Alexander Delgado. A popular and well-known 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 crafted a very unique and native style in his musical creation. Professional Career His story began long before the year 2000 when he was involved with Cuban hip-hop and frequently attended the Alamar Rap Festival in Havana. Initially, he would go to all the rap concerts and started doing sampling. It was in 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 a testament to their origins, as Alamar is divided into numbered zones. Alexander Delgado later met Michel, “el Caro,” and together they began to play at parties and official venues in Guanabacoa, Regla, and especially Alamar, their territory.
In their early days as amateurs, they performed in various cultural centers such as those in Alamar, Guanabacoa, and Regla, but mainly in their hometown venue, where they quickly gained an audience and 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 Hermanos Saíz Association, 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 made up of Alexander and Michel, joined the catalog of La Agencia Cubana de Rap, now with a more mature approach within their genre, always blending it with our rhythms and considering the demands of the market. 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. With Gente de Zona, he was part of the album
The best 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 leaders 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 restricted to just one area. We wanted to convey our ideas and what we were doing musically to a broader audience, to all Cubans," said the founder and director of Gente de Zona on one occasion. In 2006, the big hits "Soñè" and "La Campaña" were released, two superhits in Cuba and for all fans of Cuban music in general. In 2007, they performed as guest stars on the CD of David Calzado and his Charanga Habanera, "El cañón." They won a "Premio Lucas," and continued with the megahits "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 enseñe," directed by Santana, was nominated for the Premios Lucas.
After their success, in 2010, "Full" was released on the music market. 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 undertook two important tours, performing in nearly forty cities with great artistic, critical, and public acclaim. In the summer of 2012, they went on another significant tour across 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, the former singer of Charanga Habanera.
