Residente

Residente is the stage name of René Pérez Joglar, a Puerto Rican rapper, songwriter, producer and filmmaker born in 1978. He first rose to prominence as co-founder and frontman of the alternative urban group Calle 13, whose genre-crossing blend of rap, Latin rhythms and social commentary made it one of the most acclaimed acts in Spanish-language music, earning an extraordinary number of Grammy and Latin Grammy awards. Trained in fine arts before turning to music, Residente brought a strong visual and conceptual sensibility to his work, often directing his own music videos.

Since launching his solo career under the name Residente, he has continued to push the boundaries of Latin urban music, fusing rap and electronic textures with folkloric and regional sounds gathered from research trips across the world, most notably documented in his ancestry-driven solo debut. Songs such as «Bellacoso» and «Sexo» show his ability to move between playful, provocative pop-rap and denser, more introspective material, while tracks like «Guerra» and «Apocalíptico» reveal his political and philosophical preoccupations.

Beyond music, Residente is known for outspoken activism on social justice, education and indigenous rights in Latin America, work recognized with the Nobel Peace Summit Award. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists across genres and remains one of the most distinctive lyricists in contemporary Spanish-language rap.