reggaeton

What’s worse? An old rapper who disparages anyone born after 1980 (hello KRS-One) or an old rapper who indulges in botox (hi LL Cool J)? Well, thankfully for Spanish language rap fans, Vico C is neither a hater nor a metrosexual. The Puerto Rican MC, who is credited as one of the fathers of reggaeton, is still going strong with the release of his newest album, Babilla, which is slang for courage. On the Up caught up with Vico to chat about his new book of songs and the impact he has on his fans.

Arcángel, he of the freshly groomed eyebrows, admits he’s a strange Dominican. How strange you ask? Well, the reggaetonero is such a strange Dominican that he doesn’t like bachata! Well, at least he loves his plátanos. If he hated them, he’d have to join the Alex “I’m Dominican When it’s Convenient” Rodriguez club. And we know there isn’t any coming back from that hell. Check out what Arcángel said about big-boned girls, crying over women and his Dominicaness.

Today, Don Omar, one of the best reggaetoneros, releases his latest album iDon. In honor of iDon, let’s look back on the different personas Don has assumed during his life.

De La Ghetto’s “Tu Te Imagines” single is getting buzz recently. It’s the prerequisite reggaeton love song but let’s get it straight—a successful artist loves them and leaves them alone. DLG or Daddy Yankee or Kanye for that matter have NO problem bagging phone numbers. I caught up with DLG and he told himself. See below.

SITV.COM: How have things changed girl-wise since you became a signed artist?

Possibly the only reggaetonero who still interests me is Don Omar. Duke continues to release good music and is married to a dime and a half of a mujer in Jackie Guerrido. Word is he’s presently in the studio working on his next album, iDon, which is to be release April 21st. Not only is DO a down-to-Earth type of person but he also a savvy businessman. He recently introduced Marcy’s Place, a bachata trio to rival Aventura, and they don’t sound half bad. Stay tuned for an exclusive Q&A with them.

Tego Calderon is the anti-50 Cent. He’s been crowned the king of Latin rap and never once acted like snotty royalty. Whether it’s signing an autograph at a bodega in NYC or chatting like old friends with journalists the PR-native remains the same—cool. Now as a label CEO (he signed a joint venture with WEA and his own imprint Jiggiri in 2006), Tego is a dream boss.

Thanks to doting women’s magazines, Calle 13’s Residente aka Renè Perez, has become less of an angry, Eminem offspring and more a lip-biting, LL Cool J. By now it’s easy to forget that Renè and his stepbrother Visitante aren’t just dedicated to the art of moving moneymakers on the dance floor. Since their 2004 debut, they’ve been an urban alternative group with dabs of socio-political commentary.

Even the coolest of the cool need to blow off steam at times. Take for example, Wisin, one-half of the reggaeton duo Wisin y Yandel. The flashy reggaetonero is rumored to have thrown blows at his father. The scuffle started over fighting cocks (roosters for non-Latinos) and needless to say is tarnishing his good-guy image. At press time, Wisin denied the allegations but Spanish-language media outlets continue to throw him under the bus.

Reggaeton is dead! Not if Angel & Khriz have something to say. With their new album, Showtime, the duo has been steadily climbing the Latin music charts with their infectious dance ritmos. But the question of their genre's alleged demise always rears its ugly head. Here they answer that query, talk about music piracy and put Cuban-American rapper Pitbull in his place.