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 urban music were Los Generales, Michel Delgado, the son of Issac Delgado, and Jose Juanqui, with whom he formed a group. He was always clear that 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 marginality.
In Cuba, he worked as a backing vocalist for Chocolate MC, with whom he recorded the song that launched him to fame and inspired him to start making music. He owes his nickname, El Chulo, to his mother, who gave it to him in reference to the fact that only her son could live at her expense.
In 2016, while residing in Miami, he was arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder for shooting at an officer, to which Díaz Rodríguez ultimately pleaded guilty and served time in prison. After completing his sentence, he found significant support from a friend who owned a recording studio, from whom he has said he learned to sing, as he only knew how to rap and found it impossible to perform choruses. His perspective on his own music began to change, and the goal of his current career, as he himself has stated, is to take the Reparto genre international.
El Chulo has participated in multiple performances alongside other representatives of Cuba's urban genre such as El Micha, El Taiger, Yakarta, Jacob Forever, Señorita Dayami, Baby Lorens, Lenier Mesa, Yomil and el Dany, the Puerto Rican Lary Over, and with artists from 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 incident of aggression against the Cuban singer Gorki Ávila, which took place a week prior at the studios of Channel 41 in Miami when he was questioned about Decree 349, with which the Cuban government seeks to limit the freedom of artists on the Island. El Chulo came to the defense of his fellow professionals who refused to speak about politics and ended up attacking Gorki physically. Gorki eventually called the police, and El Chulo was expelled from Channel 41.
Their singles "Que mostra eres tú" and "Te estoy explicando" achieved Gold Record 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 that clearly expresses his political stance against the Cuban regime, positioning himself as part of the resistance and pledging to denounce the dictatorship in every interview he gives. "How long? Years and decades keep passing, and they continue to trample on the people," he stated. His remarks received a warm reception among his followers.
On his social media, he showcases his financial achievements and has recently made headlines for sharing photos of his new $175,000 Rolls Royce, purchased in cash, while also announcing the upcoming cash purchase of a house. In May 2020, he sent money to a disabled woman in Cuba whose case had been shared on social media and moved the artist, who wanted to publicly disclose the amount of his donation to encourage other artists to follow his lead.
His album El Presidente is set to be released in October 2020.
