Julio Cruz III ( EL INDIO ) . I was born in the Bronx and raised between Puerto Rico and NYC. As a child my summers in Puerto Rico would consist of traveling back and forth from Vega Baja & Juana Diaz. During one of these trips I got the flu in Juana Diaz and was forced to stay in bed with 102 degree fever. There was nothing to do except watch tv and at the age of 8 or 9 I saw a rap group on a show, presented by "El Gallo". When they started to rap in Spanish I couldn't believe it. It was the first time I saw anyone rapping in a language other than English. The concept of rapping in Spanish instead of English was kinda cool. I had never thought about it before.
During the next few years the music began to grow. The first mix tape I heard was Street Style 2 and Falo was one of the featured artists that caught my attention. Afterward I started to listen to Wiso G..."me levanto un domingo por la mañana con ganas de.... and Big Boy. Big Boy rapped about everyday real life situations but it was his song, "Maria" that caught my ear. I could relate to his words and realized that I too could express myself in a similar way. So I began to write. Years after the rapper Mexicano became a big influence. He inspired me to NOT be afraid of sayin' exactly what was on my mind.
Obviously growing up in NYC I was listening to Hip-Hop and R&B...Snoop Dog's "Nuthin" But A "G' Thang", NWA, Tupac's "Keep Ya Head Up", Biggie, KRS-One's "Sound Of Da Police, Boys II Men, Color Me Badd "I Wanna Sex You Up"......Salsa & Merengue....El Gran Combo, Celia Cruz, Pete Del Conde (whom I had the privilege of meeting and speaking to before his passing. He gave me priceless advice on life and music), Juan Luis Guerra, Johnny Ventura, Frankie Ruiz...well I could go on and on but you get the picture.
I later tried to work with a rap group but it never felt real. I knew I had to be honest with my work and then I met PATOTA. We met through a mutual producer/friend, George G. We worked on a song, then another and another...and before we knew it, an album was born! SON CALLEJERO "Don't Get It Twisted" released 2003 on Cutting Records under the direction of Grammy Award winning producer/engineer Mario "MARIOSO" De Jesus aka "La Nueva Arma Secreta".
Still under contract with Cutting Records I'm currently on mix tapes, working on new material and helping to develop other artists. There's more to come...stay tuned!