Adán Zapata

Adán Zapata was a Mexican rapper who released several albums as part of the group Mente en Blanco before his untimely death at the age of 21. He was notable for his brash, complex rhyming style and raw lyrics, and while his music was often uncompromising and hardcore, he wrote a few tender love songs as well. He was born in 1990 and was a skater before he got into music. He joined Mente en Blanco in 2006 and contributed to their debut album Anticuados, which contained over 50 songs. Zapata Producciones quickly followed in 2007. The group gained additional members and toured across Mexico to great success. Third album Borrachos y Grifos appeared in 2010, followed by The North Side Kings in 2011. Tragically, on June 1, 2012, the day after Zapata's son was born, he and three other group members were shot and killed by gang members. The group's final album, Soy de Barrio, was posthumously released in 2012. Since then, compilations of Zapata's work have been released digitally. ~ Paul Simpson