Tego Calderón
| Tego Calderón | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | February 2 1972 |
| Origin |  Santurce, Puerto Rico |
| Genre(s) | Reggaeton, Hip-Hop, Latin Rap, Mambo, Salsa, Reggae |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Label(s) | Jiggiri Records(1988-present) Atlantic Records(2006-present)
|
| Website | Official website |
Tegui Calderón Rosario (born February 2 1972 in
Santurce, Puerto Rico) is a
Puerto Rican rapper. He is best known as Tego
Calderon. To Reggaeton fans he is commonly known by the nickname "El Abayarde" which refers to an insect commonly found in
Puerto Rico similar to a fire ant. The name is a reference to being bothersome and behaving improperly as a child[1]. He not only records
Biography
Calderon attended high school in Miami Beach, Florida. He received multicultural
exposure he later drew upon in creating genre-crossing reggaeton, which may have shaped his stylistic range and his ease in
collaborating with US musicians. Calderón says that his parents were die-hard fans of Ismael
Rivera, and that Rivera's innovative salsa music influenced him. He lists his
father's love of jazz as another influence (for instance, a solo trumpet playing a slower version
of Minnie the Moocher by Cab Calloway is
used as the backbeat of his first single, Abayarde). Calderón eventually studied percussion and created his own rhythmic
style that combined the sounds of salsa, plena,
dancehall, and
When Tego first headlined New York’s Madison Square Garden in August 2003, The New York Times heralded him as “the most forward-looking performer” of the artists on the bill, noting that “Mr. Calderón made the best case for Reggaetón as music with room to grow.”[2] In October 2004, when he returned to the stage of the Garden as the star of the breakthrough “Megatón 2004” event, attendance had swelled from 12,000 to a sold-out 20,000,with a large number of non-Spanish-speaking fans in the audience.[2] “The crowd erupted into a frenzy,” noted the Village Voice. “The fruit of Tego’s crossover appeal was palpable. ..They were bopping their heads and flailing their arms to the universal beat.”[2]
Returning to Miami led to an increase in the dancehall flavor of his music. This, combined with Calderón's outspoken viewpoint that salsa had become too corporate and too safe, made the 2004 album El Enemy de los Guasíbiri, a punchier, more hectic, more street affair. Years after its release, Calderon stated that he never approved the release of the Guasibiri album, that it was a collection of his old songs and shouldn't be considered a real album of his[3].
With the reggaeton genre becoming popular with New York City's hip-hop tastemakers and spreading its influence farther and
farther, Calderón soon found himself fielding offers from hip-hop producers while landing tracks on numerous street-level
mixtapes. His voice ended up on remixes of Usher's "Yeah," Fat Joe's "Lean Back," N.O.R.E.'s
"Oye Mi Canto",and
His Father Esteban Calderón Ilarraza was a government worker at the Health Department of Puerto Rico and died in May of 2004. His Mother Pilar Rosario Parrilla is an Elementary School Teacher. From his appearances at New York’s annual Puerto Rican Day parades in 2004 and 2005, to becoming the first Spanish-language artist to be featured on New York’s Power-105, Calderón has been breaking cultural barriers. In a cover story on Calderón and Reggaetón,the Village Voice noted that Tego “almost single-handedly. .. steered his country’s dominant youth culture out of the island and Latino neighborhoods, and into the American stream of pop consciousness.”[2] Among Calderón’s achievements are Latin Grammy and Billboard Award nominations, a Source Award for “International Artist of the Year,” a Tu Música award, and nominations for La Gente and Lo Nuestro awards
In the summer of 2005, Calderón signed a deal between Atlantic Records and his own independent label, Jiggiri Records, making him the first reggaeton artist to have a deal with a major record company.[4] His first album under the deal is titled "The Underdog" (El Subestimado) and is set for release on August 29th, 2006.
Calderon defines this new production as a journey through the Afro-Caribbean musical scene which masterfully brings together Reggae, Dance Hall, Salsa, Bomba, Rumba, and the Deep South feeling of the blues.
This new production will feature the guests appearances of Buju Banton, Voltio, Bataklán, Eddie Dee, Luis Cabán, Yandel, Zion, Chyno Nyno, Don Omar and the legendary salsa singer Oscar D'León. Producers of the caliber of Cookee, Major League, Salaam Remi, Eric Figueroa, Luny Tunes, DJ Nelson, Danny Fornaris, DJ Nesty, Naldo, DJ Joe, DJ Fat and Echo & Diesel, also collaborated in the 21 track CD.
At the listening party for his upcoming album, Calderón explained that he no longer considers himself as a reggaeton artist because this subgenre of music has become too commercial.[5] Tego stated that reggaeton is becoming too much like pop music and that he does not let his children listen to it at home unless it is on the radio. Calderón's upcoming album will have blues, rock and salsa sounds, making it different from most new reggaeton albums.
Calderon had recently traveled to Sierra Leone along with artists Raekwon and Paul Wall to film a VH1 documentary about diamond mining entitled "Bling'd: Blood, Diamonds, and Hip-Hop." The documentary focused on the role of Hip Hop in the blood diamond trade, after the trip Tego had publicly announced that he would no longer wear jewelry. His experience in Africa also changed his outlook on life, which influenced the recording of the track "Alegria", encouraging fans to not complain about life and recognize that there are other people with bigger problems in their lives.[1]
He's also talked about the need for Black Latinos to be proud of who they are [1]
Acting career
Calderon made his acting debut in the film Illegal Tender produced by John Singleton. Calderon played the role of Choco, a Puerto Rican gangster whose character was written specifically for him by director Franc Reyes.[6][1]
Calderon turned down roles in both "Feel The Noise" and "El Cantante" and instead chose to appear in Illegal Tender out of respect for its producer. After convincing John Singleton that he wanted to appear in a comedy, Calderon is slated to appear in an upcoming Singleton film which casts him as the coach of a baseball team.[1]
Discography
- El Abayarde (2003)
- El Enemy de los Guasíbiri (2004)
- The Underdog/El Subestimado (2006)
- El Abayarde Contraataca (2007)
References
External links
- (Spanish) Official website
- Tego Calderon Concert Photos
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