Well versed in reggaeton, Latin trap, pop, and hip-pop, De la Ghetto is a prolific urbano artist born in the U.S. and raised in Puerto Rico. He first established himself alongside onetime duo partner Arcángel, landing a major reggaeton hit with 2005's "Ven Pégate." Known for his bilingual rhyming style delivered in a percussive, rapid-fire cadence, De la Ghetto forged a solo career after the duo's 2007 split. While albums like 2008's Masacre Musical and 2018's Mi Movimiento have performed well on the charts, his focus has largely been on the numerous singles, mixtape tracks, and collaborations that have made him a staple of Latin radio, video, and streaming. As a featured artist, he has been involved with hits like "Aparentemente" by Yaga & Mackie (with Arcángel), Nicky Jam's "Si Tú No Estás," and "1,2,3" with Sofia Reyes and Jason Derulo. De la Ghetto's success has continued into the 2020s; his singles have been streamed into the millions and in 2023 he began a new era with his first independent album, GZ.

Born Rafael Castillo on September 17, 1982, in New York City, he later moved with his family to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and became involved with the city's burgeoning reggaeton scene. In 2004 he founded Arcángel y De la Ghetto, a duo with fellow New York City-born Puerto Rican artist Arcángel (born Austin Santos). They first established themselves with the song "Ven Pégate," which is featured on the popular Hector El Father-hosted mixtape album Sangre Nueva (2005). Throughout 2005 and 2006, Arcángel y De la Ghetto were featured on a variety of reggaeton albums, including Luny Tunes' Mas Flow: Los Benjamins (2006), and were associated with Baby Records, the label of Zion (of the duo Zion & Lennox).

Arcángel announced in December 2006 that he was embarking on a solo career and founding a label of his own. In the wake of Arcángel's announcement, De la Ghetto launched his own solo career and was subsequently featured on one of his biggest hits to date, the Tito El Bambino and Randy remix of "Siente el Boom" featured on the album Top of the Line: El Internacional (2007). Also in 2007 he scored his second major hit with "Sensación del Bloque," another of his collaborations with Randy.

Following these mainstream breakthroughs, De la Ghetto made his major-label full-length album debut with Masacre Musical (2008); it peaked on the Top Latin Albums chart at number 46, and its single "Dificil" peaked at number 42 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. While the artist didn't issue another full-length for five years, he was intensely active. In 2009 alone, he issued five singles from Musical Massacre, including the Top 40 Hot Latin Songs track "Tu Te Imaginas." De la Ghetto and his label and management kept up his profile by issuing tracks for dozens of compilations as well as his own singles.

In 2013 he released the full-length Geezy Boys: The Album; it netted five hit singles including "Saciar la Sed," "Ahí Ahí Ahí," and "Sincero Amor" (whose remix featured Arcángel). De la Ghetto and his team began issuing videos that kept his tracks and collaborations popping up on social media and streaming charts. Between 2016 and 2018, he placed no less than nine songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and six more on other select lists including Latin Airplay and Tropical Songs, while upping his output as a guest exponentially. In fact, De la Ghetto was, by 2016, one of the most in-demand studio talents in reggaeton.

His third album, Mi Movimiento, was issued by Warner Music in September of 2018. It included 17 tracks, many of which were selected by fans on his social media accounts. The set included collaborations with a large number of artists, including fellow chart-masters Wisin, Ozuna, Daddy Yankee, Maluma, Fetty Wap, and more. In July 2020, he appeared alongside Arcángel on Anitta's track "Tócame." Three months later, he returned with his fourth studio album, Los Chulitos, which featured guest appearances by Nicky Jam, Manuel Turizo, Justin Quiles, Jowell & Randy, and Farruko. A typically prolific period followed over the next two years with highlights like "Cuando Bebe," a multi-artist super-collaboration that included Myke Towers, Mambo Kingz, and Jay Menez, among others. 2022's "Loco Por Pearrearte (Remix)" with Rauw Alejandro was also a big hit, and maintained the demand for his next full-length, and first as an independent artist, GZ, in 2023. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Reggaeton and Latin trap artist Arcángel has a trademark cool yet expressive tenor singing voice, which contrasts with a certain melodic sweetness and gritty lyrics in Spanish and English. As a rapper, his smooth, slow delivery is grainy and expressive. Before going solo, he established his identity as a member of the duo Arcángel y De la Ghetto during the mid-2000s. Their hits, including "Agresivo" and "El Pistolón," established his reputation sufficiently to warrant a solo career. Arcángel is as well-known a collaborator as he is a solo artist, and among the most ubiquitous guests on reggaeton and Latin trap recordings. That said, his own recordings, including 2008's Top 100 entry El Fenómeno, are also successful. 2013's Sentimiento, Eleganza, & Maldad (SEM) was certified gold in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Two years later, the official release of his Los Favoritos mixtape with DJ Luian topped the Latin Album charts and was also certified gold. 2018's Ares delivered the hit "Original" (feat. Bad Bunny) on its way to a Top Five finish, while 2019 saw the release of no less than a dozen singles including the streaming hit "Traficante" (feat. King Goyi). Over the next few years, he built on his previous established platform with releases like Los Favoritos 2 (2020) and Sr. Santos (2022), and the single "Kame Hame" (2023).

