Top 100 Greatest Urbano Artists Of All-Time #'s 20 to 1
DJ Chiclin (Honorable Mention)
La música de Chiclin es legendario. Sus primeros 5 volúmenes son todos clásicos. También trabajó otras grandes producciones como Prime Underground 3, Baellos Coming Up 1, The Cruce Underground 1, U Records 3 entre otras…
DJ Eric Industry is a pioneer of the Urbano genre and one of its most recognized figures from the 1990's, his main artist was MC Ceja who was praised for his advanced lyricism and timing in an era where people were still rhyming like it was 1988 but in Spanish. Both of them achieved great success in the executive arena as well.
19 Bad Bunny
El Conejo Malo has transcended the genre further than any Urbano artist that came before him. He has 4 albums universally considered all-time classics in "Un Verano Sin Ti", "El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo", "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" and of course "YHLQMDLG". His career has really transformed since he first burst onto the scene with 2015's "Diles", yea he had other songs, but that was his first big one.
The most important female representation of Urbano culture until now has been Ivy Queen. Most people think DJ Negro discovered her for his "The Noise" project when actually DJ Joe and DJ Dynamite gave Ivy her first opportunities. It was "The Noise" that she achieved legendary status hitting out the park on The Noise 5 with "Muchos Quieren Tumbarme". What followed is a legacy that no other female has come close to matching.
17 Residente Calle 13
We have to briefly mention Visitante "Eduardo Perez" who has become one of Latin Music's premiere producers currently as of this writing. But Residente has achieved an equal level of success without Visitante on tracks produced by Honduran bred Trooko, DJ Blass, and Danny Fornaris among others. Residente is undoubtedly the most outspoken and social critic this music has ever seen until now. He is praised often for defending the rights of Latin people worldwide both in his music and political stances. And musically he has proven to be quite versatile in content and sound. He is also one of the illest lyricists when he wants to be... which isn't always, but an artist has to remain true to themselves and that's what Residente Calle 13 is in a nutshell.
Alexis & Fido (Honorable Mention)
This duo formed out of necessity. Thankfully, their buddies Wisin & Yandel didn't forget about them and once they became big stars, they were brought over to Fresh Records. Almost immediately they achieved success with their appearances on "De Otra Manera", "La Mision 3" and "Desafio"; but what seemed like overnight success was almost a decade in the making. They have not stopped making hits since and are among the most in demand live Urbano acts in the world.
16 Nach
"Poesia Difusa"... if you don't know this work then please save yourself and get educated. The supreme lyrical abilities of Nach are Godly. They seem out of this world to be that able in putting words and ideas together. He hasn't always been exciting and accusations of being straight boring ring true at times... he sometimes tries to lecture us too much, even if he knows better no one likes that. But at his best there has never been a lyricist more able than Nach Scratch and you can only count on one hand those who matched him.
For the longest time Yaviah was Reggaeton's best kept secret until he did 2001's "La Maquina" with DJ Blass. He showcased an impressive lyrical ability yet made a catchy club banger at the same time. He would implement this tactic so many times over his illustrious career. If only he had just one actual solo album (no compilations nor mixtapes) to his legacy and he might be even higher on the list.
14 Hector El Father & Tito El Bambino
"Hector & Tito" are a duo synonymous with Reggaeton's developing years both in the Underground and the "Mas Flow Era" of the mid 2000's. But then they branched into solo careers. Tito went more Pop and sang for Obama while Hector El Father became a musical caricature of Pablo Escobar without exaggeration. Both sides of the fence were equally captivating. Hector & Tito are among the most trailblazing and influential Urbano artists of all time being the first to win a Billboard Latin Music award in 2002.
People on occasion forget how good Voltio really was due to his limited mainstream accessibility, but boy was he good. He is just as able as Tego Calderon when it comes to being a lyricist and made music just as memorable. He also achieved great success with both of his first two albums going double latin platinum. There was also his underground roots with Karel, Masters of Funk and having the best song on DJ Dicky Live. Voltio had an astounding track record.
