Puerto Rico is the country with which many people associate such popular styles of pop music as reggaeton and cumbia. This small country has given the music world many popular performers.
One of them is the Calle 13 group ("Street 13"). This cousin duo quickly rose to fame in their homeland and neighboring Latin American countries.
The beginning of the creative path Calle 13
Calle 13 was formed in 2005 when Rene Pérez Yoglar and Eduardo José Cabra Martinez decided to combine their love for hip hop. The duet was named after the street where one of the members of the group lived.
During performances and recording albums, sister Elena joined Rene and Eduardo. The musicians participated in the Puerto Rican movement for independence from the United States.
The first successes came to the musicians almost after they managed to combine their achievements. Several songs became real street hits.
Young people quickly performed in popular Puerto Rican clubs. Several tracks managed to visit the rotation of youth radio stations. The group's first album, called Calle 13, was a real "breakthrough".
The second album was not long in coming. In 2007 the album Residente o Visitante was released. It contains several tracks made in the genre of hip-hop and reggaeton. National motives and popular Latin American rhythms are clearly audible in the music.
The first money that the musicians managed to earn with their work, they used to travel. In 2009, the guys went on tour in Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
In addition to their performances in these countries, the guys recorded videos. The footage formed the basis of the documentary film Sin mapa ("Without a map").
The video sketches of their impressions created by the musicians received a social orientation. The film was nominated for several independent awards.
In 2010, the duo Calle 13 were granted a Cuban visa after several failed attempts. The concert in Havana was a resounding success.
The guys have become real idols of the Cuban youth. At the stadium where the musicians gave a concert, there were 200 thousand spectators.
In the same year, another album of youth idols Entren los que quieran was released, which contains brightly social texts and increases the huge army of musicians' fans.
Features of musical creativity Calle 13
Calle 13's main vocalist and lyricist is René Yoglard (Residente). Eduardo Martinez is responsible for the musical part. At the moment, the musicians have been nominated 21 times for the Latin Grammy Award and 3 times for the American one. The band has five albums and several singles.
High quality music content. Guys prefer live musical instruments, unlike most rappers who use computer beats. Musicians combine the genres of reggaeton, jazz, salsa, bossa nova and tango. At the same time, their music has an amazing modern sound.
Deep lyrics and social lyrics. In their work, the guys talk about universal values. They are against the culture of consumption and the accumulation of wealth.
Residente wrote texts about the original culture of Latin Americans, about the fact that all the peoples of South America have a spiritual relationship.
Social orientation. The work of the duet Calle 13 is socially oriented. In addition to their musical compositions, the guys regularly arrange various promotions. Their songs have become a real anthem of the youth.
Many politicians use lines from the lyrics of Calle 13 songs in their election slogans. In one of the tracks of the musicians, the voice of the minister of culture of Peru is even heard.
Who is the Calle 13 group? These are real rebels from the streets who broke into the musical Olympus of Latin American music. They read hard rap that pointed to all the problems of modern society.
The texts of the duo incriminate politicians who have lied, they expressed the idea of the need to protect the indigenous population of Latin America.
Most of the band's songs have two pronounced themes - freedom and love. Unlike other reggaeton artists, the band's lyrics have great depth and high quality lyrics.
They contain the real wisdom of the indigenous people of the South American mainland. Therefore, guys with open arms are met everywhere - from Argentina to Uruguay.
Residente solo performances
Since 2015, René Pérez Yoglar has performed solo. He used his old alias Residente. After leaving the duet Calle 13, he did not change the direction in music and his view of the world. His lyrics still remain sharply social.
Increasingly, Residente put on shows in Europe. Many concerts in the Old World were held with a huge number of fans, no less than in the homeland of the musician.
The Calle 13 group has left a wide mark on reggaeton and hip-hop music in Latin America. The composition Latinoamerica is a real anthem for the unification of the countries that speak Spanish.
The musicians are now participating in solo projects, but their former clips are still gaining millions of views on YouTube, and concerts are held with constant full houses.
