Kenny Perez's Essential 50

Kenny Perez

Fresh, Harmonious, Chill
🙌🏽🇵🇷🎧

I know it is weird, but there are only few artists that I'm emotionally attached to, so picking them came easy. In my DJing career I have mostly collected 12” vinyl, so it is rare to have full albums in my collection. My Top 50 consist of artists that I play at my shows still today. The top 5 however was the hardest part, because those were some of the few albums that I collected.

5. Madonna - In ‘83, I can remember being at my grandparents' apartment in the South Bronx and my uncle blasting her debut album. Ever since then I have never looked back. I'm what the young folks call "A Day One" fan, so in 2008, my wife and I flew 2,000 miles to San Diego to catch her on tour.

4. Jay Z - Not only the lyricism and delivery, Jay Z's body of work and consistency elevated him to my top five. 

3. Daft Punk - "Homework" was the first full length electronic album that I add to my vinyl collection. House music is my life and they elevated the game for me. They took chances on sounds, samples and tempo.

2. Hector Lavoe - A voice embedded in the fabric of the Puerto Rican people. He is the culture, the messenger, the legend that represents all that is, Boricua! Our families don't have parties without his music blaring in the foreground or background.

1. OutKast - "southernplayalisticadillacmuzik," "ATLiens," "Aquemini," "Stankonia," "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below"... FIGHT ME, if these guys aren't in your top five. For me this duo of MC's took hip hop culture to another level.