Alexander Delgado. A popular and recognized Cuban reggaeton singer. Founder, director, and main composer of the renowned Cuban Musical Group Gente de Zona. He was born in the municipality of Alamar, in Havana City, on August 21, 1979.
With numerous followers both inside and outside the territory, he has managed to create a very unique and Creole style in his musical creation. Professional Career His story began much earlier than the year 2000 when he was associated with Cuban hip-hop and regularly 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, thus became a testament to their origins, as Alamar is divided into numbered zones. Alexander Delgado later met Michel, "el Caro," and both began performing at parties and official venues in Guanabacoa and Regla, and especially in Alamar, their territory.
In their early days as amateurs, they performed in various Cultural Houses such as those in Alamar, Guanabacoa, and Regla, but primarily 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 throughout the country.
In July 2005, Gente de Zona, still consisting of Alexander and Michel, joined the catalog of La Agencia Cubana de Rap, showcasing a more mature work within their genre, always blending it with our rhythms while considering market demands. That same year, Michel left the group, and Jacob Forever joined, coming from the group "Made in Cuba," along with Nando Pro, a renowned music producer and DJ. Together with Gente de Zona, they contributed to the album
The best that sounds now vol II, with songs 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 representatives 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 other rappers but we 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 the major hits "Soñé" and "La Campaña," two superhits in Cuba and for all fans of Cuban music in general. 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 followed up with the 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, they released "Full" in the music market. The album consists of 16 songs and was created in collaboration with various 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 important tours, performing in nearly forty cities with great artistic, critical, and audience acclaim. In the summer of 2012, they undertook another significant tour in Europe. In March 2013, Gente de Zona announced the separation of Alexander and Jacob Forever. Alexander continues under the name Gente de Zona alongside Randy, former singer of Charanga Habanera.
