Orlando Rosa

Amplifying Puerto Rican Pride in the Heart of Atlanta

By Daniela Cintron

Published May 22, 2025
Last Updated May 23, 2025

Orlando Rosa, known on Atlanta’s airwaves as Orlando Mix, is the kind of voice that doesn’t just play the music; he lives it. As program director for iHeart Radio’s WBZY Z105.7 FM and WBZW El Patrón 96.7 FM, he’s shaping the Latin sound of Atlanta daily. But behind the beats and radio shows is a story rooted in identity, rhythm and pride for his Puerto Rican heritage.

“I’m from an awesome town on the west side of Puerto Rico called Aguadilla,” Rosa says. “But I was born in New York, so I’m Newyorican. Still, I would say my best years were in Puerto Rico.” He moved there in 1993 and spent his formative years soaking in the culture, the language and, most of all, the music.

Salsa, plena, reggaetón weren’t just genres to Rosa; they were the soundtrack to a childhood that shaped his sense of self. He notes how rhythms like plena, once traditional and local, now echo in global hits, including tracks on Bad Bunny’s latest album. “I was very influenced by salsa as a kid, by plena and, obviously, urban reggaetón,” he says. “That’s how I bring the culture — through the music and through talking to people.”

Rosa arrived in Atlanta in what he calls a twist of fate. “I don’t want to call it by mistake. I want to say it was by destiny,” he says. And that destiny quickly became a calling. In a city dubbed the “Hollywood of the South,” Atlanta’s explosion as a cultural hub has drawn Puerto Rican artists of all stripes — rappers, merengueros, filmmakers — looking to create, perform and connect. Rosa has witnessed this evolution and has been part of it, helping open the mic and the doors to Caribbean and Latin voices across genres.

For Rosa, his work is more than playlists and programming — it’s cultural education. On air and off, he finds moments to talk about Puerto Rico: its political reality as a U.S. colony, its culinary treasures and its proud people. “It’s a lot of fun to speak about Puerto Rico and use it as a conversation starter,” he says. “Who doesn’t like a good mofongo? Who doesn’t like a good alcapurria or fritura?”

Rosa sees opportunity in every conversation in a city as diverse as Atlanta, where Mexicans, Dominicans, Cubans and other Latin communities intersect. “This is a melting pot,” he says. “So bringing our culture into the mix is a lot of fun.”

That blend of joy, identity and influence is at the core of what it means for Rosa to be Puerto Rican in Atlanta. “They always say Puerto Ricans are very prideful, and I resonate with that 100%,” he says. “It’s something I thank my parents for all the time.”

Through radio waves and cultural conversations, Orlando Rosa isn’t just spinning hits; he’s amplifying boricua pride for a city and a generation that’s always listening.

Meet other Puerto Rican creatives in Atlanta.

Daniela is the content manager and bilingual editor for Discover Atlanta. As an award-winning bilingual journalist, she is passionate about shinning light on untold stories about culture, food and Atlanta.