Gente de Zona

Gente de Zona is one of the most famous Cuban reggaeton groups, with multiple followers inside and outside the island. They have managed to capture the attention of the European public, and in Miami they are a sensation. Downloads of their music on the internet have broken records.

This group has an explosive sound, in which the energy of reggaeton does not hide the latent musicality of Afro-Cuban rhythms. Their mastery of the scene in live performances is impactful, accompanied by the band of excellent Cuban musicians who support them. "A blend of tight voices, effective lyrics, and a phenomenal choreographic display are the trademark of the group, serving to define the tremendous success that Gente de Zona has been achieving and that has made them undoubtedly the most important group in the Cuban popular music scene in recent years", thus defines them Ecured.

Their history began in the year 2000, when several rap singers gathered in Alamar, a coastal neighborhood east of Havana, known as the birthplace of Cuban hip-hop. The name of the group, Gente de Zona, was imposed then as evidence of the place they came from, since Alamar is divided by numbered zones.

Alexander Delgado later found Michel, "el Caro", and both began playing at parties and official venues in Guanabacoa and Regla and especially Alamar, their territory. In their beginnings as amateurs they perform in different cultural houses such as those in Alamar, Guanabacoa and Regla but mainly in their native zone where they quickly win over the public and followers, thus participating in the international rap festivals held annually in our country where, furthermore, Alexander was in charge of hosting for three consecutive years.

Later they became part of the Hermanos Saíz Association and it was not until 2002 that they began their professional career at the Antonio María Romeu company, performing throughout the country. In July 2005 Gente de Zona, still made up of Alexander and Michel, became part of the Cuban Rap Agency catalog, already with work showing greater maturity within their genre, always mixing it with our rhythms and taking into account market demands.

Until 2005, when Michel left the group. With Michel's departure, Alexander called Jacob Forever, director of the non-professional group Made in Cuba who had already done important work with Pachito Alonso, Eddy K, among others. Nando Pro also arrived as a musical producer and DJ, so Gente de Zona left its original format of two members to become Jacob Forever, Alexander and Nando Pro.

Gente de Zona manages to establish on stage a close communication with large masses of young people and the general public who follow their performances due to their stage presence and the quality of their work, with the number of people consuming it growing daily. Without a doubt they have become one of the most outstanding groups, exponents of reggaeton in Cuba, convinced that they came to stay and that they are the best sound now.

Their fame became evident with the album Lo mejor que suena ahora vol II, with songs like "Le gustan los artistas" and "Los animales", which topped the popularity charts not only in Cuba but also in places like Miami, where they are the undisputed number ones of Caribbean reggaeton and also in much of Europe, a continent to which they tour at least twice a year.

In March 2013 Gente de Zona announced the separation of Alexander and Jacob Forever. Alexander continues with the name Gente de Zona along with Randy Malcom, former singer of Charanga Habanera and Jacob Forever continues his solo career with Nando Pro and Dani, former member of the group (DpuntoD).

2014 was a year of resounding successes for Gente de Zona, after recording with Enrique Iglesias the Descemer Bueno song "Bailando" they catapulted themselves into the international arena and occupy the top positions in international hits. In this regard, the presentation of Gente de Zona with Descemer Bueno and Enrique Iglesias at the 2014 Billboard Awards ceremony was very important, said performance was a true sensation. With this, the duo left an open door for many Cuban artists.

"Bailando" gave Gente de Zona the possibility to break through, especially in the United States market, where it is so difficult for music by Cuban artists living in Cuba to reach. This song won three Latin Grammy Awards (Best urban performance, Best urban song and Song of the year). "Bailando" achieved an equal number of triumphs at the Lo Nuestro Awards (Video of the year, Song of the year and Collaboration of the year). Similarly "Bailando" dominated the 2015 Billboard Latino Awards winning awards in all six categories in which it was nominated: Hot Latin Song, Latin Pop Song, Vocal Event, Airplay Song, Digital Song and Streaming Song.

Later Gente de Zona launched their own songs, "La Gozadera" and "Traidora", both in collaboration with Marc Anthony, then they made the hit "Más Macarena" with Del Río. Their original sound has positioned them in the world of high-caliber Latin music.

Also, together with Pitbull they recorded two singles: "Piensas" and "Yo quiero", songs heavily heard on radio stations in Latin America and positioned in the top places of the Billboard Charts.

In 2016 Gente de Zona performed their first tour of Cuba after achieving international recognition. The tour was a success as they gathered hundreds of people in the main plazas of the country, one of the most memorable was the presentation they offered at the Augusto César Sandino stadium in Santa Clara before more than 30 thousand people.

The most important recognition of 2016 for Gente de Zona was the Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Music Album that they deserved for their album Visualízate, released to the market under the labels of Magnus Media and Sony Music. To this achievement are added the Billboard Awards for Best Tropical Song of the Year for the hit "La Gozadera" which they shared with Puerto Rican Marc Anthony; and also the top award in the category of Best Duo or Urban Music Group.

Subsequently they produced the CD Visualízate which includes collaborations with Pitbull, Chino y Nacho, J Álvarez among others.

In 2018 Gente de Zona was awarded the Silver and Gold Seagulls and had a successful presentation in that southern country at the 2018 Viña del Mar International Song Festival.

The world premiere of the video clip Te duele, which has quickly surpassed 2 million views. The launch of the video recorded in Havana is accompanied by the single with the same title and both will be part of their next album produced by Magnus Media, the record label already customary in the group's works.

Source: Gente de Zona. Official Site. https://gdzoficial.com/