The Chulo

Abel Díaz Rodríguez, popularly known as El Chulo and The President of the Neighborhood, is a Cuban reggaeton artist belonging to the urban music genre. He was born in Belén, Havana, on June 24, 1990.

When he began making music in Cuba, in the Havana neighborhood of La Habana Vieja, the representatives of the urban genre were Los Generales, Michel Delgado, the son of Issac Delgado, and Jose Juanqui, with whom he formed a group. He always knew he wanted to emigrate to the United States. He has always been drawn to the reggaeton genre. His childhood was spent in an environment marked by marginalization.

In Cuba, he worked as a backup singer for Chocolate MC, with whom he recorded the song that propelled him to fame and inspired him to begin making music. His nickname, El Chulo, was given by his mother, referencing the idea that only her son could thrive at her expense.

In 2016, while living in Miami, he was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder for shooting at an officer, to which Díaz Rodríguez pleaded guilty and served time in prison. After completing his sentence, he found strong support in a friend who owned a recording studio, and he has mentioned that this friend taught him how to sing, as he only knew how to rap and found it impossible to perform choruses. His perspective on his own music has evolved, and the goal of his current career, as he himself has pointed out, is to make the Reparto genre internationally recognized.

El Chulo has participated in numerous performances alongside other prominent representatives of the urban genre in Cuba, such as El Micha, El Taiger, Yakarta, Jacob Forever, Señorita Dayami, Baby Lorens, and Lenier Mesa, as well as Yomil and el Dany, the Puerto Rican Lary Over, and members of Zona, with whom he recorded "Loco por bailar contigo" in 2019. He has achieved significant success with his music and has performed in New Jersey. His songs have garnered over 1 million views on YouTube.

In September 2018, he was involved in the alleged assault against Cuban singer Gorki Ávila, which took place a week earlier at the studios of Channel 41 in Miami. This incident occurred when he was asked about Decree 349, through which the Cuban government seeks to limit the freedom of artists from the Island. El Chulo defended his fellow professionals who refused to discuss politics and ended up violently confronting Gorki. Gorki ultimately called the police, and El Chulo was expelled from Channel 41.

Her singles “Que mostra eres tú” and “Te estoy explicando” received Gold certification in June 2020.

In 2018, he joined the spectacular concert in Miami featuring Gente de Zona, Marc Anthony, Leoni Torres, Diana Fuentes, and other Cuban artists.

In May 2020, he released a video in which he clearly expresses his political stance against the Cuban regime, calling himself part of the resistance and promising to denounce the dictatorship in every interview he gives. "How long? Years and decades keep passing, and the people are still being trampled," he stated. His remarks were well-received by his followers.

On social media, he boasts about his financial achievements and has recently made headlines for sharing photos of his new $175,000 Rolls Royce, purchased in cash, while announcing his upcoming cash purchase of a house. In May 2020, he sent money to a disabled woman in Cuba, whose story had been shared on social media and touched the artist, prompting him to disclose the amount of his donation in hopes that other performers would follow his example.

His album El Presidente is set to be released in October 2020.