The band was conceptualised by the rapper Alexander Delgado in the neighbourhood that he group up in, Alamar. An urban area of Havana, Alamar is recognised as the birthplace of Cuban hip-hop, so to honour that reputation, Delgado gathered a posse of rappers who hailed from the same neighbourhood to make some tracks together. The projected was christened Gente De Zona, or “People From The Neighbourhood”, but it took a while before the project grew into anything resembling a band. Originally, Delgado formed the group as a straight hip-hop duo with fellow rapper Michel Delgado (no relation) and the two of them would occasionally perform at house party’s and clubs together.
However, Michel left in 2005, and Delgado responded by recruiting another rapper in the form of Yosdany "Jacob Forever" Carmenates and a producer named Fernando "Nando Pro" Otero. With the addition of Carmenates and Otero, he also set about rethinking the musical style of the band. Ditching straight hip-hop in favour of Reggaeton infused with the traditional Cuban music of their childhood, the move paid off almost instantaneously. The band scored a big hit with their 2005 debut single “Pa' la Gente de Mi Zona”, and self-released their debut album in the same year. Ever since then they’ve become sensations in their native Cuba, with two further hit albums in the form of 2010’s “A Full” and 2012’s “Oro: Lo Nuevo y Lo Mejor” and even their own fragrance to boot.
Their momentum was so great that even the departure of Carmenates and Otero couldn’t stop them. With rapper Randy Malcolm and producer Frank Palacios, Gente De Zona finally broke America in 2014, featuring on Enrique Iglesia’s single “Bailando” which saw the group sitting pretty at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. They could become one of the biggest Reggaeton acts in the world in the very near future, and for that, they come highly recommended.
Gente de Zona, is a concoction of two front man and one DJ, almost like a male version of Salt n Peppa. They have build up their reputation as a good live band, playing at clubs in Havanna like Casa de la Musica de Miramar, Makumba and Johnny Deam. They are one of the biggest acts in Cuba, and their fans will travel far and wide to see them perform their gigs.
They walk out on stage to huge applause this evening, a crowd of maybe 5000 strong, and launch with so much swagger, into their opening song, which is a great start to this party, in the form of “Soñé”, which has everyone in this audience shaking what they’ve got for the trio, who are joined on stage by some fantastic backing dancers. “Bailando” is a worthy mid song peak, that only elevates the atmosphere even higher and then they bring the party to a close with arguably their biggest hit to date, “Yo Quiero”.
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