De la Ghetto

Early life

Rafael Castillo Torres was born in The Bronx, borough of New York, NY, on September 17, 1984, to a Dominican father, Rafael Castillo, and a Puerto Rican mother, Migdalia Torres. His father died months after he was born, while his mother was incarcerated for six years in Argentina when Castillo was around the age of eight, eventually relocating to San Juan, Puerto Rico where he lived with his grandmother.

Career

In 2004, just before his twentieth birthday, Castillo met with another young reggaetón musician born in New York City by the name of Austin Santos—better known to the public as Arcángel—and the two decided to form a duo, Arcángel & De la Ghetto. The pair debuted with their single "Ven, Pégate", which was featured on Naldo's mixtape Sangre Nueva, in 2005. From there, Castillo was signed to Zion's label, Baby Records, and immediately began to make music. Castillo has appeared on numerous reggaetón compilation albums and collaborations, including the album Mas Flow: Los Benjamins. In 2006, De la Ghetto officially began his solo career, appearing the following year on two hit singles, as well: a remixed version of "Siente el Boom" by Tito el Bambino, plus a collaboration with Randy called "Sensación del Bloque", which has been viewed on YouTube over 200 million times as of July 2023. Masacre Musical was then released in 2008. Masacre Musical peaked at #46 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in the U.S.; its lead single, "Tú Te Imaginas", peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.

The 2018 album Mi Movimiento (my movement) was nominated in 2019 for a Latin Grammy Award for "Best Urban Music Album", and the track "Caliente" was also nominated for a Latin Grammy for "Best Urban song".

Personal life

In an interview, he revealed that he is married to a woman named Verónica and that the couple have two kids together.

Discography

Studio albums

• Masacre Musical (2008)
• Geezy Boyz: The Album (2013)
• Mi Movimiento (2018)
• Los Chulitos (2020)
• GZ (2023)
• Daylight (2025)

Mixtapes

• The Boss of the Block (2007)
• The Boss of the Block, Vol. 2 (2007)
• Masacre Musical Mixtape (2007)
• Masacre Musical Presents: El Movimiento (2008)
• Masacre Musical Presents: El Movimiento, Vol. II (2010)

Compilation albums

• El Jefe de la Versatilidad, Vol. 1 (2011)
• El Jefe de la Versatilidad, Vol. 2 (2011)

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

References

1. (2013-12-09). "De La Ghetto llega esta semana a Lima para dos presentaciones".
2. "Los mejores looks de De La Ghetto en el 2018".
3. (25 September 2019). "The Rise of Spanish Language R&B".
4. Salud, April. (August 17, 2017). "Latin Trap: Ozuna, Bad Bunny, De La Ghetto, Farruko & Messiah Narrate a Brief History".
5. (November 12, 2018). "Así fue la infancia De La Ghetto".
6. (February 8, 2018). "De La Ghetto habla de su infancia y relaciones familiares".
7. (October 17, 2020). "Celebra Arcángel 15 años de carrera con ''Los Favoritos 2''".
8. "Ella Es La Sensacion Del Bloque".
9. Birchmeier, Jason. (2008). "De la Ghetto > Biography".
10. "De la Ghetto > Charts & Awards > ''Billboard'' Albums". [[AllMusic]].
11. Rosa Escribano Carrasquillo. (March 18, 2020). "De La Ghetto habla de su aislamiento en familia".
12. "De la Ghetto Chart History (''Billboard'' Hot 100)".
13. "De la Ghetto Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)".
14. "Search – De la Ghetto (Songs)". [[Productores de Música de España]].
15. "De la Ghetto Chart History (''Billboard'' Global 200)".
16. "Mi Movimiento by De La Ghetto".
17. "Mala (Remix) – Single by Pitbull".
18. (1 June 2024). "New Song: Cheat Codes & Jason Derulo – ‘Morning’ (featuring De La Ghetto & Galantis)".