The other night I received the devastating news that my friend and colleague Victor Rosa best known by his friends and peers as Sano died in a fatal car accident in the Dominican Republic. My heart broke upon hearing the news. The last time I spoke to Sano was over a year ago, he called to congratulate me on my recent achievements and said he was proud of me and my success inspired him to keep moving forward. Regretfully, we never spoke again.

While we didn’t see each other very often, we could always depend on catching up during his showcases, The Latin Connect at SOB’s. Sano’s passion for Latin Hip-Hop, his love for his people, and pride in his heritage were the perfect ingredients to create what the people have proclaimed to be the #1 Latin Hip-Hop Showcase in NYC. Sano made SOB’s his home away from home. A small, intimate spot filled with people excited to experience history in the making; Latinos were finally being recognized in hip-hop and not just American-Latinos but folks from La patria that favored congas over 808′s. The dance floor was “la sala” where folks danced with drinks in hand while their favorite artists be it The Beatnuts, Joell Ortiz, Immortal Technique, T-Weaponz, Notch or Termanology performed on stage. Downstairs in the dressing room was “la cocina”, the smallest space in the house where everyone wanted to be because you could hear the juiciest conversations and fill your belly with laughter, and, if you were looking for him, that’s where you would’ve found Sano. Always in the mix and in love with life, Sano was the epitome of someone living their dreams. Unfortunately, he is gone way too soon but his passion for life will serve as inspiration for those of us still fighting to realize our own dreams.

R.I.P to my colleague and friend Victor “Sano” Rosa.