Tito Puente was a Latin jazz musician and composer who is widely considered to be the "King of Mambo". He played a major role in popularizing the mambo rhythm in the United States and around the world. Mambo is a Cuban dance music genre that developed in the 1940s. It is characterized by its fast tempo and syncopated rhythms. Puente's music blended elements of Cuban music, jazz, and other Latin American styles. He also experimented with different tempos and rhythms, and he created a number of mambo hits, including "Oye Como Va" and "Ran Kan Kan". Puente's music helped to popularize the mambo rhythm and brought Latin jazz to a wider audience.