Gerardo

Born in Ecuador, Gerardo rose to prominence as a chart-topping rapper and singer after the energetic single “Rico Suave” powered his debut album, the 1991 release Mo’ Ritmo. He helped pioneer Latin dance music by performing in Spanglish, the English-Spanish hybrid, and followed up in 1992 with Dos, an album shaped by producer Chuck Reed. The Latin rap artist set aside his trademark bandana after issuing Asi Es in 1994 and Derrumbe in 1995, shifting instead to an A&R position at Interscope Records. In that role he secured Enrique Iglesias’s arrival in the United States and thereby launched the singer’s American career. Gerardo resumed recording in 2001 with the album Gerardo: Fame, Sex y Dinero, which included the hit single “Sigo Siendo Rico.”