Abel Díaz Rodríguez, popularly known as El Chulo and El Presidente del 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 Old Havana, the representatives of the urban genre were Los Generales, Michel Delgado, 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 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 start making music. He owes his nickname "El Chulo" to his mother, who gave it to him as a reference to the fact that only her son could live off her.
In 2016, while residing in Miami, he was arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder for shooting at an officer. Díaz Rodríguez eventually pleaded guilty and served time in prison. After fulfilling his sentence, he found significant support from a friend who owned a recording studio, and he has credited this friend with teaching him how to sing, as he only knew how to rap and found it difficult to perform choruses. His perspective on his own music has evolved, and the goal of his current career, as he himself has stated, is to make the Reparto genre internationally recognized.
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, Lenier Mesa, Yomil y el Dany, the Puerto Rican Lary Over, and with 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 one of the individuals involved in the alleged assault on Cuban singer Gorki Ávila, which occurred a week earlier at the Canal 41 studios in Miami when he was asked about Decree 349, aimed at limiting the freedom of artists on the Island. El Chulo came to the defense of his fellow professionals who refused to discuss politics and ultimately attacked Gorki, resulting in a beating. Gorki ended up calling the police, and El Chulo was subsequently expelled from Canal 41.
His singles "Que mostra eres tú" and "Te estoy explicando" received 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 position 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 pointed out. His statements were well-received by his followers.
On his social media, he boasts about his financial achievements and recently made headlines for sharing photos of his new $175,000 Rolls Royce, purchased in cash, while announcing the upcoming purchase of his house, also in cash. In May 2020, he sent money to a disabled woman in Cuba whose case had been shared on social media, moving the artist to publicize the amount of his donation to inspire other performers to follow his example.
His album El Presidente is set to be released in October 2020.