Temperamento (Honorable Mention)
A career marred in controversy, yet to deny Temperamento's lyrical ability would be to deny Hip Hop. He had the potential to be one of the top of the top and maybe his approach lacked a little tact, but one has to respect his stance. His flow is impeccable too. He would be higher but his change of content took away the intensity that made his earlier works so great.
12 Daddy Yankee
Ok fanboys get angry, but if you truly know Reggaeton (some of you front... you don't know it... watch you leave us for the new Shakira when Reggaeton becomes uncool again in the near future)... if you truly know Reggaeton, you understand why Yankee is near the top but shy of the Top 10. I'll tell you a truth some won't understand, if it wasn't for Yankee's Playero days in the Underground or his Winchesta 30-30 alter ego where he was an elite lyricist... He wouldn't even be Top 20 with just Barrio Fino and thereafter. "Barrio Fino" is great, peak Daddy Yankee and was the highest selling Urbano Latino album until "Un Verano Sin Ti" overtook it last year. But post Barrio Fino DY at times can be meh... especially after "Despacito" a mainstream song when compared to his best tracks is also "meh". You have to look at his entire career not just "Barrio Fino". There was a post "Barrio Fino" which sometimes was great but often not. And then there was a before which was just as good and on occasion, better. If all Yankee did was "Barrio Fino" then yes, he might be Top 10, but he had a before and after. The after wasn't always so great. Yet he still is #12 despite all that which shows how good he can be. He has been a commercial Pop sellout at times. When was the last time Yankee spit bars like in "The Prophecy" or "Salud y Vida"? He put the money first too often and that at times hurt his legacy. I'll admit, he has the talent to be #1, but DY sometimes wasted it. He is still a true great even with all the sellout stuff which kinda tainted his legacy and his weird new bad Christian music phase he is currently in.
11 Mexicano 777
The legendary Mexicano, born Israel Perales Ortiz and known by his nickname "Pucho" was enigmatic yet eccentric. There were people frightened by the gifted artist because much of his imagery was influenced from Heavy Metal, thus people believed him to be a Satanist or some type of brujo from Santeria. But the most important factor was his music which was supremely good. Mexicano 777 at his best is what Spanish Rap is all about and it is as good as it gets too.
If Tempo never put out another record after "Free Tempo" he could arguably be #1. Sadly his comeback has somewhat tainted his legacy. It's kind of like Jordan coming back to play on the Wizards, he's good but not as good as he was in his peak. Something is missing from the "new" Tempo but it is hard to figure out. Regardless, his run from 1998-2003 is possibly the greatest this genre has ever seen. That is why he still lands at #10.
"Los Reyes Del Underground", Maicol y Manuel are an uber influential act. If you never heard of them, you certainly know of their influence. Songs like "Somos De La Calle, "La Gorda Budusca", Their medley from The Noise 1, among others have been sampled many many times. They were the supreme embodiment of everything that was cool about 90's Reggaeton from their rebellion to their punk-rock style before everyone else, their consciousness and lyrical ability and of course, they were the originators of the bellaqueo Reggaeton style before Plan B. In fact, they were a principal influence on Plan B. But they were much more diverse than bellaqueo talents of the future and that is something missing today. Maicol y Manuel are an embodiment of a bygone era that will never come back again. But we are grateful to have lived it.
