge and this is a big challenge for me,” said Rayroq of his decision.” In June of 2005, Wu Latino opened its door and now houses the some of the hottest names in Latin Hip Hop and Reggaeton. At the end of 2005 he was the first Latino to connect corporate America with a Latin label. He got HONDA to sponsor their first mini movie/video for his first single “Mamita Ven” by Yo Yais. The video was first released by Mun2 and then was picked up by all video channels nationally. In early 2006 Wu Latino put out its first MixTape named “The New Chamber” produced by the RZA and mixed by DJ Clear. This has been the First MixTape to go platinum in Latin History. He helped put together the Street Marketing plan for Jose Cuervo Tequila - “CUERVOTON”, a tour in search of the next superstar. During the Fall of 2006 he closed a deal with STARCOM to sell calling cards and music as a package. The first calling cards will hit the market in December 2006. He also closed a deal with Coca Cola to launch an energy drink for Latinos in early 2007.
Aside from music, Rayroq Acosta has also contributed back to his community by co-founding the United AIDS Foundation a foundation that raises money for the research of medicine to help find a cure and he is also in the process of launching a clothing line with Erni Valez the top graffiti/pop artist in the world.
With his creative genius as a label owner as well as the contributions that he has already attributed to the Latin Hip-Hop, the Reggaeton movement and Hip-Hop altogether, one can only imagine what’s next for the creative genius, “My goal is to really establish a true and powerful Latin presence in Hip-Hop to the point where we are not separated by categories anymore,” says Rayroq, “Eventually with the impact of Reggaeton, Latin Hip-Hop and Bachata we will finally all be classified together as Latin Hip-Hop so that our differences within the community can be expressed but embraced by us all.”
In conclusion, Wu-Latino has enlisted the help of Michaelangelo "DJ Saint" Reyes' Hat 2 Da Back Productions in Tampa Florida.
DJ Saint is a well known DJ in the New York Tri-State area who formerly produced the "Latin Express" when Freestyle music was a popular genre in the Northeast in the early 80's.
DJ Saint is now producing many genres of music for South Floridians who want to try to expand their fame in the business and want to audition for the Wu-Latino Marketing group.
If you are a SERIOUS artist, and wish to try your luck with the Wu,
email Hat2DaBackProductions/Wu-Tang Latino of Tampa here on myspace,
or visit http://www.hat2dabackproductions.com for further details.
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