Omar Cruz

It seems that Omar Cruz came out of nowhere, when in fact the talented 27-year-old hip hop artist has been working tirelessly to establish himself as the next big thing in West Coast rap.

After releasing four jaw-dropping mix tapes – The City of Gods, The Blow, The Cruzifixion and 2007 B.C. (Before Cruz) – the South Central native generated enough buzz on the streets to catch the attention of Interscope Records honcho Jimmy Iovine, who signed Cruz' home, B.I.Y. Entertainment, to a partnership. Cruz' first album, tentatively titled The Sign of the Cruz, is set to be released before the summer.

The self-described "Latin lyrical assassin" ain't no one man show, and there are some heavy hitters that have got his back: tattoo artist Mister Cartoon, photographer Estevan Oriol, even influential radio personality and tastemaker Dj Skee. It's this kind of support that makes the LA Weekly spin on its wheels to proclaim that Cruz could become the first Mexican-American rap star in the U.S.

Cruz is up front about his desire to become the voice of his people, a dream thay may become reality – if his debut album catches fire in a field where Latin artists are few and far between.

See: myspace.com/omarcruz