8 Lito & Polaco
Ay Lito y
Pola, que mal idea de abrir con “Ella Vive Sola” en Hip Hop Al Parque. Esa fue una canción Pop con La Secta y ese es
un público hardcore. Ellos conocían sus
obras, lo que no sabían es quienes las cantaba porque en aquellos días por toda
Latinoamerica la música Urbana se pirateaba sin los nombres de los
cantantes. Si ustedes hubiesen abierto
con “Mundo Frio” o “Sucesos” por lo menos hubiesen terminado el espectáculo. Eso sí, temprano hubieron rumores de que habían
unos Reggaetoneros presentes y aunque Cosculluela pudo terminar su show cual
muchos dijeron fue muy bueno repleto de Rap hardcore, hasta a él lo abuchearon
algunos de la audiencia. Pero gracias a
todo lo que es bueno, ese no será el legado de ustedes. Ustedes siempre serán recordados como el dúo
más lirical en la historia de esta música mientras que esos quienes los bajaron
de tarima seguro que la mitad de ellos ni sus madres los conocen. “Mundo Frio”, “Masacre De MCs”, “Fuera De
Serie”, “La Conspiracion 1 y 2”, “DJ Dicky 3 y 4”, “Boricua NY 2”, “DJ Eric
Industry” son todas obras que marcaron historia. Si usted no sabe de Lito y Polaco, le falta
mucho que aprender igualmente del Rap como El Reggaeton.
Kase O es
posiblemente el mejor liricista en la historia del Rap Latino. Hablando
de Rap puro, no ha existido un MC mejor, el único que le llega cerca es Tempo en
el 1999. Pero hasta con Tempo, en la
lírica Kase O lo sobrepasa. Pero hay
otras cosas que hacen un buen MC, la vóz, el contenido, el Flow, las
selecciones de ritmo y Kase O junto a sus hermanos Lírico, Sho-Hai, y R De
Rhumba en los beats poseen todas estas cualidades. Con canciones históricas como “Pura Droga Sin
Cortar”, “Ballantines”, “Máximo Exponente”, “Cantando”, “Vivir Para Contarlo”
entre otras… y producciones completas igual de significante, sería un pecado de
mi parte no incluirlos por lo menos en el Top 10.
6 Playero
Playero is synonymous with Reggaeton. There is a style of old school influenced Reggaeton known as "Reggaeton Playero". Also all Reggaeton from the 90's is now known as "Reggaeton Playero" even the Cuentos De La Cripta stuff. Playero transcends genres and cultures. He is equally adept in Rap producing the classic Rap albums "Game Over" by Tempo and "Entre El Bien y El Mal" by Mexicano with help from DJ Magic & Maestro. Playero has been producing since the Vico C days making the beats to classics such as "La Recta Final" and "Viernes 13". He is the greatest music producer in the history or Urbano Latino music.
Kafu Banton (Honorable Mention)
He evolved from being almost a gimmicky comedy act but with great lyrical ability into a very serious and respected veteran. This man has had internationally recognized hits since the mid 1990's.
DJ Goldy (Honorable Mention)
The great DJ Goldy became a superstar producer in the late 90's through his frequent collaborations with Hector & Tito, Alberto Stylee & the Mansion Crew. He had a very unique sound and remained popular throughout the 2000's.
5 Baby Rasta & Gringo
These guys hit it out the park with their first song "Pa Plaza" from the classic album 'MC Non Stop Reggae' with DJ Playero and Baron Lopez in 1994; of course back then they were known as Los 'Easy Boyz' which they changed into just Baby Rasta & Gringo by The Noise 3. No other duo has evolved with the culture for as long and remained together throughout. The lived through Playero Reggaeton of the 90's, the Tiraera age of the late 90's and early 00's. The duo then continued through the Mas Flow era and beyond even doing Trap and Pop Urbano. And they excelled in all those styles. 30 years later, "Punto 40" is still being sampled by a new generation with Rauw Alejandro's hit and it has been sampled numerous times already. Baby Rasta & Gringo live by their moniker, "El Duo De Mayor Trayectoria".
