Bizarrap has just released his BZRP Music Sessions #54, the latest song in his gallery in which he collaborates with Puerto Rican artist Arcángel. Although it doesn’t look like it’s going to beat the records of Shakira’s beef with Piqué, the song is getting millions of views, and has undoubtedly become the star of the week.
Arcángel has a very long trajectory behind him. He is one of the first reguetoneros to stand out in Puerto Rico -the so-called cradle of reggaeton- and songs like Agresivo, Pa’ Que La Pases Bien or Mi Fanática have become history of the genre, and despite the passing years the artist keeps releasing more and more singles.
However, he is also a strong protagonist of controversies. Between his beefs with other artists, his macho comments and his “scares” of death, he has been on the front pages of more than just music. But who is Arcángel really? For those who don’t know the new Bizarrap collaborator, we bring you a summary.
From New York to Puerto Rico
Arcángel, whose real name is Austin Santos, was born in New York in 1985. That’s right, although he is known for his relationship with Puerto Rico, the singer was born in the United States, as his Dominican parents immigrated there in search of a better life. However, they soon moved to Puerto Rico, where they settled in order to raise their son Austin. There he grew up and grew up in Villa Palmeras, a neighborhood in the capital of the country, San Juan.
Arcángel’s relationship with music is not casual. His mother, Carmen Rosas, was a member of the merengue group Las Chicas del Can, who were very popular in the 1980s. Thus, Arcángel grew up with a very close relationship to music and what it entailed; he visited his mother’s concerts and considered her a great star.
Evidently, his references were not few. Thanks to his mother’s musical culture, he began to take an early interest in music, listening to all kinds of styles -curiously, he was a big fan of rock- and started composing his own songs when he was barely fourteen years old. Unlike many other artists who came to music by chance, he was clear that it was his way of life.
A promise that soon stood out
At 16, Arcángel began singing at local parties and school events, which allowed him to gain a small fan base. But it was at 18 when he decided to focus on his musical career and started working on his goal. It was at this time when he created together with Rafael Castillo “De la Ghetto” the group Arcángel y De la Ghetto, and in 2005 they released their first songs.
Although they were a group, they made it clear from their title that they were independent artists. Therefore, when they split in early 2007 there was not too much drama. Both went their separate ways and Arcángel focused on becoming a reference reguetonero in the scene.
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Arcángel’s big breakthrough, although he was already known in the industry, came in 2008. The singer released Chica virtual and reached the 9th position in the Latin Rhythm Airplay. From that moment on, his career began to grow without brakes. In 2008 he released the album El fenómeno, which featured collaborations with artists such as Don Omar and Tempo. Already as a recognized promise, he did not stop releasing songs during the following years, with more and more international repercussion.
In 2012, Arcángel gave a new boost to his career when he signed a contract with Pina Records, a record label that includes top singers such as Daddy Yankee, Nicky Jam and Ozuna. He was already one of the “crew”, so he began to work on dozens of songs a year, with more and more collaborations, and became one of the most listened reggaeton artists of the 2010s.
Despite his good work with the label, he ended his contract with the label in 2019, and since then he became an independent artist. Although his obvious peak has been this session with Bizarrap, as a freelancer he has not done badly at all. He has triumphed with his series of albums Los favoritos and has not stopped collaborating with singers like Dalex, Jay Wheeler, Manuel Turizo, Miky Woodz, Nicky Jam or Juanka.
Almost died in 2019
“I suffered a heart attack on September 16, 2019, I will never forget it… For every day, I thank God”, this is how Arcángel explained three years ago one of the most serious situations he has gone through in his life. The artist suffered a pre-infarction in which he was on the verge of dying, and which ended up leading to other problems.
In 2020, the performer informed his fans that he had been diagnosed with a brain problem and was receiving medical treatment. “For a year now, I have been battling with a sick heart and now a supposed spot on my brain, (I am) asking God daily to keep showing me the way, because I am not afraid of the only sure thing we have in this life, DEATH,” he explained in his networks.
In the end, everything seems to have remained a scare and Arcángel remains active in the industry and in his personal life. Of course, he has had to give up many of the excesses to which he was accustomed so that it does not continue to affect him and to be able to continue with life and stability.
Protagonist of sexist controversies
Beyond music, Arcángel usually makes headlines for the controversies in which he is involved. Since his beginnings he has been a musician surrounded by problems, and although that gives him an image that benefits his career and his history of humble origins, at some point it has had serious repercussions.
Beyond piques and beefs, in 2012 he was pulled over by the police in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for driving at an excessive speed after having ingested an excessive amount of alcohol. In addition, he constantly boasts of having a huge marijuana plantation, being a faithful defender of this drug.
But the most serious court case involving Arcángel came in 2019, the same year in which he suffered his heart attack and, in his own words, “it was like being born again”. The artist starred in a terrible macho attack at the doors of the Bound Bar establishment in Las Vegas. According to media reports, Arcángel was on his way to the Latin Billboard Music Awards when he assaulted his partner.
“The kick was so violent, it sent the alleged victim flying into the wall,” said from TMZ. Las Vegas authorities arrested the musician, and the public soon turned against him.
As if he didn’t have enough, in 2021 he starred in another macho controversy that ended with artists like Bad Gyal or Anitta criticizing him harshly. “You want to be respected as a woman, but you spend your time showing your cu**. Women who behave, distinguish themselves and are categorized as ladies” wrote Arcángel in his Instagram stories.
This caused half of the industry to get on his back, especially the female sector, and it is something that he has rescued in his song with Bizarrap with some shots at an industry that, according to him, no longer supports him. More than a few people have criticized Bizarrap for collaborating with someone like him, but it doesn’t seem to have affected the views of his latest session.
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