Ecko

Ecko rose through Argentina’s battle-rap and freestyle circuits, forging a commanding delivery and sharp punch-line instinct that positioned him among the foremost figures in the country’s expanding trap movement and among its most gifted MCs. Merging the styles of Don Omar, Eminem, and Residente, he channeled those sources into Latin trap, reggaeton, and melodic trap, signing with Universal toward the close of 2019.

Born Ignacio Matias Spallati in Buenos Aires, the rapper first encountered music via Puerto Rico’s Calle 13 at age eight, an encounter that ignited his interest before Detroit-born Eminem prompted him to refine his own rap abilities. The freestyle circuit became his training ground in his early teens, beginning with a 2014 appearance at the Red Bull Buenos Aires qualifiers and advancing to broader contests. Buenos Aires’ El Quinto Escalón served as his primary proving ground. After reaching the semifinals in 2015, he achieved repeated victories throughout 2016, defeating Trueno, Duki, Beelze, and Wolf on multiple dates. Additional showings at Ego Fest, Cruce de Campeones, and the historic Big Bang Double AA Festival 2016 further displayed his wordplay and flow, which he committed to wax on the debut singles “D1sputa” and “Dealer de Skilles.”

Successes continued in 2017 at F-NIX Freestyle, Red Bull Nacional, and El Quinto Escalón, yet the year’s defining moment arrived with the explosive trap anthem “Dorado,” which introduced his sound to millions. Capitalizing on that reach, he spent 2018 assembling a trap-centric catalog that comprised 18 releases, among them the hard-hitting “Rebota,” the high-energy “Piso,” and the melodic “Bye,” each amassing tens of millions of streams. His 2019 output stayed equally dense while expanding stylistically, pairing bouncy trap cuts such as “Zigzag” and “Malportau” with reggaeton excursions like “Besame” and “Poca Luz,” romance-driven tracks including “Como Le Digo” and “Me Despierto,” and an early appearance on Bizarrap’s freestyle platform.

After securing the Universal deal in late 2019, Ecko sustained his momentum. In 2020 he linked with Brytiago, Eladio Carrión, Brray, Cazzu, and Lalo Ebratt among others for a string of singles that supplied the bulk of his debut EP, Young Golden. He opened 2021 with the Rei collaboration “West Side” and the Mariah Angeliq-featuring “Reggaeton de Antes,” then turned to a full-length project. Issued in June 2021, the eight-track Géminis presented a range of trap and reggaeton approaches.