DJ Playero
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Playero | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Genre(s) | Reggaeton |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Label(s) | BM Records |
DJ Playero is a Puerto Rican producer of reggaeton artists and albums. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of the genre on the island. In the early 90s, most of his underground productions were distributed and sold in housing projects and among fans. Most of those are considered pinnacles of the genre and launched the careers of lots of reggaeton artists.
With the surge of reggaeton in the late 90s, his productions became more stylized and mainstream. He reissued some of his earlier underground productions and several compilations of hits. In 2003, a DVD titled Playero: Su Trayectoria was released.
As a producer he has worked with artists like Vico C, Daddy Yankee, Mexicano 777, Baby Rasta y Gringo, Master Joe Y O.G. Black, Don Chezina, Rey Pirin, B.F. Yaviah, Ruben Sam, Ranking Stone, Tempo, Hakeem & Jenay, and others.
[edit] Discography
- Playero 37: Underground was originally a mixtape recorded in a small studio in one of Puerto Rico's housing projects (called caseríos). The album combines elements of Rap, hip hop, and reggae with lots of fast-paced, rhythmic beats and catchy lyrics. Although in previous mixtapes Playero featured a few Reggaeton songs, Playero 37 was the first time he made an all Reggaeton album. The tape was 90 minutes long and it was distributed in the streets as bootleg copies. When DJ Playero decided to distribute the album widely, he had to cut it down, because the 90-minute runtime could not be allocated in one CD. Outfitted with original artwork and with Side A (Dance Hall Mix) and B (Ragga Moofin Mix) edited down to about 23 minutes each, Playero 37 was released officially, and became one of the most successful Reggaeton records of all time.
- Playero 37: The Original Since the full version of Playero 37 was originally released in 1992 as an underground tape distributed in the streets, many people never had the chance to listen to the full original version. As a result, in 2000 the album was re-issued in its entirety in 2 CDs , and titled "The Original" instead of "Underground". Among the artists who did not appear in the Underground edit are Ranking Stone, Lisa M, 3 Two Get Funky (Mickey Perfecto & Bimbo) and Maicol & Manuel. The rest is made up of additional songs by Daddy Yankee, Master Joe, O.G. Black, Frankie Boy,Brocky,Burufast Z and Baby J, among others.
- Playero 38: Underground With the success of Playero 37 and The Noise Vol.1 and vol.2 giving reggaeton great momentum, DJ Playero releases 38: Underground. It was recorded sometime between 1993 and 1994, and established the dembow as the official rhythm of reggaeton while lifting the genre to mainstream status. However, Playero 38's success brought attention to reggaeton's explicit lyrics (not noted in album front covers at the time), and was a major reason for the confiscation of thousands of reggaeton records by the government of Puerto Rico in 1994. The album features many of the veterans from Playero 37, including Daddy Yankee,,Az, Blanco, Yaviah, OG Black, Master Joe, Frankie Boy, Maicol & Manuel, Ranking Stone, among others. It also introduces many future successful Reggaeton artists in Rey Pirin, Ruben Sam, Miguel Play, Kalil, Original Q, Grupo Nizze, Camaleon and K.I.D.
- Exitos 95 released 1995
- Playero 38: Special Edition after the successful release of Playero 37: The Original, Playero 38 was reissued in 2000 as a 2-disc Special Edition. The first CD features a split-track version of Playero 38 with a couple of changes: Maicol & Manuel's original song is replaced with a remixed version, and it does not include the rap bonus track of the original album's CD version. The second CD is a reggae, dance and reggaeton mix by DJ Playero, with a Radio Version edit that's found, oddly, in the 1st CD.
- Playero Greatest Hits: Street Mix 1
- Playero 39: Respect 39 has a different scheme, lyrics are based on love, relationships, street's problems. It was released sometime between 1994 and 1995. CD version includes a Special Bonus Track.
- Playero 40: New Era was released in 1996. Some of the artists in it are Polaco, Baby Rasta & Gringo, Rey Pirin, Don Chezina, Mexicano, Point Breakers, Ranking Stone, and others.
- Exitos 97
- Playero Greatest Hits: Street Mix 2
- Playero 41: Past, Present & Future is a two-part album released in 1998 and 1999. Part 1 features the usual reggaeton repertoire, while Part 2 focuses on Rap and Hip Hop tracks. The albums include songs by Tempo, Nicky Jam, Daddy Yankee, Mexicano, Glory, Rey Pirin, Memo & Vale, Yaviah, Vico C, and others.
- Playero 42: El Especialista was released in 2002 after a hiatus. It featured Nicky Jam, Ivy Queen, Plan B, Trebol Clan, and others.
- Playero Greatests Hits: Street Mix 3
- Montana Collection
- Deja vu
- 'Playero 43 (2008?) Promoted on his Myspace.
[edit] DVD
The DVD Playero: Su Trayectoria was released in 2003. In it, Playero narrates his trajectory in music among some things. It also contains several videos, and a live concert with Daddy Yankee and Mexicano. It also features songs by other artists.
