While glitz and glam took over the magenta carpet at the 2020 Premio Lo Nuestro, it was Jon Z’s attire that turned all the heads.
Wearing an open leather jacket with no shirt under and rocking a pair of pants that had various plushies, such as Goku and Vegeta, sewed onto them, the Puerto Rican trap artist was there to make a statement: he’s a devoted Dragon Ball Z fan.
On Instagram, he explained that his inspiration came from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “You guys don’t understand that I’m a rockstar,” he expressed in the post.
But Jon Z is not the only urban act who’s obsessed with the renowned Japanese anime series. In fact, many hip-hop artists have referenced the cartoon in their lyrics, such as Childish Gambino’s "My Shine” (“Everything I’m sayin’, I’m super sayin’ like Goku”) and Soulja Boy’s track “Goku,” named after the leading character. Jon Z’s “0 Sentimientos (Remix)” also references Dragon Ball Z.
Whether it’s rocking a shirt, dropping a lyric or getting a tattoo, Latin urban artists such as Anuel AA and Bad Bunny are also part of the anime craze.
Dragon Ball Z, which was created by Akira Toriyama and produced by Toei Animation, is a sci-fi fantasy that follows the adventures of an alien warrior named Goku. The anime premiered in 1989 in Japan and was syndicated in the United States on Cartoon Network from 1998 until 2008.
See how some of the Latin urban artists are honoring the pop culture phenomenon below.
JON Z
ANUEL AA
CAZZU
FEID
BAD BUNNY
RAUW ALEJANDRO
