Tego Calderon is a famous Puerto Rican artist. It is customary to call him a musician, but he is also widely known as an actor. In particular, it can be seen in several parts of the Fast and the Furious film franchise (parts 4, 5 and 8).
As a musician, Tego is known in reggaeton circles, an original musical genre that combines elements of hip-hop, reggae and dancehall.
The early years of Tego Calderon
February 1, 1972 Tego was born in the city of San Juan. It is a port city with a characteristic culture. Many travelers constantly brought their traditions and customs here, and the locals willingly adopted it. As a result, this was reflected in the upbringing of the boy, who was very fond of diversity in any work.
The boy's parents were very fond of rhythmic music. Fast jazz, salsa - directions for which you can perform incendiary dances. This is where Tego Calderon grew up.
The taste and musical preferences of the guy
Musical taste was formed from many trends. Tego listened to a lot of different artists and genres. And in his school years, he himself began to try to study music. Interestingly, he came to the reggaeton genre more than once. While still a young man, Calderon mastered the drum kit and even started playing in one of the local bands.
The guys did not perform author's music, but cover versions of famous hits. Basically it was rock Ozzy Osbourne, Led Zeppelin. But, in the end, Tego did not find anything in these songs that strongly caught him. As a result, he began to try to create his own genre, crossing his favorite music - hip-hop, reggae, dancehall and even jazz.
So the artist began to record songs in the reggaeton style. In the late 90s, he actively recorded songs, participating with them in various television shows. It is worth noting that despite the fact that his genre was far from the mainstream, the young man still managed to achieve a certain media coverage.
By the early 2000s, various rap artists began to invite him to their albums. Thus, Tego began to reach a new audience and gradually become a well-known figure in rap and reggae.
The heyday of Tego Calderon
"El Abayarde" is the artist's debut album, released in 2002. Was it a breakthrough? It depends on what you compare it to. If we talk about commercial pop music, then definitely not. The release sold 50 copies. However, remembering that reggaeton is a rather specific genre, such sales are excellent numbers for a start.
The musician not only declared himself, but was even able to hold a series of full-fledged solo concerts. The second disc in 2004 "El Enemy De Los Guasíbiri" helped to consolidate the position. From now on, the musician was invited to various combined concerts and creative evenings.
Tego Calderon collaboration with Atlantic Records
On one of these, he was spotted by the managers of the legendary label Atlantic Records. They almost immediately offered him to sign a contract. This made Tego the first and only reggaeton musician signed to a major label at the time.
"The Underdog/El Subestimado" is the first CD released on Atlantic. If all previous discs took first place only in the Latin American charts, then the new release hit the Billboard and reached 43 positions there. It was a real success for a musician who did not even aspire to get into the mainstream.
Slightly less successful was the album "El Abayarde Contraataca", which was released just a year after the previous album. He did not take a leading position in the charts, but was noted on Billboard and many music charts.
The way to the cinema
In parallel with music, Tego begins to build a career as a film actor. He receives an offer to star in a small role in the film "Illegal Offer". This becomes his highly successful debut. The young actor is noticed and invited to star in a whole series of films.
Two years later, the musician is invited to Fast and Furious 4. In it, he plays Puerto Rican Tego Leo, who is part of the team of Dominic and Brian (the main characters of the franchise). Later, the musician will appear in three more films.
At the time of filming, there comes a short break in his musical career. The next disc "Jiggiri Records presents La Prole: Con Respeto A Mis Mayores" was released only in 2012, after almost 5 years of silence. This disc no longer enjoys such great popularity and becomes noticeable mainly only to listeners in Latin America.
In the same year, Tego released a mixtape for connoisseurs of his work, and a year later - a new album. The record "El Que Sabe, Sabe" became even more "underground" and passed by the mass listener. However, Tego has his own fan base, who willingly attend his concerts and listen to new songs.
The disc, released in 2013, is the last among those released today. From time to time Calderon releases new songs for fans of his work. It is not yet known about the work on new full-length releases. The last film featuring Tego was released in 2017. It was the eighth part of the famous "Fast and the Furious", in which Calderon again returned to the role of Tego Leo.
The personal life of an artist
The artist currently lives in Los Angeles with his family. The musician has a wife (the wedding took place in 2006) and a child.
