Trueno

Trueno, born Mateo Palacios Corazzina in Buenos Aires, helped drive Argentinian rap onto the international stage throughout the closing years of the 2010s and the opening years of the 2020s. The artist delivered one of the movement’s defining tracks with the 2020 single “Mamichula” and racked up hundreds of millions of streams via the multi-platinum LPs Atrevido (2020) and BIEN O MAL (2022).

Raised by his father, the Uruguayan rapper Peligro (Pedro Palacios), the young Trueno grew up immersed in hip-hop, traveling with him to events and battles nationwide. Following the path of many peers, he soon entered competitions himself, debuting at ACDP Juniors in 2014 and claiming the title two years later. Standout performances on El Quinto Escalón, FMS Argentina, and Red Bull Batalla, capped by a decisive 2016 win over Dani and Replik, cemented his standing among the nation’s top talents as he competed alongside Wolf, Ecko, Dtoke, and Duki. Building on strong freestyle showings in 2017 and 2018, he issued early singles such as “K.I.N.G.” and “En la Ola” before scoring his first significant breakthrough with the reflective track “Rain.”

By 2019 Trueno had shifted focus from battles to a solo career. His appearance on Bizarrap’s BZRP Freestyle Sessions propelled him to national recognition when the pair’s unadorned collaboration topped Argentina’s Hot 100. After stepping away from the battle circuit, he notched another success with Nicki Nicole on “Mamichula,” which led both the Argentinian Hot 100 and Spain’s PROMUSICAE chart while achieving triple-platinum status in Argentina and quadruple-platinum status in Spain.

A steady sequence of singles set the stage for the debut album Atrevido. Executive produced by Taiu & Tatool, the four-times-platinum record moved fluidly among contemporary trap, reggaeton excursions, and guitar-driven hybrids. Following the live release Atrevido En Vivo, Trueno ended 2021 with three consecutive hits—“FEEL ME??” in triumphant trap mode, the Tiago PZK-assisted reggaeton cut “Salimo de Noche,” and the ’90s hip-hop tribute “Dance Crip”—each surpassing 200 million streams. On the 2022 follow-up BIEN O MAL, he broadened his scope to social concerns, incorporating live instrumentation for tributes to his homeland, commentary on the struggles of Argentinian youth, and the father-son collaboration “Hoop Hoop.”