Rockford DJ uses his passion to highlight Hispanic music culture with digital art

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Victor Rivera considers himself a black sheep among his musically talented family, but that does not stop him from interjecting his culture through art around the city.

“My father is a musician. My brother is a musician. I’m kind of a black sheep. I became a DJ,” said Rivera.

Rivera, also known as Monsta Vic, said music is a powerful way to connect with people.

“I’m very much into music. It’s something I’m very passionate [about] and it’s a part of my day-to-day life,” said Rivera. “It’s also part of the life of my people. My Mexican people who live in Rockford. We just love music.”

To recognize Hispanic Heritage Month, Rivera created a display that showcases Latin American musicians. He said choosing which artist to highlight was his biggest challenge.

The DJ turned to Facebook users to find out who they think are the most iconic Latino artists of all time.

“Selena, Vicente Fernandez, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz…very iconic in their respective genres and also to their countries,” said Rivera.

Rivera is a digital artist too, creating most of his work, including sketches of musicians, on his phone. He says he chose this Pop style of art to appeal to younger people too.

Rivera sees the display at the Nordlof Center as a way to draw attention to all the Rockford Public Library has to offer.

“The library has over 300 Spanish books. They have books by Latino artists,” said Rivera. “The library is very much a tool for all of the community.”

Rivera unveiled his artwork at the Rockford Public Library Nordlof Center on September 16th.

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