Kendo Kaponi

Kendo Kaponi, born José Rivera Morales on 18 August 1984 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, is a rapper and reggaeton artist known for a hard-edged, street-rooted style rooted in the reguetón and Latin trap traditions. His early life was marked by hardship, including time spent in the juvenile justice system, and he entered music through connections with established Puerto Rican urban artists before building his own solo career.

Before becoming a recognized solo act, Kendo Kaponi worked extensively as a songwriter and collaborator for major figures in reggaeton, including Wisin y Yandel, Héctor «El Father», Zion y Lennox, Tony Dize and Baby Rasta y Gringo, which gave him deep credibility within the genre's inner circle. His own catalog, featuring tracks such as «Me Contagié», «Hola» and «Riendo Para No Llorar», blends raw rap delivery with reggaeton rhythm and R&B-inflected hooks.

His sound is generally rougher and more lyrically direct than mainstream reggaeton pop, drawing on personal experience and street narrative, which has earned him a loyal following among fans of underground and traditional Puerto Rican urban music. He remains an influential figure in the genre's songwriting circles as much as for his own recorded output.