As the season comes to a close, Drill music has dominated the summer! With that being said, Dominican-born, Bronx-bred rhymer Moreno ITF is here to deliver more drops! The Latin drill artist portrays drill culture in a new light in his energizing single “Berkin“.
The offering combines the vibrancy of Latin culture with his own ambitious variant of the drill wave. As a result, this trendy track has the ability to bridge continents and culture within Hip-Hop. In fact, the record opens up with an ominous sirenic melody that draws listeners in. The Latin inspired production tastefully collides with the staple boomin’ 808s that made New York City drill famous.
Moreno ITF Brings “Berkin”
The self-starter maintains a devoted fan base through his music, fashion, and revered live performances. Moreno ITF is committed to reinventing standards for diverse artist development and opportunity as his listenership grows. His brand and lyricism reflect life’s sacrifices, hustles, and entertainment. For Instance, his most recent release, “Berkin” serves as a motivating, upbeat party anthem about the “gangoso” lifestyle, which the rapper coined.
“The Ganogoso way is having a dope clean car, supporting your family, and winning in life…” Moreno ITF says.
This Latin Drill pioneer explored his reality of hustling to survive through a positive lens with lyrics like: “Yo me recorte y ando perfumao / I’m feeling amazing / El coro mio anda Bien conectao we feeling like Masons.” (“Berkin”).
Moreno ITF is curating a creative space for his mission of multifarious universal expression by utilizing his complementary passions for fashion, art, film, and overall visual mediums. The Bronx native’s eccentric preference for indicative and expressive visuals has drawn attention to his name. is the culmination of converging creative directions, with influences ranging from A$AP Rocky to Jay Z to Canserbero. The transfusion is expected to usher in a new era for the global stage.
In fact, the multicultural musician unleashes the vibrant visuals paired with its amazing audio. In doing so, Morento ITF breathes life into his record with the fresh, new DNY Lugo-directed official music video. The visual invites listeners to step right into the screen and join the party. Showcasing Moreno ITF in his element surrounded by good times, friends, fashion, music, and more. This is a true visual representation of what the Latino party scene in the United States is like — the gangoso way!
“[I want] to be able to tell my story and give the hope to a kid that comes from the Dominican Republic with no hope and a dollar in his pocket… [they] can dream as big as they want”.
The Multicultural Musician
Moreno ITF grew up bouncing between the Dominican Republic and the Bronx, leading two very different lives. He began making music at a young age to cope with his difficulties. Whether it was wondering where his next meal would come from or how he would make rent in the Bronx at the age of 14, he lived it and expressed it through his writtens. Some may argue that his lack of stability was doomed to fail, but Moreno ITF knew he wanted more than the cards he was dealt.
Moreno found motivation in the hustler mentality and rose to the occasion. Following in the footsteps of fellow trailblazers such as: Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and Dipset. All of whom are known for their ability to create something out of nothing. Additionally, he exemplifies the modern Latin movement’s ascendancy. With the momentum and quality of his dynamic rising sound, he has established himself as an emerging force in the drill genre’s integration.
Overall, this Bronx native’s expressive music paints a picture of his cultural upbringing. He continues to attract the attention of media tastemakers and fellow artists alike. Adding to his accolades, Moreno ITF is currently the only Latin trap artist to have ever performed at the prestigious SXSW festival in Austin, Texas (2021). In addition to previously opening for Chucky73 and Dowba Montana. His discography includes fan favorite “PENKO,” as well as collaborations with Spanish rapper Kidd Keo and Colombian rapper Yung Sarria on their track “BRONX”.
Furthermore, Moreno ITF exudes confidence, creativity, and movement as he strives for the perfection of the New York Latin Drill style. As he continues to establish himself as a leader in the cultural movement of Latin Drill, 2022 will be a year full of new releases from the rising star. For now, get familiar with this rising rhymer here at KAZI Magazine! Take a look at our dope interview below. Lastly, press play on “Berkin” and run it up!
