Maffio

Maffio originated the merengue electronico subgenre inside Latin pop while establishing himself as an award-winning record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and recording artist. Seven Grammy or Latin Grammy trophies stand to his credit, together with a dozen gold- and platinum-certified recordings. Production credits extend to tracks by Olga Tañón, Elvis Crespo, and Pitbull. ReHab Studio, a Miami recording and production facility, came into existence under his direction in 2010. Charting singles issued under his own name between 2012 and 2014 include “No Te Dejaré de Amar,” “No Tengo Dinero,” and “Quiero Otro Amor.” Additional hit recordings feature his contributions to Fonseca’s “Eres Mi Sueño” and Fuego’s “Mambo Para Bailar.” Mayor Tomás Pedro Regalado awarded him the key to the city of Miami in 2015. Sony secured his signature to a recording contract in 2019. The video single “Cristina,” recorded with Justin Quiles, Nacho, and Shelow Shaq, accumulated more than 126 million views. Two months afterward, “Celebration” featuring Farruko, Akon, and Ky-Mani Marley likewise reached the charts.

Carlos Ariel Peralta, born in 1986 inside a poor Santo Domingo neighborhood in the Dominican Republic, performs under the stage name Maffio. His father supplied the nickname that became his professional moniker, drawing on the boy’s fondness for gangster films. Formal musical training commenced early: at age six he presented a piano recital devoted to Beethoven and Bach. Following his parents’ separation he relocated to East New York in Brooklyn to live with his father. Although the United States served as his main residence, travel between the two countries allowed him to absorb musical traditions from each, expanding his instrumental command to bass, guitar, and drums alongside piano. Rhythms ranging from bossa nova through cumbia, merengue, and duranguense entered his vocabulary, as did electronic styles such as techno, house, and reggaeton. During high school he held jobs as an assistant mechanic, janitor, and warehouse stockperson, steadily saving earnings until his first major purchase—a computer—arrived. Beats and melodies constructed on piano, bass, and assorted percussion were multi-tracked and uploaded first to MySpace and later to Facebook, eventually attracting the notice of Manuel Alejandro “Boy Wonder” Ruiz. At twenty he secured his initial major opportunity, producing “Mi Alma Se Muere” for Fuego, Pitbull, and Omega; the single climbed to the Top 20 on Billboard’s Latin Tropical Airplay chart.

Momentum followed quickly. Further collaborations and productions involved Arianna Puello, Reychesta, Coro, L.D.A., Maroon 5, Kinito Méndez, Papi Sanchez, Juliana, Dombi, Joa, and numerous additional artists. Both major and independent labels retained his services. Radio programs produced under his supervision include El Vacilón de la Mañana on Mega 97.9 in New York City, The Luis Jimenez Show and El Show de Enrique y Joe on La Kalle 105.9 for Univision Radio nationwide, and La Juyilanga on Power 103 in Santo Domingo. Warner Music Latina signed him in 2011, and January 2012 brought his debut single as a recording artist, “No Tengo Dinero,” which remained eight weeks on the Hot Latin Songs chart. “Mi Sonido” followed in May. That same year a Latin Grammy recognized his work with Fuego on La Music del Futuro. In 2013 he composed, arranged, performed on, and produced albums including Toby Love’s Amor Total, Frankie J’s Faith, Hope y Amor, Gabriel Coronel’s Desnudo, and Henry Santos’s My Way. Late 2014 saw release of the charting single “Quiero Otro Amor.”

Subsequent years found him producing charting albums and singles for other performers. The year 2015 alone yielded Chino y Nacho’s “Tú Me Quemas,” Fuego’s “Mambo Para Bailar,” Farruko’s “Chillax,” and Jencarlos Canela’s “Bajito.” Two further charting singles for Canela—“Pa Que Me Invitan” and “Baby”—appeared the next year. Songwriting success arrived in 2016 with the chart hits “Vuelve” and “Si No Te Quisiera.” Nicky Jam’s “Without You” was both written and produced by Maffio in 2017. Demand remained constant in 2019, when he helmed no fewer than ten singles, most for Akon, among them “Bailame Lento” featuring Becky G, “Te Quiero Amar” featuring Pitbull, and “Boom Boom” featuring Anitta. He also wrote, produced, and recorded his own hit “Cristina” with Nacho and Justin Quiles, which included a guest appearance by Shelow Shaq and whose video surpassed 126 million views. At year’s end he entered an artist agreement with Sony Music Entertainment. The 2020 releases “Mente a Na” featuring Tito El Bambino, Kiko el Crazy, Nacho, and Quimico UltraMega, “Carne” featuring Don Miguelo, and “Pam” with Quiles, Daddy Yankee, and El Alfa preceded the November 6 arrival of his star-studded debut album Tumba Gobierno, which showcased collaborators including Rafa Pabon, Nestor Torres, Dalex, and Lo Blanquito. The single “Uchi Walla” featuring Akon and Nicky Jam entered streaming charts inside the Top Five, while an accompanying album documentary video posted on November 13 gathered roughly three million views within its first three days.