Originally celebrated across Cuba, the Havana-based outfit Gente de Zona fused reggaeton with longstanding Cuban forms including son and mambo. Before achieving global recognition through a partnership with Latin superstar Enrique Iglesias, the ensemble had already issued four successful long-players and maintained its lineup for close to fifteen years.
Alexander Delgado and Michel “El Caro” Delgado (unrelated) established the project in 2000 within Alamar, a suburb of the Cuban capital. Initially operating as a hip-hop act, the pair performed at neighborhood parties and nearby venues until El Caro departed in 2005. Alexander then brought in Yosdany “Jacob Forever” Carmenates and Fernando “Nando Pro” Otero. Seeking wider appeal among Cuban listeners, he pivoted toward reggaeton while retaining the traditional rhythms that had long shaped his writing. The 2005 regional success “Pa’ la Gente de Mi Zona” preceded the band’s self-released debut album, which generated additional local favorites. In 2007 Planet Records of Italy issued the follow-up Lo Mejor Que Suena Ahora; A Full appeared in 2010 and Oro: Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor arrived in 2012. Several singles reached the top of domestic charts, the most prominent being the dramatic “El Animal,” and in 2011 the group even introduced its own signature scent.
Jacob and Nando exited in 2012 to launch an independent venture, again leaving Alexander as the sole founding member. He promptly enlisted Randy Malcom Martinez from the timba ensemble Charanga Habanera and continued forward. Broadening his exploration of classic Cuban sounds, Alexander assembled a full live band and recorded with the orchestra Habana de Primera. Early international exposure came via the Pitbull collaboration “Vacaciones” and the El Cata track “Con la Ropa Puesta,” which dominated Latin markets. The 2014 single “Bailando,” featured on Enrique Iglesias’s album Sex and Love, delivered the group’s breakthrough global hit, climbing to number 12 on the U.S. Billboard chart.
Closing 2016, Gente de Zona previewed the Marc Anthony-assisted “La Gozadera,” which rose to number two on multiple charts. Spring brought another Anthony duet, “Traidora,” followed at the end of April by the full-length Visualizate. Alongside those two tracks, the set also included appearances by Pitbull, Motiff and AM, and Chino y Nacho & the Cadillacs.
