This Saturday, February 17, the All Music Fest 2 will take place where great stars of Latin and urban music will share the stage. Such is the case of Rafael Castillo Torres, known as De la Ghetto, who formed a duo with Arcángel in the early 2000s, when both achieved fame. The popular reggaeton player spoke with Perú21 a few days before his presentation in our country, where he will be alongside Elvis Crespo, Tito Nieves, Víctor Manuelle, Khriz y Ángel, Olga Tañón, Jowell y Randy, Ñengo Flow, Chencho Corleone and Kevin Roldán . Tickets are on sale at Teleticket.
What will your reunion with your Peruvian fans be like?
It will be a super explosive concert, full of lots of energy, lots of new music, as well as reggaeton classics. It’s going to be a very versatile festival. There will be urban, tropical, salsa, merengue, and reggaeton music. I’m crazy about being able to share the stage with many of my colleagues. Peru for me is like my second home because it was one of the first countries I visited when I started my career. It is a demanding audience that has supported me and the genre for many years.
Have you had the opportunity to share with them?
Yes, every time I go there I have the opportunity to talk to them. They always make t-shirts, jackets, caps and they make it in a way that it looks like they bought it in a boutique store. I am surprised by the creativity of the Peruvian fans who put together figures and stuffed animals of De la Ghetto. Many have tattoos with my name, with my face, they bring me gifts, sweets, cakes, cupcakes.
How much has your music evolved since your beginnings?
I started in music in 2006 with Arcángel, in 2007-2008 I launched myself as a soloist and every year in music I learn new techniques, new ways to evolve, both on stage when I am going to record, as well as to write and produce. a theme. Now I am in a more mature musical stage, I am more open mentally to different musical changes and to combine different genres.
From your perspective, how has urban music impacted popular culture?
Right now reggaeton is everything. All pop and rock artists want to do reggaeton, artists like Maná, when he did reggaeton with Nicky Jam and I didn’t even believe it because you know that there has always been that debate of rockers against reggaeton players, at school, at university, in social networks. I knew that was going to happen, but I didn’t think how quickly. And myself, when I fell in love with music from a very young age, from the age of 8 or 9, I was more of a rocker than a reggaeton player. Now reggaeton is booming and it can be a bit bad in the sense that it is becoming a bit saturated. Everyone wants to be an urban musician and it’s good that you make urban music, but I tell people to try to create their own path. I didn’t try to copy and look like so-and-so because if everyone wants to copy and look like everyone else, it can become saturated and damaged. Right now we are entering a very positive era for the genre because it is growing a lot. Before, only artists from Puerto Rico were heard, now there are many Peruvian artists who are getting into the music, Argentines, Chileans, Colombians, Panamanians, Venezuelans.
Many thought that reggaeton was just a fad, but it is here to stay. How much has your message changed over time?
Sometimes the lyrical content can be a little stronger. There is an audience for everyone and I believe it is also in the parents who decide what their children listen to. Sometimes, social networks can be a very important instrument, but they can also be fatal for a kid because nowadays kids think that if before the age of 21 you did not achieve certain things in your life, you are nothing and that is not true because when Tego Calderón took off his career, he was almost 34 years old. Eminem also hit at around 32 or 33 years old and is the best rapper in the world and one of the most successful. The problem today is that little kids want everything quickly, like a microwave, that is, they don’t want to stir the pot, chop the onion, turn on the stove, they want everything quickly. I advise you that you have to enjoy the process. Music has no age.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
Depending on the time. At the beginning of my career, it took me a long time to assume my responsibility as an artist. For example, arriving early to the media or to the studio to work and focus. In every job there is a responsibility. I have three children and I am not focused all the time on the music business, I also have to dedicate myself to my children, my family, listening to my work team. I was deceived many times in music, with contracts that I signed without reading, without getting oriented, without sitting down with a lawyer and learning about the business.
You have collaborated with many artists, which one has been your favorite?
With Daddy Yankee, when I started my career, because he is an artist that I have listened to since I was very little. When I was able to produce with him in the studio, I felt that vibe of “wow, I did it. “I’m recording with one of my idols.” And also recently, about five or six months ago, when I was in the studio with Bad Bunny, with Arcángel and Ñengo Flow in New York, recording for his album, I felt pressure, but, at the same time, satisfaction because Bad Bunny was inspired by us when he was a kid, just as I was inspired by Yankee when I was a kid. I was very happy because, despite everything, we inspired a new generation.
