Residente’s upcoming solo album is one of the most anticipated events in Latin American music.
With his previous project, the wildly successful Calle 13, René Pérez Joglar and his half-brother, producer and multi-instrumentalist Eduardo Cabra (aka Visitante), effectively co-opted reggaeton’s then dwindling popularity and staged one of the most impressive career runs in the industry.
In little more than a decade, they became household names thanks to their irreverent, take-no-prisoners brand of message-driven world-music/hip-hop fusion, setting the record for most Latin Grammy wins along the way.
Two years after disbanding Calle 13, Pérez is back with an ambitious multi-media project simply titled “Residente”, that includes new music, a documentary film (to premiere at this year’s SXSW in Austin), a book, music videos, and an interactive website.
The record is the result of some heavy-duty globetrotting by Residente, who inspired by the results of a personal DNA test, set off on a worldwide search to connect with his roots.
Lead single “Somos Anormales” explores the beginning of mankind and the idea that we are bound together by our perceived faults — and should take comfort in the fact that we are all weirdos in some way.
Calle 13 fans will probably appreciate this is not some kind of reinvention, but more of a continuation of Residente’s work within the band.
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