Austin Agustín Santos (born December 23, 1985), better known by his stage name Arcángel, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He was born in New York City to Dominican parents. In 2002, he was interested in becoming a performer of reggaeton, a contemporary Latin American urban music genre. While living in Puerto Rico, he eventually formed part of a popular then-underground reggaeton act, Arcángel & De la Ghetto. The duo went on to make songs that became popular among reggaeton fans in the United States and Puerto Rico, including "Agresivo", "Sorpresa" and "Mi Fanática" during the mid-2000s.
Arcángel went on to release his debut studio album, El Fenómeno, in late 2008. The album included songs that were produced in 2008, as well as the DJ Nelson produced "Chica Virtual", which was produced in 2007 by DJ Nelson and part of the producers album Flow la Discoteka 2. Half of the album also included newly produced tracks, ones including "Pa' Que la Pases Bien" and "Por Amar a Ciegas", which went on to become successful airplay songs on American Latin Urban radio stations across the United States.
Early life
Arcángel was born in New York City to Dominican parents. He and his family moved to Puerto Rico after turning 12, and then began moving back and forth between New York City and Puerto Rico. His mother, Carmen Rosa, was a former member of the all-women merengue group, las Chicas del Can, who were popular during the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. Arcángel grew up listening to various types of music and has been a fan of rock music, particularly Draco Rosa, a Puerto Rican pop rock artist and a former member of Menudo. Arcángel was not always a fan of reggaeton; he claims that it is not his favorite type of music, but it is easy to sing to. During the early 2000s, Arcángel grew fond of the new kind of music. Listening to artists like Tego Calderón and Tempo,In November 2021, Arcángel's younger brother died in a car accident while on a visit to Puerto Rico.
Music career
2004–2007: Career beginnings with De la Ghetto
After returning to Puerto Rico in 2002, Arcángel had decided to follow in the footsteps of the upbringing of reggaeton music. He went on to form part of an underground reggaeton act, Arcángel & De la Ghetto. The duo was signed to reggaeton artist Zion's record label, Baby Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. The duo were also involved with Machete Music in 2004 during the time that they were recording for reggaeton compilation albums. Arcángel & De la Ghetto rose to fame in 2006 on the reggaeton compilation album hosted by Héctor el Father, Sangre Nueva, with their hit song, "Ven Pégate". They were also featured on the Luny Tunes-hosted compilation Mas Flow: Los Benjamins in 2006.
Though an active musical duo, Arcángel & De la Ghetto never released a studio album since the formation of the duo. Any production they had been involved with only resulted in tracks and recordings being included on compilation albums or leaked onto the Internet. This was due to a conflict with Baby Records because the company was not releasing any material by Arcángel & De la Ghetto onto an album of their own. Arcángel claimed to have even spent $150,000 on producing an album, which resulted in the label not releasing it to market. The tracks produced were said to have been leaked onto the Internet instead. Arcángel had then filed a lawsuit with Baby Records in 2007 for US$1,000,000 and eventually left the record company in December 2006, when he announced that he was embarking on a solo career and founding a label of his own.
2008–present: Solo career and debut album
After the separation of the duo in early 2007, Arcángel went on to perform solo, working with various reggaeton producers and performers on compilation albums. Most notable of them was a compilation album produced in 2007, Flow la Discoteka 2, which was produced by songwriter and record producer DJ Nelson. The album was an upbringing of different artists trying to rise to fame, one of those including Arcángel, who made a track titled "Chica Virtual", which went on to be one of his most recognizable songs, as well as being a popular airplay single on American Latin Urban radio stations, charting at number 9 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. It also charted at number 22 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.
