Your Favourite New Band: Johnny Spanish

With big name stars such as Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil' Wayne dominating mainstream radio airwaves around the world, it's testament to American hip-hop – a genre that's never been short on talent – that young rappers are still eager to grab a share of the spotlight. The latest protagonist is native Louisville rapper Johnny Spanish, who, going on the strength of his first release, 'My Way' – the undeniably blissful Latin-influenced anthem that he dropped last summer – quite literally has the hip-hop world at his feet.

“I've really found my style in the past year or so,” says Spanish, who moved to New York a little over a year ago to pursue his hip-hop dream. While the 22-year-old says that the last year has been spent mainly “trying to get on my feet in the city”, musically it's been prolific as well. He is currently putting the finishing touches to a free digital album, which is titled 'The Lip' in honour of Muhammad Ali's nickname, The Louisville Lip. Boasting 14 tracks that showcase Spanish's distinctive and visceral rhymes, it looks set to pack the kind of punch the the champion boxer would have been proud of. “It's pretty dope and I think it really showcases my different styles,” he says.

But before he steps into the ring with the heavyweights, Spanish is happy just to be making ripples in people's consciousness. His latest track 'Been Around' is currently tearing up the airwaves on Detroit's Hoodhype radio station, while his collaborations with producer CHOPS (Li' Wayne, The Game, Jeezy) and M.I.A protege Rye Rye are a staple on the Gigwise office stereo.

As for what 2010 has in store, Spanish says he plans to get “as many opening spots and shows” that he can and is optimistic that he'll join Nappy Cats on a leg of their tour later this spring. “To a big year,” he says, confidently.

You can watch the video to Johnny Spanish's 'Shining' below. For more information, check out his MySpace page or follow the rapper on Twitter.