De la Ghetto
Rafael Castillo Torres, known professionally as De la Ghetto, is an American singer, rapper and songwriter. He was a member of the duo Arcángel & De la Ghetto.
De la Ghetto | |
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 De la Ghetto in the music video "Alerta Roja" (2016) | |
| Born | Rafael Castillo Torres September 17, 1984 New York City, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
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Early life and career
Rafael Castillo “De la Ghetto”, Jr. was born in The Bronx borough of New York, NY on September 17, 1984. In the early 1990s, his family relocated to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when Castillo was eight years old. He is the son of a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother, Migdalia Torres.
In 2004, at the age of 19, Castillo met with another young reggaetón musician by the name of Austin Santos—better known to the public as Arcángel—and the two decided to form a duo, Arcángel & De la Ghetto. The pair debuted with their single "Ven Pégate", which was featured on Naldo’s mixtape, Sangre Nueva (‘new blood’), in 2005. From there, Castillo was signed to Zion's label, Baby Records, and immediately began to make music. Castillo has appeared on numerous reggaetón compilation albums and collaborations, including the album Mas Flow: Los Benjamins. In 2006, De la Ghetto officially began his solo career, appearing the following year on two hit singles, as well: a remixed version of "Siente el Boom" (‘feel the boom’) by Tito el Bambino, plus a collaboration with Randy called “Sensación del Bloque” (‘street sensation’), which has been viewed on YouTube over 200 million times, as of July 2023.[2]Masacre Musical was then released in 2008.[3] Masacre Musical peaked at #46 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in the U.S.;[4] its lead single, "Tú Te Imaginas" (‘you imagine’), peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.
De la Ghetto was one, among a group, of early reggaetón artists who were debuting during the genre’s earlier days. Additionally, he was one of the first singers to experiment musically at that time, fusing reggaetón rhythms and Spanish language lyrics with American-influenced trap, hip hop and R&B rhythms—thus forming a new sound, called Latin trap (or “trapetón”). This genre saw success in Puerto Rico, and ultimately, beyond, leading the way for many of today's musicians in the 2010s-2020s.
The 2018 album Mi Movimiento (‘my moves’) was nominated in 2019 for a Latin Grammy Award for "Best Urban Music Album", and the track "Caliente" was also nominated for a Latin Grammy for "Best Urban song".
Discography
Albums
- 2008: Masacre Musical
- 2013: Geezy Boyz: The Album
- 2018: Mi Movimiento
- 2020: Los Chulitos
- 2023: GZ
Mixtapes
- The Boss of the Block (2007)
- The Boss of the Block, Vol. 2 (2007)
- Masacre Musical Mixtape (2007)
- Masacre Musical Presents: El Movimiento (2008)
- Masacre Musical Presents: El Movimiento, Vol. II (2010)
As lead artist
| Year | Title | peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Latin | U.S. Latin | |||
| 2008 | "Es Difícil" | 42 | — | Masacre Musical |
| 2009 | "Tú Te Imaginas" | 33 | — | |
| "Come Out and See" (featuring Mavado) | — | — | ||
| "Lover (Remix)" (featuring Juelz Santana) | — | — | ||
| "Momento Que Te Vi" | — | — | ||
| "Stripper Pole" (featuring J-Merk) | — | — | Masacre Musical Presents: El Movimiento Vol. II | |
| 2010–Present | "Tapu Tapu" (With Jowell & Randy) | — | — | El Jefe De La Versatilidad |
| "Nocturno" | — | — | ||
| "Jala Gatillo" | — | — | ||
| "Tumbao" (feat. Yandel) | — | — | ||
| "La Reunión de los Vaqueros" (with Wisin & Yandel, Franco el Gorila, Tego Calderón, Cosculluela) | — | — | La Revolución Live Vol. 1 | |
| "Tú y Yo" | — | — | ||
| "Ya Es Hora" (with Ana Mena and Becky G) | — | — | Index | |
| "F.L.Y." (featuring Fetty Wap) | — | — | Mi Movimiento[5] | |
As featured artist
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Latin | |||
| 2007 | "Aparentemente" (Yaga & Mackie featuring Arcángel & De la Ghetto) | 42[6] | La Reunión Callejero Flow |
| 2008 | "Inalcanzable (remix)" (RBD featuring Jowell & Randy & De la Ghetto) | — | |
| 2010 | "Mala Conducta (remix)" (Alexis & Fido featuring Franco el Gorila, Arcángel & De la Ghetto) | — | Perreologia |
| "Tú Me Robaste el Corazón (Remix)" (featuring Fidel Nadal) | — | Mi Movimiento | |
| "De La Calle" (with Ivy Queen) | ― | Drama Queen | |
| 2012 | "El Jefe" (Los Vagos featuring De la Ghetto) | — | Vida Acelerada |
| "Actúa (remix)" (J Alvarez featuring Zion & De la Ghetto) | — | Imperio Nazza: J. Alvarez Edition | |
| 2013 | "No es una gial" (Farruko featuring De la Ghetto) | — | Imperio Nazza: Farruko Edition |
| 2014 | "Si tú no Estás" (Nicky Jam featuring De la Ghetto) | — | |
| 2015 | "Nadie Como Yo" (J Alvarez featuring De la Ghetto) | — | |
| "Bailen" (Franco el Gorila featuring De la Ghetto) | — | ||
| 2016 | "Todavía Te Quiero" (Thalía featuring De la Ghetto) | — | Latina |
| 2017 | "Pide Lo Que Tú Quieras" (Ozuna featuring De la Ghetto) | — | Odisea |
| 2020 | "Tócame" (Anitta featuring Arcángel and De la Ghetto) | — | |
| "Mala (Remix)"[7] (Pitbull featuring Becky G and De la Ghetto) | — | ||
| 2021 | "New Calle" (Doeman Dyna and De la Ghetto) | — | |
References
- Mota, Jennifer (September 25, 2019). "The Rise of Spanish Language R&B". Tidal. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
..same year Randy and De La Ghetto dropped "La Sensación Del Bloque," a track singer Lyanno notes as an early R&B-inspired track.
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Ella Es La Sensacion Del Bloque – via YouTube.
- Birchmeier, Jason (2008). "De la Ghetto > Biography". Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- "De la Ghetto > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- "Mi Movimiento by De La Ghetto". Genius. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
- "Hot Latin Songs Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- "Mala (Remix) – Single by Pitbull". Mr. 305 Inc. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
External links
- De la Ghetto discography at Discogs
- De La Ghetto discography at MusicBrainz