Yosdani Jacob Carmenates

Popular and recognized Cuban reggaeton singer. He was a member of the group Gente de Zona. Since 2013 he has created his own group Los Inmortales, together with El Dany (former member of D.D) and Nando Pro.

He began singing and dancing in a very innovative way, on roller skates with a dance company where he imitated artists from N'Sync and Back Street Boys. With the Jacob dance company he travels to Spain, stays for a year, returns to Cuba and forms the group "Made in Cuba".

Jacob Forever, director of the non-professional group Made in Cuba, carried out important work with Pachito Alonso, Eddy K, among others. In 2005, together with Nando Pro, a recognized music producer and DJ, he became part of Gente D'Zona alongside its founder Alexander Delgado. With Gente de Zona he was part of the album Lo mejor que suena ahora vol II, with songs like "Le gustan los artistas" and "Los animales", which reached the top of popularity charts not only in Cuba but also in places like Miami and Europe where they were recognized as standard-bearers of Caribbean reggaeton.

In 2006 came the great hits "Soñè" and "La Campaña", two superhits, in Cuba and in general for all fans of Cuban music. In 2007 they perform as guest stars on David Calzado and his Charanga Habanera's CD, "El cañón". They win a "Premio Lucas", and the megahits "Le gustan los artistas" and "Pa´ la calle" follow. In the summer of 2008 their first CD is released exclusively worldwide with Planet Records, "Lo mejor que suena ahora". The music video for the superhit "Yo te enseñé", directed by Santana, is a candidate for the Lucas Awards.

After the chain of successes, in 2010 "Full" is released on the music market. It consists of 16 songs and was made in collaboration with many artists: Orishas, Dr López, Sr Rodríguez, Los Generales, El Micha, Los Alertas, La Real Familia and Elvis Manuel. In the summer of 2011 and January 2012 the band carries out two other important tours playing in almost forty cities with great artistic success, critical and public acclaim. In the summer of 2012 they carry out another important tour through Europe.

In March 2013 Gente D'Zona announced the separation of Alexander and Jacob Forever. Alexander continues with the name Gente D'Zona alongside Randy, former singer of Charanga Habanera and Jacob Forever continued his solo career with Nando Pro and El Dany, former member of the group (DpuntoD).

Jacob also collaborated on the phonogram "Abre que voy", the most recent album release by Paulo FG and his Élite, which constitutes Paulo FG's usual foray into popular dance music and especially timba. On this album the well-known singer performed the song A la lokera, giving it more youthful touches but without renouncing the genre that has made him popular.

"Hasta que se seque el Malecón", is a phrase rescued from popular wisdom that emerges back into fashion thanks to Jacob Forever (if any of you are not very familiar with this world, I'll tell you that it's pronounced Yéico Forever).

Yéico started singing with Alexander "El Monarca", and nicknamed himself "El Inmortal". It is suspected that he has a large progeny, as in most of his concerts he tells someone in the audience: "I am your dad, 'El inmortal'".

Before becoming famous, the duo from Alamar sang in unlikely places like the Francisco Pérez Germán Partagás tobacco factory. At that time, one of their biggest hits was: "I don't know why, but I'm surprised; / and his family is campaigning for me, / I don't know why, I can't explain it, / he likes ugly people, he doesn't like pretty ones". With those lyrics Jacob and Alexander began their upward path to popularity as Gente de Zona.

Their dual identity was solid. They united in the struggle against other reggaetoneros whom they challenged from the stage: "Who are you? / If nobody knows you. / Don't suffocate me anymore, / it's better to avoid friction". Sometimes they sang odes to their ego and asked themselves in the middle of a concert: "Yéico, where is Alexander" and "Alexander, tell me where Yéico is".

One fine day the successful musical formula dissolved. Perhaps he realized that of the two, Alexander was "El animal" —note, it's not an insult, quite the opposite. After the separation, Alexander kept the name of the group and started his life there —the tradition of breakup in this genre had previously been initiated by Baby Lores and Insurrecto, who involved Chacal— they fought, they offended each other and then made "peace" at a criticized Concierto del Capri.

With Gente de Zona it happened as in most cases: every breakup is followed by the "tiradera". Jacob attacked his former colleague with the song, "Pin pon, muñeco de cartón". Alexander, who had added to his team Randy Malcom, former singer of Charanga Habanera —by the way, born in Guanabacoa—, responded in a similar children's music register with the track "Pin8". It went like this: "Pinocchio has such a long tongue / that he steps on it, / he spends his time commenting / and saying things that make me laugh, / that if he has a mansion in Hollywood, / that if he drives a Ferrari through Malibu. / He wants to be like Randy Malcom and like Marilú's son" (obviously, the latter is Alexander, and Marilú is not the same as Pedrito Calvo's).

Believing that the musical response was not enough, Alexander decided to hurt him where it hurt the most. He set out to prove that he was the soul of Gente de Zona and broke audience records by performing songs with Descemer Bueno, Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Pitbull and even with the veterans who popularized "La macarena" several decades ago.

Faced with Gente de Zona's successes, anyone would have felt humiliated and destroyed. I, for example, would have repeated to myself over and over: "Why caramels, did you leave the group?". But Yéico, unfazed, composed the most repeated song of 2016 throughout all of Cuba. He thus believed he had defeated his rivals. Although obviously he did not succeed, his song: "Hasta que se seque el Malecón", seems to continue to be heard in Havana "until reggaeton dies".

Someone was paraphrasing Silvio Rodríguez by saying that: "The problem is not that the Malecón dries up, the problem, gentlemen, is that Jacob is immortal". Fearing the perpetuity of the genre, I have decided to join in. With my dear friend Daniel Loynaz I have started a new duo —from which maybe one day I'll leave to fight and be faithful to our musical legacy—, but which for now places us in what's most "catchy". I invite you to follow us out there. We are Rodil and el Dany, the best of reggaeton in Cuba.

Awards
Year 2016:

Lucas Prize 2016 in the Most Popular Video category: Video: Hasta que se seque el Malecón[1].
Reference
Lucas Awards 2016: From De Buena Fe to Jacob Forever. Available in: Diario Juventud Rebelde. Accessed on February 14, 2017