By Jessica Rodriguez
A multi-hyphenate artist, Residente has donned the cap of rapper-producer-filmmaker-activist and humanitarian, since stepping on to the musical scene in 2004 as one half of the Puerto Rican alternative group Calle 13. Fifteen years, 39 music awards (more than any Latin artist yet), two humanitarian awards and multiple world tours later, in 2018 Residente reached new heights.
First there was his first solo album, “Residente”, featuring hits such as “Rap Bruto” that dropped in late 2017 and snagged him a Grammy. Using his DNA as a map he made an entire album utilizing music from each of those countries. Later in the year he released a documentary of the same name that follows him as he troops across continents learning and playing each country’s music. The movie made its way to Netflix along with a book he released about the experience of discovering his ancestral roots.