Alexander Delgado. 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, on August 21, 1979.
With numerous followers both inside and outside the territory, he has managed to develop a very unique and Creole style in his musical creation. Professional Career His story began long before the year 2000 when he was associated with Cuban hip-hop and was a regular at the Alamar Rap Festival in Havana. At first, he attended every rap concert and started doing sampling. It was precisely in the year 2000 that 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 emerged as evidence of their origin, as Alamar is divided into numbered zones. Alexander Delgado later found Michel, “el Caro,” and together they began to perform at parties and official venues in Guanabacoa and 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 mainly in their hometown center, where they quickly gained an audience and followers. They participated in the annual international rap festivals held 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 comprised of Alexander and Michel, joined the catalog of La Agencia Cubana de Rap, showcasing a more mature body of work within their genre, always blending 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 well-known music producer and DJ. With Gente de Zona, he was part of the album
The best that sounds now vol II, with 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 ambassadors of Caribbean reggaeton. "I'm from Alamar, Nando is from Santa Fe, and we have 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 restricted 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. In 2006, they released the hits "Soñé" and "La Campaña," two superhits in Cuba and for all fans of Cuban music. In 2007, they participated as guest stars 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, they released their first worldwide exclusive 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, the album "Full" was released in 2010. It consists of 16 songs and was made 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 undertook two significant tours, performing in nearly forty cities to great artistic, critical, and public acclaim. In the summer of 2012, they went 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.
