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 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 was always clear that he wanted to emigrate to the United States. He has always leaned towards 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 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 subsequently served time in prison. After completing his sentence, he found significant support from a friend who owned a recording studio, and whom he credits with teaching him to sing, as he only knew how to rap and struggled to perform choruses. His perspective on his own music evolved, and the goal of his current career, as he has stated, is to make the Reparto genre international.
El Chulo has participated in multiple performances alongside other representatives of the urban genre from Cuba, such as El Micha, El Taiger, Yakarta, Jacob Forever, Señorita Dayami, Baby Lorens, and Lenier Mesa. He has also collaborated with Yomil and el Dany, Puerto Rican artist Lary Over, and with people 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 on Cuban singer Gorki Ávila, which took place a week prior at the studios of Channel 41 in Miami, when he was asked 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 professional colleagues who refused to discuss politics and ended up attacking Gorki violently. Gorki ultimately 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, they 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 stated his political stance against the Cuban regime, calling himself part of the resistance, and promised to denounce the dictatorship in every interview he gives. "How long will this continue? Years and decades go by, and they keep oppressing the people," he stated. His remarks received a strong response from 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 his upcoming house purchase, also in cash. In May 2020, he sent money to a disabled woman in Cuba, whose case had been shared on social media and touched the artist, who wanted to publicize the amount of his donation so that other performers would follow his example.
His album El Presidente is set to be released in October 2020.
