Alexander Delgado. A popular and well-known Cuban reggaeton singer. Founder, director, and main composer of the renowned Cuban Music Group Gente de Zona. He was born in the municipality of Alamar, in Havana City, on August 21, 1979.
With multiple followers both inside and outside the country, he has managed to establish a very unique and Creole style in his musical creation. Professional Career His story began long before the year 2000 when he became associated with Cuban hip-hop and frequently attended the Alamar Rap Festival in Havana. At first, he went to all the rap concerts and started doing sampling. In the year 2000, several rap artists, including Alexander, gathered in Alamar, a place in the capital known for being the birthplace of Cuban hip-hop.
The name of the group, Gente de Zona, emerged as a testament to their origins, as Alamar is divided into numbered zones. Alexander Delgado later met Michel, "el Caro," and together they began performing at parties and official venues in Guanabacoa and Regla, but most importantly, in 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 in their hometown center, where they quickly won over the audience and gained followers. This led them to participate 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 Hermanos Saíz Association, and it wasn't until 2002 that they began their professional career with the Antonio María Romeu company, performing all over the country.
In July 2005, Gente de Zona, still comprised of Alexander and Michel, became part of the catalog of La Agencia Cubana de Rap, now with a more mature body of work within their genre, always blending it with our rhythms while keeping market demands in mind. In 2005, Michel left the group and was replaced by Jacob Forever, who came from the group "Made in Cuba," and Nando Pro, a renowned music producer and DJ. With Gente de Zona, he was part of the album
The best that sounds now vol II, featuring tracks like “She Likes Artists” and “The Animals,” which topped the charts not only in Cuba but also in places like Miami and Europe, where they were recognized as pioneers of Caribbean reggaeton. “I’m from Alamar, Nando is from Santa Fe, and we’ve been part of Cuban hip hop from the very beginning. We dressed like other rappers, but we didn’t sound like them. Our lyrics were more commercial.”
"Almost all of our songs come from the street, from our personal experiences, but we didn't want our music to be limited to just one area. We wanted to share our ideas and what we were doing musically with a broader audience, with all Cubans," said the founder and director of Gente de Zona on one occasion. In 2006, the major hits "Soñé" and "La Campaña" arrived, two superhits in Cuba and generally for all fans of Cuban music. In 2007, they performed as a guest star on David Calzado and his Charanga Habanera's CD, "El cañón." They won a "Premio Lucas" and continued with megahits "Le gustan los artistas" and "Pa' la calle." In the summer of 2008, their first exclusive worldwide CD with Planet Records, "Lo mejor que suena ahora," was released. The music video for the superhit "Yo te enseñé," directed by Santana, was nominated for the Premios Lucas.
After their success, in 2010, "Full" was released in the music market. It consists of 16 songs and was created in collaboration with numerous 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 embarked on two major tours, performing in nearly forty cities with great artistic success and critical acclaim. In the summer of 2012, they went on another significant tour through 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.
