Tego Calderón

Tegui Calderón Rosario (born 1972 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) — better known as Tego Calderón — is a rapper from Loíza Aldea, Loíza, Puerto Rico. He does not only record reggaeton music but also

Tegui Calderón Rosario (born 1972 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) — better known as Tego Calderón — is a rapper from Loíza Aldea, Loíza, Puerto Rico. He does not only record reggaeton music but also hip hop music. His album El Abayarde made him a major Latin star. His lyrics speak of the struggles of the Puerto Rican people and involve topics of racism, inequalities, and Puerto Rican ghettos.

Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, in 1972 but raised in Carolina and in Miami, Florida, Calderón got the multicultural exposure he later called upon in creating genre-crossing reggaeton, which may have shaped his stylistic range and his ease in collaborating with US musicians. Calderon says that his parents were die-hard fans of Ismael Rivera, and that Rivera's innovative Latin pop music influenced him. He lists his father's love of jazz as another influence. Calderón eventually studied percussion and created his own rhythmic style that combines the sounds of salsa, plena, dancehall, and hip-hop. Lyric-wise, he combined slang of the 1960s with current slang and tales of barrio life. Calderón made a couple appearances on other Latin rappers' albums before the White Lion label signed the artist. Issued in 2002, El Abayarde became Calderón's full-length debut. An instant success, El Abayarde sold 50,000 copies during its first month, and propelled Calderón into Latin music superstardom.