Big Boy

Born Gustavo Roy Diaz in Puerto Rico, Big Boy first built local support by staging live shows across his Santurce neighborhood to push the tracks he had produced on his own. Those appearances secured a deal with Musical Productions, which issued his debut album Mr. Big in 1993. The follow-up Que Vayas Con Dios and the 1996 set Mis Ojos Lloran por Ti contained material shaped chiefly by American rap of the 1980s as well as Latin and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. During the middle of the decade his recordings began registering on charts throughout Central and South America, where he emerged as a leading voice in Latin rap.

Big Impact, released in 1999 under the supervision of producer Eric Montero, contained “Voy a To’as,” a collaboration with MC Cejas, plus English- and Spanish-language versions of the hit single “Hacerte el Amor.” Virus and The Phenomenon appeared soon afterward.