Gente de Zona feat. Los Del Rio

Mas Macarena

Gente de Zona feat. Los Del Rio

1 SONG • 3 MINUTES • JUL 14 2016

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1
Mas Macarena
03:09
(P) 2016 Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC / Magnus Media LLC

Artist bios

Hugely popular in their home country, Cuban group Gente de Zona ("People from the Neighborhood") combined reggaeton with traditional rhythms such as son and mambo. They recorded four hit albums and had been together for nearly 15 years before they finally broke out internationally via a collaboration with Latin megastar Enrique Iglesias.

Formed in 2000 in the Havana suburb of Alamar by Alexander Delgado and Michel "El Caro" Delgado (no relation), they started out as a hip-hop group, playing at parties and local clubs. El Caro left in 2005, and Alexander recruited two new members, Yosdany "Jacob Forever" Carmenates and Fernando "Nando Pro" Otero. Recognizing that his lyrics had always had a commercial bent, and wishing to appeal more broadly to all Cubans, Alexander switched to the then-popular genre of reggaeton, but melded it with the traditional Cuban genres with which he felt an affinity. After scoring a hit single with "Pa' la Gente de Mi Zona" in 2005, the group self-released its first, eponymous album, which yielded several further hits. In 2007, they signed with Italy's Planet Records, releasing their sophomore effort Lo Mejor Que Suena Ahora. The albums A Full and Oro: Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor followed in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The group became wildly popular in Cuba, with several of their singles topping the charts; their biggest hit there was the portentous "El Animal." In 2011, they even launched their own fragrance.

In 2012, Jacob and Nando left the group to pursue their own musical project, once again leaving Alexander as the sole remaining original member. He swiftly poached Randy Malcom Martinez from the popular timba band Charanga Habanera, and soldiered on. Expanding his interest in traditional music, he recruited a full band and collaborated with the orchestra Habana de Primera. Gente de Zona's international profile was raised via collaborations with Pitbull on "Vacaciones" and Dominican rapper El Cata on "Con la Ropa Puesta," which was a massive hit in Latin territories. Their 2014 collaboration with Enrique Iglesias, "Bailando," from his album Sex and Love, gave them their biggest international hit, going to number 12 on the U.S. Billboard chart.

At the end of 2016, La Gente de Zona issued the pre-release single "La Gozadera" that featured Marc Anthony as a guest. The cut peaked at number two on various charts. They followed it with "Traidora" -- another duet with Anthony -- in the spring. The subsequent album, Visualizate, was released at the end of April. In addition to the aformentioned singles the set included guest appearances from Pitbull, Motiff and AM, and Chino y Nacho & the Cadillacs. ~ John D. Buchanan

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Spawning one of the hottest dance crazes of the '90s, the duo of Antonio Romeo Monge and Rafael Ruiz released "Macarena" in 1993, but had to wait almost three years for the song to become a worldwide hit. Monge and Ruiz had recorded Spanish flamenco-pop as Los del Rio for decades, and were inspired to record "Macarena" by a dancer they saw in Venezuela. The single was originally released in April 1993 on a Spanish label, and became a hit in that country. Los del Rio's popularity sparked a special concert for the Pope, and prompted the BMG label to license an American dance-club version in 1994. The single -- remixed by the Bayside Boys -- hit the U.S. charts in 1995, but stalled at number 45 in December. Continued club play and a steady buzz surrounded the single, and it ascended to number one in July 1996. It locked the top spot for 14 weeks -- the rest of the summer and most of the fall -- and eventually sold over four million copies. The dance was a staple in baseball parks as well as dance clubs, making "Macarena" the biggest single of 1996. Baila followed in 1999. ~ John Bush

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