The singer Judith Porto, a pioneer of Cuban rap, has passed away in Spain.

The Cuban singer Yudith Porto, one of the pioneers of rap in the island, passed away in Spain, where she had been living for more than 20 years.

The 51-year-old interpreter died after suffering a stroke during a concert, revealed rapper El Funky in a Facebook post that he later deleted from his profile.

After being connected to the machines for a week, yesterday they disconnected her. Yudith Porto (La Yuya), a legend of Cuban rap known throughout the industry, suffered a stroke during a concert. Fly high, and my condolences to all her loved ones. Thank you for your contribution to the genre and your incredible voice that will remain forever.

Born in Havana on March 9, 1973, Porto was one of the members of the rap trio Instinto, the first female group of the genre in Cuba, founded in the 90s. The girls used to perform at the Alamar Festivals, along with most Cuban rap groups, until they were banned by the government.

The women from Instinto linked rap with other genres such as Afro-Cuban or lyrical music, blending their great improvisation skills with their unique way of rapping, alternating singing and choruses and incorporating popular sayings.

At the beginning of the 2000s, Yudith Porto settled in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where she developed a fruitful career alongside her husband, the musician, composer, and director René González Pérez.

He performed as a soloist, and since 2020, he also performs with Mambisa, a group formed almost entirely by women that blends Canarian, Afro-Cuban, and flamenco rhythms.

For several years, she has also been involved with the Jazz Orchestra of the Canary Islands, with which she recorded the album "Fulele en Guanabacoa" in 2023. This album combines Canarian and Cuban music, funky, jazz, hip hop, and other rhythms, for which she provided vocals and wrote the lyrics for the songs.

With the Jazz Orchestra of the Canary Islands, she was scheduled to perform on Saturday at the concert that closed the days of the Big Band Workshop Costa Adeje, in Tenerife, to interpret songs by Hispanic-American female composers.

The Cuban rapper Yrak Saenz Orta, founder of the iconic group Doble Filo, dedicated an emotional tribute to Yudith Porto on his Facebook profile.

I just found out about the passing of one of the best voices in the history of Cuban rap, an incredible person, a beautiful and charismatic woman, an artist like few others, always smiling, a multifaceted artist with an incredible and powerful voice that captivated us every time she went on stage. Rest in peace, my dear Yudith Porto," wrote.