Austin Agustín Santos (born December 23, 1985), better known by his stage name Arcángel, is an American rapper and singer. He is often described as one of the most influential artists in the Latin urban genre, as well in Latin music overall, and one of the pioneers of Latin trap music. Around 2002, he became interested in becoming a performer of reggaeton. He met fellow singer De la Ghetto while living in Puerto Rico, where they eventually formed a popular then-underground reggaeton duo, Arcángel & De la Ghetto.
While releasing music with De la Ghetto during the mid-2000s, he released songs that eventually became popular in both the United States and Puerto Rico, including "Aparentemente", "Agresivo", "Sorpresa", and "Mi Fanática". The duo went on to pursue solo careers following their separation in 2007; Arcángel also started a record label of his own. Since the start of his solo career in 2008, he has released hit singles such as "Pa' Que la Pases Bien", "Por Amar a Ciegas", "Hace Mucho Tiempo", "Me Prefieres a Mí", "Me Acostumbré", "Tú No Vive' Así", "Sigues Con Él", "La Jumpa", and "ALV". Arcángel's second major-label album, Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad (2013), peaked at number one on the US Top Latin Albums chart, with his later solo studio albums—Ares (2018), Historias de un Capricornio (2019), and Los Favoritos 2 (2020)—appearing on the chart's top five.
Early life Austin Agustín Santos Rosas was born on December 23, 1985, in New York City to Dominican parents. He and his family moved to Puerto Rico when he was 3 months old, and eventually they began moving back and forth between New York City and Puerto Rico, starting when he was 12. His mother, Carmen Rosa, was a former member of the all-women merengue group, Las Chicas del Can, who were popular from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. Santos grew up listening to various types of music and has been a fan of rock music, particularly Draco Rosa, a Puerto Rican pop rock artist and a former member of Menudo. Santos was not always a fan of reggaeton; he claims that it is not his favorite type of music, but it is easy to sing to. During the early 2000s, Santos grew fond of the new kind of music.
Music career 2004–2007: Career beginnings with De la Ghetto
After returning to Puerto Rico in 2002, Santos had decided to follow in the footsteps of the upbringing of reggaeton music. He went on to form part of an underground reggaeton act with De la Ghetto, Arcángel & De la Ghetto. The duo was signed to reggaeton artist Zion's record label, Baby Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. The duo were also involved with Machete Music in 2004 during the time that they were recording for reggaeton compilation albums. Arcángel & De la Ghetto rose to fame in 2006 on the reggaeton compilation album hosted by Héctor el Father, Sangre Nueva, with their hit song, "Ven Pégate".[ Arcángel Biography]. AllMusic (Macrovision Corporation). Retrieved on March 10, 2009 They were also featured on the Luny Tunes-hosted compilation Mas Flow: Los Benjamins in 2006.
Though an active musical duo, Arcángel & De la Ghetto have never released a studio album since the formation of the duo. Any production they had been involved with only resulted in tracks and recordings being included on compilation albums or leaked onto the Internet. This was due to a conflict with Baby Records, because the company was not releasing any material by Arcángel & De la Ghetto onto an album of their own. Arcángel claimed to have even spent $150,000 on producing the album K-Libre (2006), which resulted in the label not releasing it to market. The tracks produced were said to have been leaked onto the Internet instead. Arcángel then filed a lawsuit with Baby Records in 2007 for $1,000,000 and eventually left the record company in December 2006, when he announced that he was embarking on a solo career and founding a label of his own.
2008–2013: Solo career, El Fenómeno, and Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad
After the separation of the duo in early 2007, Arcángel began his solo career, working with various reggaeton producers and performers on compilation albums. Most notable of them was a compilation album produced in 2007, Flow la Discoteka 2, which was produced by songwriter and record producer DJ Nelson.DJ Nelson Flow La Discoteka 2 CD . CD Universe. Retrieved on April 12, 2009 The album was an upbringing of different artists trying to rise to fame, one of those including Arcángel, who made a track titled "Chica Virtual", which went on to be one of his most recognizable songs, as well as being a popular airplay single on American Latin Urban radio stations, charting at number 9 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay chart.[ Latin Rhythm Airplay]. Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved on March 8, 2009 It also charted at number 22 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.Hot Latin Songs . Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved on March 8, 2009.
In July 2008, Arcángel told Billboard that he was working on his debut album La Maravilla, which was set to be a Latin urban album and was set to release in September or October 2008. The album was eventually cancelled due to tracks of the album being leaked onto the internet that same year.ArcangelLaMaravilla.Net – Home . Retrieved on April 12, 2009 One of the internet leaks, a song titled "Pa' Que la Pases Bien", went on to be a popular airplay track on American Latin Urban radio stations across the United States. The unreleased album being leaked onto the internet resulted in making Arcángel more popular among reggaeton fans in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico.
