Abel Díaz Rodríguez, popularly known as El Chulo and The President of the Reparto, is a Cuban reggaeton artist belonging to the urban music genre. He was born in Belén, Havana on June 24, 1990.
When he started 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 was always drawn to the reggaeton genre. His childhood was spent in an environment marked by marginality.
In Cuba, he worked as a backup singer for Chocolate MC, with whom he recorded the song that propelled him to fame and led him to start making music. He owes his nickname, El Chulo, to his mother, who gave it to him to signify that only her son could live off of her.
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 pleaded guilty and served time in prison. After completing his sentence, he found significant support in a friend who owned a recording studio, from whom he has said he learned to sing, as he only knew how to rap and was unable 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 make the Reparto genre international.
El Chulo has participated in multiple performances alongside other representatives of the urban genre in Cuba, such as El Micha, El Taiger, Yakarta, Jacob Forever, Señorita Dayami, Baby Lorens, and Lenier Mesa. He has also collaborated with Yomil y 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 one of those involved in the alleged assault against 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 aims to limit the freedom of artists on the Island. El Chulo defended his fellow professionals who refused to speak about politics and ultimately ended up attacking Gorki with a beating. Gorki ended up calling the police, and El Chulo was expelled from Channel 41.
His 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 in which he clearly states 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 will this go on? Years and decades keep passing, and they continue to oppress the people," he expressed. His statements were well received by his followers.
On his 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 also announcing the upcoming cash purchase of his 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 disclose the amount of his donation to encourage other performers to follow his example.
His album El Presidente is set to be released in October 2020.