Born Austin Santos on December 23, 1986, in New York City, Arcángel established himself in tandem with De la Ghetto and the song "Ven y Pegate" on the popular Hector el Father-hosted compilation album Sangre Nueva. Throughout 2005 and 2006, Arcángel y De la Ghetto were featured on a variety of reggaeton albums, including Luny Tunes' Mas Flow: Los Benjamins, and were associated with Baby Records, Zion's (of the duo Zion & Lennox) label. Arcángel announced that he was embarking on a solo career and starting a label of his own in December 2006.

Arcángel's solo releases began appearing sporadically. While "Chica Virtual," his guest feature on DJ Nelson's Flow la Discoteka, Vol. 2 (2007), was a minor hit, his full-length solo debut, La Maravilla, went unreleased after it was leaked to the internet in 2008. At the end of the year, Arcángel was able to release El Fenómeno. It was produced by some of reggaeton's top beatmakers including Luny Tunes, Mambo Kingz, Tainy, and Noriega. The album featured mostly new material, though it also included a handful of songs originally planned for La Maravilla. The lead single for El Fenómeno, "Por Amar a Ciegas," peaked inside the Top 40 at Latin Airplay and drove the album into the Top 20 on the Latin Albums chart. He also enlisted his mother to manage him and founded his own production company.

Despite the chart success, Arcángel didn't rush another recording. Instead, he toured Europe and released the mixtape The Problem Child in the spring of 2010. Upon his return from the road, he released a second mixtape, Optimus A.R.C.A., and began assembling tracks for a proper follow-up album. He also contributed a pair of tunes to the popular El Imperio Nazza compilation series.

Sophomore long-player Sentimiento, Elegancia y Maldad didn't appear until three years later. Its first single, "Hace Mucho Tiempo" (feat. Daddy Yankee and Baby Johnny), did well at radio and streaming before peaking at 13 on the Tropical Songs chart. The album, however, managed to hit the top spot on the Latin Albums chart. Over the next 18 months, Arcángel spent the majority of his time collaborating with and contributing to recordings by others, including a prestigious appearance on Maluma's smash hit Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy.

The notion of collaboration -- so important in reggaeton -- became the motivating factor behind 2015's now-classic mixtape, Los Favoritos. Enlisting DJ Luian as a co-billed conspirator, Arcángel set about recording tracks with his favorite genre artists from two generations, including J Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam, Ñejo Flow, Farruko, J Alvarez, and Wisin; there were 20 in all. The single "Tu Cuerpo Me Hace Bien" landed inside the Top Ten on the Latin Rhythm chart and topped the Tropical Songs list. The full-length spent 13 weeks in the Latin Top 40. Over the next three years, Arcángel focused his attention on frontloading singles and videos, among them, "Cula en la Clara" (featuring Tali), "Zum Zum," and "Original" (feat. Bad Bunny). They all charted. In 2018, he dropped the full-length Ares, which all but abandoned reggaeton and dembow rhythms in favor of trap beats and Latin pop. The set entered the Latin Albums chart at number five. In 2019, Arcángel released his next studio set, the deeply personal Historias de un Capricornio; it featured appearances from Bad Bunny and Ozuna, among others.

Over the next year, Arcángel issued a dozen singles and videos, including the charting remixes of "Sigues con El," (feat. Sech and Romeo Santos) and "Wow" (feat. Bryant Myers, Nicky Jam, Darrell, and El Alfa). Arcángel also revisited the mixtape concept explored on 2015's platinum-selling Los Favoritos with DJ Luian. Titled Los Favoritos 2, its 18 tracks included some 25 collaborations with male artists who included Rauw Alejandro, Ozuna, Wisin & Yandel, Maluma, and Farruko. There were only two solo appearances from Arcángel on the set: The opener "Payaso" and the title track "El Favorito." Issued in late October, Los Favoritos 2, debuted at the top of several charts, including Latin Albums. Pleased with the success of the formula, he kept the project going in 2021 with Los Favoritos 2.5, another guest-heavy project with nearly as many tracks as the previous volume. Among Arcángel's numerous 2022 singles were "JS4E" and the Bad Bunny-assisted hit "La Jumpa," both of which anchored his next album, Sr. Santos, released that December. A typically lengthy set, it featured guests like Myke Towers, Eladio Carrion, and YOVNGCHIMI and made a strong mainstream showing on the U.S. pop charts at number 37. 2023 was another prolific year for Arcángel. They released numerous tracks including "Kame Hame," the Jay Wheeler collaboration "TRAPPii," and "La Chamba" with Peso Pluma. ~ Jason Birchmeier & Thom Jurek