Tony Touch

Born in Brooklyn in 1969 as Joseph Anthony Hernandez, Tony Touch first made his mark on New York’s hip‑hop culture as a b‑boy in the early 1980s before turning to the turntables. Raised in a Puerto Rican family, he developed a musical language that blends New York rap, Latino influences, house and reggaeton, regularly employing Spanglish and maintaining an explicit connection to the salsa he heard at home. His trajectory ran through mixtapes—most notably the 50 MC’s series—which firmly established him within the East Coast DJ and rapper circuit. Tony Touch went on to release several albums, including The Piece Maker (2000), The Last of the Pro Ricans (2002), The Piece Maker 2 (2004), The Reggaetony Album (2005), Reggaetony 2 (2007) and The Piece Maker 3: Return of the 50 MC’s (2013). Over the years he has moved between clubs, radio and hip‑hop and Latin stages, collaborating with artists tied both to New York rap and to reggaeton. His career reflects a lasting presence in New York’s urban scene, with a DJ/producer approach centered on mixing, crossing styles and a culture of collaboration.