4 Wisin & Yandel
Yomi Fresh discovered this duo in 1998 when they participated in a contest on the popular tv show 'Top Rap Video'. They won and the prize was to appear on the upcoming DJ Dicky vol 3 which was a pretty big deal. "Vamos a Detonar" became a hit and quickly laid the groundwork for what would be a groundbreaking trajectory in Latin Music. The once young lads from Cayey came a long way from their days breaking into the Underground with DJ Dicky. Together, they achieved worldwide fame, platinum and diamond level sales, and an immense level of success both as solo artists and together in a duo. They have so many classic albums between them, including "De Nuevos a Viejos", "De Otra Manera", "Pal Mundo", "Los Vaqueros", "Quien Contra Mi", "El Sobreviviente", "La Ultima Mision", "Dangerous"; And that's not including participations in classic Reggaeton various artists albums like "DJ Blass Sandunguero 1", "Luny Tunes Mas Flow 1 y 2", "La Mision" vols 1-4, "Desafio" and many many more... They did it all depending on what the trend in the current culture was. Wisin & Yandel shone through in Tiraera, Malianteo, Perreo, Bailoteo, Conciencia, Lirical Stuff, Pop, Techno, Trap, they did everything exceptionally well... No one has maintained such a high level of performance and consistency for so long. He would admit it himself, Bad Bunny has a lot of catching up to do. These guys have been selling out soccer stadiums since 2005 and continue to do so 20 years later.
3 Eddie Dee
Eddie Dee is one of the genre's most conscious artists of all-time. But he was very versatile and knew how to do the best Perreos around like "Transformers" from Planet Reggae. Ironically he flopped when he first came out with his debut "Eddie Dee & The Ghetto Crew" receiving mixed reactions. But he didn't give up and it helped that the lead single "El Feo" achieved some relative minor success. So he restarted anew for DJ Adam's "Mad Jam" in 1995 adapting the ever-growing 'Underground' sound which would one day come to be known as Reggaeton. But he never strayed away from his Hip Hop roots and got even better. By the time for his second album in 2000, he developed the moniker "El Terrorista De La Lirica" or "The Lyrical Terrorist" for his "explosive" ability as a lyricist. Hits from the time such as "Sube y Baja", "Señor Oficial", "Directamente Del Ghetto", "Asi Yo Vivo" and "¿Porque?" showcased his prowess with words. Despite Eddie being known for his socially conscious lyrics, he always maintained a commercial sensibility which was highlighted in 2004's "Los 12 Discipulos" with the radio hits "Quitate Tu Pa Ponerme Yo" and "Si No Cuidas Tu Mujer". Sadly, his career stagnated due to delays in his much anticipated album "El Diario De Eddie Avila", first announced way back in 2004, which is yet to be released. DJ Adam recently in an interview says Eddie has over 50 songs recorded for the album and Jhayco confirmed his participation on the project as well. No one knows if it will ever be released and some think him to retired. Even with all those adversities, Eddie Dee has one of the most memorable and impactful trajectories in all of Urbano and many faithful, even Bad Bunny, await his return.
2 Tego CalderonFor the uninitiated, before Daddy Yankee blew up with "Gasolina" worldwide, Tego broke through the doors to make that possible with his 2002 debut album "El Abayarde". Unexpectedly, "El Abayarde" broke records through word a mouth thanks to a leak showcasing the high quality of music. This led to Tego selling over 50 thousand units in its first week after building off of the summer hit "Coas Buena" which wasn't even on the album. The album's lead single "Pa Que Retozen" remains a go-to for fans and dj's alike all these years later. But what made Tego standout was how during a time when Reggaeton was becoming over commercialized and sexualized; he remained true to the music's roots with socially conscious lyrics and hard punchlines like a Latino Jadakiss. But he geniusly balanced that side with the club bangers and Perreos too so it was the best of all worlds. That's why he became #1 at a time that many argue the music and culture had its greatest amount of talent ever, even compared with today. And Tego never strayed away from his successful formula. The culture evolved and changed but he remained true to himself which is why people love him and his music. So many artists of today cite Tego Calderon as an influence and there could only be one who had an even more everlasting impact.
1 Vico C
Esta la tengo que escribir en Español.
No sé cómo más destacar que Vico C es uno de los artistas más
revolucionarios de todos los tiempos. Él
no fue el primero en rapear en Español pero de sus principales pioneros, nadie
fue más impactante. Su influencia
transciende generaciones. Hay pocos
artistas quienes han mantenido tanta relevancia desde los 80’s hasta ahora.
