Ovi

Ovi emerged as a Cuban rapper and singer deeply embedded in the corridos tumbados movement of the twenty-first century. Toward the close of the 2010s he began shaping his own blend of reggaetón, trap, and urbano textures, enlisting high-profile partners such as Natanael Cano and Carolina Ross while issuing a rapid series of projects that included the 2020 albums AMEN and Buen Viaje plus 2021’s Retumban2. His growing roster of singles produced further successes, among them the 2022 track “Cologne” recorded with longtime associate Junior H, paving the way for the 2024 full-length El Asere de Aseres.

Although born in Cuba, Ovi—full name Ovidio Crespo—moved to the United States and nurtured ambitions of a music career fueled by the examples of Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderón. A string of 2019 releases, among them “Sin Pasaporte,” “Mi Pasarela,” and the Carolina Ross collaboration “Sigue Bailando,” led him into Jimmy Humilde’s Rancho Humilde roster alongside Natanael Cano and Junior H. Early in 2020 he delivered his first album for the label, AMEN, which featured appearances by Snow tha Product and Adriel Favela. That October, following Humilde’s partnership with Warner Music aimed at broadening the imprint’s reach, Ovi unveiled his second project, Buen Viaje, again drawing on Rancho Humilde contributors while also uniting with an all-star lineup that included Cano and Snoop Dogg on the single “Feeling Good.” He closed the year with Las 3 Torres, a joint effort alongside Natanael Cano and Junior H that counted as his third album of 2020. Both artists resurfaced on Ovi’s next solo outing, 2021’s Retumban2, whose standout cut was “Los 4 Ases (Corrido Tumbado).”

Once the initial wave of albums subsided, Ovi concentrated on joint singles that yielded further chart entries such as 2021’s “Día De Pago” with Duki, the already-noted “Cologne,” and 2023’s “Turbo” alongside Dani Flow. These releases set the stage for his fourth solo album, El Asere de Aseres, which arrived in early 2024.