Calle 13 (band)

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Gov. of Puerto Rico Anibal Acevedo Vilá (right) greets Residente Calle 13 at La Fortaleza.

Calle 13 is a Puerto Rican Reggaeton duo formed by two brothers who call themselves Residente Calle 13 (lead singer, writer) and Visitante Calle 13 (pianist, vocals, writer). Their sister Ileana (aka PG-13) has contributed the female vocals to several of their songs. When they were children, Eduardo would visit his brother weekly on 13th STREET (CALLE 13), a street in the suburbs of El Conquistador, in Trujillo Alto.^[1]They named themselves Calle 13 after the area where they grew up in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.

The duo rose to fame in 2005 with two back-to-back hits on Puerto Rican radio stations, first one being Se Vale To To and Atrevete-te-Te!. Another song, the controversial Querido FBI ("Dear FBI"), that was not intended to be on their first release was written by the group's lead singer after the death of Filiberto Ojeda Ríos (leader of Puerto Rican revolutionary group, Los Macheteros). The duo was criticized by those who believed the lyrics promoted violence against the authorities, but the group insisted the song wasn't meant to be taken literally.

After their rise to fame, the duo was sought by other reggaeton artists, and they collaborated with artists such as Voltio in the song Chulin Culin Cunflai, and with the Three 6 Mafia in the remix, singing or co-writing songs. At the end of 2005, they released their first album, Calle 13, to much critical praise.

In December 2005, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Anibal Acevedo Vilá, admitted to listening to Calle 13 because his son put some of Calle 13's songs on his iPod. This prompted him to invite them to La Fortaleza and to have them record a song against shootings bullets in the air during New Years Eve celebrations, which was called Ley De Gravedad (Law of Gravity).

2006 was an even better year for the duo. So far, they have had three more smash hits on Puerto Rican radio stations, including the colombian cumbia style song Atrevete-te-Te!, Japón (Japan), and Suave (Soft/Slow). The group also had their first big concert on May 6, 2006 at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum.

On November 2, 2006 the band won three Latin Grammy's, they won in the category for Best New Artist, Best Urban Album for their self entitled album, Calle 13 and Best Short Version Video for the song Atrevete-te-Te! which was directed by Gabriel Coss and Jorge Rodríguez. Calle 13 is currently working on their second album. The songs on the album are being recorded in Puerto Rico and throughout various countries in Latin America.

1 Members
2 Albums
3 Singles
4 External links

[edit] Members

The two brothers that form the duo are as different as brothers could be.

Rene Perez aka Residente.

Residente (born as René Pérez on February 23, 1978 in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico) is the lead singer. Despite his gangster veneer, he has a degree in arts and a MFA in Computer Animation from SCAD in Georgia. He chose the name residente because that's how he had to identify himself whenever he returned to his home in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico ^{[citation needed]}. He bears more than six tattoos on his arms and chest, several piercings, and his head is almost always shaven or decorated with lines. He has recently been romantically linked to 2001 Miss Universe winner and fellow Puerto Rican Denise Quiñones.

Visitante (born as Eduardo Cabra on September 10, 1978 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) is the pianist and vocalist. He also has a degree in arts and paints regularly. He chose the name visitante because that's how he had to identify whenever he went to visit his stepbrother, René^{[citation needed]}. He has fewer tattoos and piercings, and typically has long hair and a beard.