Las fechas actuales han sido olvidadas por los creadores. Algunos dicen el 86, otros el 87 y estos son los mismos Vico C y DJ Negro. Algunos fans impetuosos hasta erróneamente le dieron la fecha del 1985 al cassette de Vico C cual revolucionó el Underground a lo menos que oyeron a Vico decir que él escribió la lírica en el 85, cual es bastante posible. Pero esos cassettes no fueron grabados hasta el 86 o 87 sin certidumbre.
Jorge Oquendo, mejor conocido como El Sexy Boy fue parte de un conglomerado de promotores éxitosos en Puerto Rico. Originalmente lo que el público en la isla exigía era música ‘Heavy Metal’ que estaba de moda. Grupos como Poison, Motley Crue quienes estaban super pegados en los 80’s. Pero esos grupos eran exageradamente caros. Si no me equivoco, El Señor Oquendo decía que un grupo como Van Halen cobraba alrededor de 100 mil dólares Estadounidenses para hacer presentaciones en aquella época. Eso fuese como quinientos mil de dólares en el dinero de hoy. Demasiado caro.
Despues el Señor Oquendo descubrió el Rap atravéz de la colaboración entre Aerosmith con RUN DMC. Averiguó el precio y fue menos de la mitad que cobraba ‘Poison’. La agenda de RUN DMC estaba cargada para ese entonces pero después de averiguar precios para otros artistas si no me equivoco, el primer concierto de Rap cual ocurrió en Puerto Rico fue de parte de DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
El primer evento fue todo un éxito y vinieron más. En esos eventeos atendieron DJ Negro y Vico C. Ellos van a las oficinas de Jorge Quendo y piden una oportunidad. Le dieron esa oportunidad de abrir para uno de estos artistas Americanos presentándose en la isla. De las entrevistas que he visto nadie, ni el propio Vico recuerda quienes fueron. Sexy Boy piensa que tal vez fueron Public Enemy.
El punto es, Vico fue bien recibido por la audiencia y poco después se convirtió en un fenómeno Underground. Esos cassettes que escuchamos ahora por la web cual el propio Vico dijo eran del 86 fueron grabados en máquinas baratas de producir cassettes semejantes a las máquinas de karaoke en aquellos tiempos con casetera. El propio Vico los vendía en los puntos a $5 por cassettte mientras Negro vendía los másteres originales hasta por $15 dólares cada cassette cual fuese como $40 hoy.
Empiezo esta entrada con esta anécdota para que se den cuenta de la dedicación que Vico C tuvo hacia la cultura desde el inicio. No tan solo eso, artísticamente siempre estuvo a la vanguardia y adelantado al tiempo. Vico tienen una influencia que transciende hasta la actual generación casi 40 años después. Influyó Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderón, Hector & Tito, Wisin & Yandel, Canserbero, Don Omar y hasta el mas popular de la nueva generación, Bad Bunny.
La música de Vico C lo consume desde el pequeño hasta los ancianos. Si hubo canciones sobre fiesta y baile pero lo que mas transcendió fue un mensaje positivo que trajo atravéz de la música en canciones como “Tony Presidio”, “La Recta Final”, “Explosión”, “Desahogo”, “5 De Septiembre” y muchas canciones más. Y Vico hizo de todo, hasta merengue y baladas como la famosa canción “Me Acuerdo”. Y produjo varios albums clásicos, entre ellos “Desahogo”, “La Recta Final”, “Hispanic Soul”, “En Honor a La Verdad” y “Babilla”.
Vico C es probablemente el artista mas revolucionario que se ha producido en la moderna generación. Dígame, que artista más ha tenido tan gran impacto en la música en general, grabada en Español? Nadie. En tiempos modernos, no existe otro artista que ha causado el impacto que Vico C tuvo adentro de la música Hispana. Sin él, esto del Urbano quizás solo fuese un reliquio.
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