Moreno ITF Interview —
- Hey Moreno! Thank you so much for taking the time to chop it up with me on behalf of KAZI Magazine. Before we jump into everything Moreno, your new trendy track titled, “Berlin”, and more. First, let’s bring it back — who is Moreno ITF & where did it all begin?
“Moreno ITF is a Dominican born artist that grew up between the lifestyle of my country and NYC, the Bronx to be specific. I was inspired by my everyday life and taught by my everyday struggles. I kind of grew up by myself, so I would say the streets were my teacher, my family, my hug.”
- Growing up between DR and the Bronx, how would you say your environment has influenced your musical sound and style?
“The Dominican Republic and The Bronx influenced my sound in every single way. When you listen to me when I rap you can hear that I came from the DR. Since I grew up in the United States my flow sounds more Hip Hop-ish, but you can still feel the Spanish people and latin culture. Not just The Dominican Republic sometimes – that’s New York, that’s the Bronx – all of those mixed flavors. I listened to all kinds of music and being in The Bronx opened doors to discover different genres and different types of music. The way different artists approach music helped how I approach music, how my flow works, all of it. So The Bronx and The Dominican Republic are Moreno ITF’s essence.”
The Artistry Of Moreno ITF
- Next, what is your creative process like? How do you put pen to paper?
“I think I would put it like this – my creative process, when it comes to making music, is more about the vibe around me, the sound we want to create, how I feel about it, and how I feel about the day. Talking about writing? I never write – I don’t write on paper, I write in my head. So I take the idea in my head, vroom vroom, listen to the beat, cook like 8 bars in my head, then put it on my phone in the voice notes. Cook another 8 bars, 12 bars in my head, then put it in my phone again, just like that. Right now, I have something like 1,500 voice notes on my phone.”
- Who or what would you credit as your musical inspiration?
“I would say that my musical inspiration comes from the things that I had to go through growing up and the culture that I grew up around. It would be hard for me to pinpoint one artist, because I feel like every step of my life gave me different artists that came around and made me who I am. I couldn’t name one specifically, it would be more simple for me to say culture and the things that I have experienced.”
Latin Drill
- As a pioneer to a new sound, how would you describe Latin Drill?
“Latin drill in its first stage is exactly the same as what drill is to the world. We talk about the same things, same topics, same streets, same beefs, same gangs here, same gangs there, everything. But the drill I’m bringing to the world is more of LATIN drill, in every sense of the word. The flavor we have, our culture, being able to party, being able to feel amazing – like my new song “Berkin” says. That’s what I feel drill is and is moving towards in Latin culture.”
- As a result, how do you plan on bridging the cultural gap with Latin Drill? What do you hope to do with your music?
“The way to bridge the gap is by being FROM the culture and growing up in the culture. Both cultures in a way. That’s exactly what you need to create the bridge, and I’m already there. The way I do my music, my flow in the song, my flavor – you can feel it. A Spanish person could feel that I came from the Bronx, but also understand what I’m saying. A person from the Bronx could feel that I came from here just by the flows that I’m bringing to the music. I feel that what we’re doing, putting words here and there in Spanish that they can understand, and then trying to make it feel like you understand the song even though it’s not in your language by using some key words, is the strategy to create that bridge.
Working with producers on my EP that respect what we do and can mix with what we’re doing is also key. I hope my music becomes that bridge while bringing another face to drill music and a different energy to it – another way of vibing with it. Being influential in the culture and in different ways is another way to bridge; through the art side, the visual side and the music side. I would like to be influential in every lane possible, so that’s what I would hope for my career. The production team is very diverse; from the way we work the production, the engineering, and the mixing and mastering side of it. We’re bridging sounds.”
CONTINUED…
- On your rise, you’ve had a number of classic and creative collaborations. With that being said, are there any collaborations you look forward to or hope to collaborate with in the future?