Arcángel founded Flow Factory Inc. in 2006, and his mother became his manager afterward. He claimed that it was easier having his mother be his manager so that he would not have to pay 20 percent of money received from record sales to his record label and manager. He went on to release his debut album, El Fenómeno, in late 2008. The album included songs that were produced in the last quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, including the DJ Nelson produced "Chica Virtual". Half of the album was tracks that he originally produced for an album that was to be released in the first quarter of 2008. The other half of the album also included newly produced tracks, ones including "Por Amar a Ciegas", which went on to become a successful airplay single on Latin urban radio stations across the United States.
In mid-January 2009, Arcángel announced plans for a European tour sometime during 2009, in promotion of his debut album, El Fenómeno, and to receive more exposure across the world from reggaeton fans. To comment on the tour, he claimed that in order for it to be successful, good equipment would be highly important, and by going on the tour, he would be able to learn more about a continental tour experience. Arcángel confirmed that he would be touring in several countries, including Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, England, the Netherlands and Denmark. His mixtape The Problem Child was released in April 2010, with his following mixtape Optimus A.R.C.A. released in October 2010.
In February 2012, Arcángel signed with Pina Records, which is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico and operates offices in Colombia and Venezuela. Through the label, Arcángel released "Hace Mucho Tiempo", the lead single from his 2013 album Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad, which both performed successfully. The album debuted at number one on the US Top Latin Albums chart, making it his first number-one, and first top-10, studio album.
2015–2019: Ares and Historias de un Capricornio
In 2015, Arcángel and fellow producer DJ Luian released their collaborative album Los Favoritos, which features Nicky Jam, fellow Puerto Rican artist Farruko, and Colombian singer Maluma. The album was successful, debuting atop the US Latin Rhythm Albums chart and at number two on the US Top Latin Albums chart. In 2016, he signed with Hear This Music and released "La Ocasión" along with Ozuna, De la Ghetto, and Anuel AA, which was a big hit. In 2017, he collaborated with Ozuna and J Balvin on the Chris Jedi-produced track "Ahora Dice", and also collaborated with Snow Tha Product on "Nuestra Canción Pt. 2".
In 2018, he released his third studio album, Ares, which was composed mostly of Latin trap, something much different from his past albums, which were mostly reggaeton. The album featured Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny and Colombian artist J Balvin.
In 2019, he collaborated with Myke Towers, Farruko, Sech and Zion on the remix for "Si Se Da". That same year, he ended his contract with Pina Records and signed with Rimas Entertainment, where he released singles to promote his fourth studio album, Historias de un Capricornio, which included collaborations with Ozuna, Bad Bunny, Myke Towers, among others. He released "Te Esperaré" on August 16, 2019, as the album's lead single; "Memoria Rota" with Towers was released on October 25, 2019, as its second single. The album's fourth single, "Sigues Con Él" featuring Sech, marked a major breakthrough for Arcángel, as it peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking his first appearance on the chart.
2020–2021: Los Favoritos 2 and 2.5 In April 2020, Arcángel and Sech released a remix version of "Sigues Con Él" with Romeo Santos. Later, the rapper released a few more singles to promote his fifth studio album Los Favoritos 2, which is a sequel to his 2015 album with DJ Luian, Los Favoritos; the singles "Tussi" and "Amantes y Amigos" were released in September and October 2020. The album, which was originally planned to be released in 2017, contains a sequel to "Aparentemente" with Yaga & Mackie and De la Ghetto titled "Aparentemente 2," as well as collaborations with Cosculluela, Ozuna, Wisin & Yandel, Romeo Santos, among others.
In April 2021, Arcángel and Colombian rapper Farina released their collaborative EP FloWres, which was supported by their single "La Boca". In September of the same year, he released his sixth studio album, Los Favoritos 2.5, which was supported by the single "Insegura" and contains collaborations with Zion & Lennox, Nicky Jam, Tempo, among others. In November 2021, Arcángel's younger brother, Justin Santos, died in a car accident while visiting Puerto Rico.
2022–present: Sr. Santos and Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad In November 2022, a year after the death of Justin Santos, Arcángel released the single "JS4E" and announced his seventh studio album, Sr. Santos, to be a tribute to his brother. A week later, he released the album's second single, "La Jumpa" with Bad Bunny, which became another hit single for Arcángel, peaking at number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Sr. Santos was released on December 1, 2022, containing collaborations with Myke Towers, Young Miko, Eladio Carrión, Bizarrap, among others. The album peaked at number three on the US Top Latin Albums chart, achieving his sixth top 10 on the chart.
In March 2023, Arcángel joined Bizarrap to release his 54th "Music Sessions", which was originally teased on social media before release. After the release of several singles, the singer announced his eighth studio album, Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad, which is a sequel to his second album, Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad. Following the announcement, Arcángel released the album's lead single, "La Chamba" with Peso Pluma, which was announced with a trailer featuring American actor Danny Trejo, released on October 30, 2023. The album was released on November 17, 2023, with most of the album's production done by Dímelo Flow. On this album, "ALV" with Grupo Frontera became a hit in other countries.
Controversy