Farruko - TMPR The Most Powerful Rookie (2016)

Farruko is a reggaeton and Latin pop singer from Puerto Rico. His given name is Carlos Efren Reyes, and he was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico in 1991. At the age of 16, he began to post his songs under his stage name to MySpace. His first single, "Sexo Fuera del Planeta," gained thousands of followers, and from there he explored the potential of other social media networks. Due to his massive success on the Internet, he came to the attention of Puerto Rican radio and music industry executives, who enlisted his vocal talents for other artists. Farruko's debut album, El Talento del Bloque, appeared when he was 18. It was released by Siente Music and distributed by Universal. Most of its 13 songs were self-penned. The set became an almost instant hit, and several singles followed from it. Some of the album's highlights included its collaborative tunes such as "Su Hija Me Gusta" with José Feliciano, "Ella No Es Facil" with Cosculluela, and "Traime a Tu Amiga" with Arcangel and Julio Voltio. He also issued the non-album smash "Pa Romper la Discoteca" with Daddy Yankee and Yomo. In 2012, he issued his sophomore offering, TMPR: The Most Powerful Rookie. Its first smash single was "Feel the Rhythm" ("Siente el Ritmo"), though it was one of five. As a whole, the set demonstrated that Farruko was as comfortable in electro and pop circles as he was in reggaeton; it was nominated for a Latin Grammy. After touring throughout Latin America and the United States and establishing large fan bases in locales such as Venezuela and Colombia, he returned to recording in 2014. Farruko Presenta los Menores was released in late October of that year. A week after its release, it topped the Latin Albums chart. Among the notable collaborations are "Salgo" with Arcangel, Ñengo Flow, D. Ozi, and Genio y Kelmitt; "Bebe Conmigo" with J. Balvin; and "Interesada" with Luigi 21+. He won the Premios Juventud for the song "6 AM" with J. Balvin and Latin Grammy Awards for Best Urban Performance and Best Urban Song in 2015. In February of that year, he released "Lejos de Aquí," a remix with Yandel. In June, he was Alejandra Guzman's surprise duet partner on her first urban single, "Adios." In July, he issued the pre-release track "Sunset" (featuring Shaggy and Nicky Jam), which garnered the top spot on various Latin airplay charts. In August, Farruko issued The Ones, a compilation of his charting singles and collaborations; it was a teaser for his next studio effort, Visionary, which appeared in late October. Pre-order excitement for the album propelled it to debut at number one on several Latin album charts; it remained there for several weeks after release. ~ Thom Jurek.