“God and hard work brings energy together and makes things happen, and that’s how everything has happened up to this point. Every single feature that I had so far came from real connections, so I want to keep it that way. But if I have to choose, I would really like to record with Eladio Calderon and Bad Bunny– you can’t deny that. Central Cee is another, I feel like he’s a person that mops Drill. The way he looks at Drill is different, so that’s one of the reasons I like him because that’s the way that I look at it too; I want to look at Drill differently as a whole. I would like to record with Fivio Foreign because he’s an example of an artist that has seen real growth.
I can feel what he’s saying in his songs, and I like his flavor, so I would like to record with him. I would also like to record with Skinny Flex from Spain because that n*gga got it. I wanna record with Eladio Calderon because he’s one of them n*ggas who’s bringing Trap to the forefront and showing that you can stay true to what you like to do. In this music world, a lot of people are going to try to tell you to do this, do that, and they’re going to give you advice on what they think is right. So it’s hard to stay true to yourself and that n*gga did, so I would like to record with him. Those are the artists I’d like to record with right now and features I know that are going to be fire.”
“Berkin”
- You are gearing up for the drop off of your most recent release, “Berkin”. What inspired the trendy track?
“”Berkin” was inspired by my hunger to blend Latin culture with Drill, not just in the words, but in the flavor and what we feel in our blood. You want to dance, you want to have fun – you know what I mean? I want listeners to feel where we come from and learn the things that we went through. It’s the feeling of “yo, lets bring drill to the f*cking tambora” and that feeling of we come from Africa, and are Spanish. This can be kind of controversial, because a lot of people feel that drill should just be one sided because of the origin of the name.
But us Spanish people? We have a tendency of touching music in a different type of way. I feel like if you stay true to where you come from, your blood and your culture, that will reflect in your music. Not just in our struggles and the things that we went through in life, but the culture bleeds through, like the things you heard since you were a little kid. All of these ideas inspired “Berkin”.”
- Next, accompanying the audio, you will be unveiling the “Berkin” visuals. I’ve seen, and the visuals are fun and mesmerizing. What was it like collaborating with DNY Lugo?
“Collaborating with my brother DNY Lugo was a beautiful thing, just like everybody else on the team. It’s me finding my dream director, the person that I could come to and bring an idea or feeling about a song and that person being able to say “okay let’s do this, foom.” That’s what it’s always been like working with DNY Lugo”
- Also, last year, you solidified your mark as the first Latin Drill artist to hit that SXSW stage. With that being said, can you tell us more about that experience?
“That experience was amazing and weird at the same time. When things started happening for me and drill music, it was the pandemic, so it was like a half-win but a 100% win at the same time because it was a blessing. SXSW brought a big opportunity for me. I remember I took the train by myself and went to that event. That’s where I met Saury (who’s now my manager), known as Uptown Saucy in the NYC scene. I was opening for Nathy Peluso, which is my favorite female artist. At that time I felt like I discovered Nathy Peluso before anybody on this side of the world, and when they told me about that I was very hype! People didn’t know about SXSW and they didn’t know about Nathy Peluso, so I went on my own to the show. I was nervous as f*ck, but it went very well. I made friendships that still exist today, and now they’re on the team with me, so it was a great opportunity.”
What’s Next?
- Overall, as we wrap up, what’s next for Moreno ITF?
“A whole bunch of exciting things. We got a project of 3 sides coming out. We have an amazing EP on the way. I’m saying the word amazing because “Berkin” is almost coming out and the word is stuck to my head. We have an EP with 5 great songs, all with different flavors – not just different flavors on the EP, but different flavors in the music outside of what Moreno ITF and Gangoso World represent. I will say that my next single is like a drill, street way of looking at love in a relationship. A ghetto love story. There’s a lot of creativity happening, a lot of good music, good production, and hopefully growth and beautiful experiences.”
- Lastly, is there a message that you’d like to leave with your fans?
“Yes, I have a message for my fans. Stay fresh, stay Gangoso”
