Born Tegui Calderón Rosario on February 1st, 1972, in
Santurce, Puerto Rico, and brought up in Río Grande,
Tego Calderon rose to become the greatest exponent of
the rap genre in the country. From a humble family
composed of his father, Esteban Calderón Ilarraza,
Director of Vaccination of the Department of Health,
his mother, Pilar Rosario Parrilla, a Spanish teacher;
and his sister, Kenya Calderón Rosario, Tego Calderón
is now recognized the world over the forbearer of
reggaeton, a culturally rich music genre sweeping
the musical landscape. In spite of having been born
in a poor neighborhood, Tego always knew that his
place in the music world was reserved and, therefore,
he prepared and nurtured himself with musical
influences and transformed himself into the musician
he is today. Now a father himself to four-year-old
daughter, Ebony Nairobi Calderón Ávila and seven month
old son, Malcolm X. (Xavier) Calderón Peterbauer,
Tego continues to break down barriers and defy expectations.
Thirty years ago, Tego took the nickname of "El Abayarde"
from his grandmother, who compared him to a restless
little animal as a child. His first record, aptly titled
"El Abayarde," broke reggaeton sales records, selling
50,000 copies in one day. Three weeks later, it reached
100,000 copies and eventually went platinum.
Distributed outside of Puerto Rico by BMG,
"El Abayarde," also went on to sell more than 100,000
copies between New York and Miami during the first
weeks of international release alone. Since then,
Tego has not looked back. He has collaborated with some
of the most gifted contemporary musicians across all
musical genres including 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Roselyn
Sánchez, Cypress Hill, Toño Rosario and el Grupo Aventura,
among others, to cement his grasp on the international
music scene. In January, 2004, Tego released his second
album, "El Enemy de los Guasíbiris," a collector’s album
that has become another success for the artist, remaining
first in sales since its launch. In June 2005, Tego
signed a joint venture deal with Atlantic Records,
becoming the first reggaeton superstar to partner with
a major record label.
Tego has received the "Tu Música" award, as well as been
nominated for a Grammy Award, Billboard Music Award,
Revelation Artist of NY, "La Gente" Award, and most
recently the "Lo Nuestro" Award. His unique image,
broad fan base and influential song lyrics lead the
prestigious French cognac Hennessy to select Tego as
the new face of the brand in an ad campaign launched
throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean
in 2004. Currently, Tego is creating the Tego Calderón
Foundation, a non-profit organization for marginalized
children and communities. The unbreakable commitment
of this poet of reality is to make his voice and message
reach all, in his own unique style. Through his songs,
Tego is sure that he can educate and make a difference.
For more information
see the
Official Tego Calderon Web site
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