Alexander Delgado. Popular and renowned Cuban reggaeton singer. Founder, director, and principal composer of the famous Cuban music group Gente de Zona. He was born in the municipality of Alamar, in Havana City, on August 21, 1979.
With a multitude of followers both inside and outside the territory, he has developed a very distinctive and authentic style in his musical creation. Professional Career His story began long before the year 2000 when he was involved in the Cuban hip-hop scene and frequently attended the Alamar Rap Festival in Havana. At first, he went to all the rap concerts and began experimenting with sampling. It was in the year 2000 that several rap artists, including Alexander, gathered in Alamar, a place in the capital known as the birthplace of Cuban hip-hop.
The name of the group, Gente de Zona, emerged as evidence of their origins, since Alamar is divided into numbered zones. Alexander Delgado later met Michel, “el Caro,” and both began to perform at parties and official venues in Guanabacoa, Regla, and especially Alamar, their territory.
In their early days as amateurs, they performed at various cultural centers such as those in Alamar, Guanabacoa, and Regla, but primarily at the one in their hometown, where they quickly won over the audience and gained followers. They also participated in the international rap festivals held annually in Cuba. Alexander was in charge of the animation for three consecutive years. Later, they became part of the Asociación Hermanos Saíz, and it wasn't until 2002 that they began their professional career with the Antonio María Romeu company, performing across the country.
In July 2005, Gente de Zona, still consisting of Alexander and Michel, became part of the catalog of La Agencia Cubana de Rap, showcasing a more mature body of work within their genre, always mixing it with our rhythms and considering market demands. In 2005, Michel left the group and Jacob Forever joined, coming from the group "Made in Cuba," along with Nando Pro, a recognized music producer and DJ. Together with Gente de Zona, he became part of the album
The best that sounds now, vol II, featuring tracks like "Le gustan los artistas" and "Los animales," which topped the popularity charts not only in Cuba but also in places like Miami and Europe, where they were recognized as flag bearers of Caribbean reggaeton. "I'm from Alamar, Nando is from Santa Fe, and we've been part of Cuban hip hop from the beginning. We dressed like the other rappers but didn't sound like them. Our lyrics were more commercial."
"Almost all our songs come from the streets, from our personal experiences, but we didn’t want our music to be limited to just one area. We wanted to convey our ideas and what we did musically to a broader audience, to all Cubans,” said the founder and director of Gente de Zona on one occasion. In 2006, they released major hits "Soñé" and "La Campaña," two superhits that gained traction in Cuba and among all fans of Cuban music. In 2007, they featured as guest stars on David Calzado and his Charanga Habanera's CD, "El cañón." They won a "Premio Lucas" and continued to produce megahits like "Le gustan los artistas" and "Pa' la calle." In the summer of 2008, they released their first exclusive worldwide CD with Planet Records, "Lo mejor que suena ahora." The music video for the superhit "Yo te enseñé," directed by Santana, was nominated for the Premios Lucas.
After their success, in 2010 the musical market saw the release of "Full." It consists of 16 songs and was produced in collaboration with many artists: Orishas, Dr. López, Sr. Rodríguez, Los Generales, El Micha, Los Alertas, La Real Familia, and Elvis Manuel. In the summer of 2011 and January 2012, the band went on two significant tours, performing in nearly forty cities with great artistic, critical, and public acclaim. In the summer of 2012, they embarked on another important tour across Europe. In March 2013, Gente de Zona announced the separation of Alexander and Jacob Forever. Alexander continued under the name Gente de Zona alongside Randy, a former singer of Charanga Habanera.
