Nico Oso, "Prince of Philly," brings the flavor of Puerto Rico to his music
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An up-and-coming Philadelphia DJ is bringing the flavor of Puerto Rico to his music. His grandparents are part of his inspiration.
"I wanted to make an impact, of course, and I thought like the music was gonna be the way to do that," Nico Oso said.
It's been his calling from the start.
"So this guitar is super important to me and our family," Oso said. "I was gifted this when I was four years old from my grandfather on my mom's side. One of the first musical instruments that made an impact on my life."
Now, the 25-year-old "Prince of Philly" is taking the city by storm, bringing his heritage into the parties he throws, and the music he produces.
"Puerto Rican culture and family has a lot of music, energy, and it comes with chaos and being loud, but being unapologetic about it," Oso said.
He focuses on putting that energy into each performance.
"Actually performing -- manipulating the tracks, right merging different groups of people, whether in Latin, in English or old school, new school," Oso said.
"His big thing is that he just wants to be inclusive of everyone, he wants to elevate everyone to the same level as him," Sam "Nugget" Dababneh of Q102 radio said.
So much of Puerto Rican culture is immersed in music and that's what got Oso started in what he does, but also, food is huge.
Oso's grandparents are Luis and Rosa Caceres.
"I was a cook for 40 years," Luis Caceres said.
They were born in Puerto Rico and moved just outside of Philly near Wilmington. The family shared a traditional meal of rice, beans, pork, and Oso's personal favorite, bacalaíto, made from fish, flour and herbs.
Over lunch, they reminisced on how surprised they were when Oso announced his career path.
"I said, this guy's gonna be something," Luis Caceres said.
"He had invited his friends, had a little DJ in the house and I said 'wow,'" Rosa Caceres said. "And we were dancing like crazy! Remember?"
"Their support has been one of the heaviest things behind me to make this happen," Oso said.
They see their grandson's dedication paying off.
"It's like a dream seeing my grandson Nico," Rosa Caceres said. "He works hard, I know that."
So what's next for Oso?
He continues to tour, booking gigs nationwide, producing his own music, building a brand and he's proud to be doing it his way.
"I feel like there is a lane that I could be in and kind of a make a name for myself and also take the scale a lot bigger than just Philadelphia or even the United States," Oso said.