Arcangel

Austin Agustín Santos, known professionally as Arcángel, was born on December 23, 1985, in New York City. His parents are Dominican. He was raised in Villa Palmeras in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His mother, Carmen Rosas, was a member of Las Chicas del Can, a merengue group popular in the 1980s. During the 2000s, he developed an interest in reggaeton and hip hop, drawing inspiration from artists like Tego Calderón and Tempo to pursue a music career.

Arcángel began his musical journey in 2005 after returning to Puerto Rico, forming the reggaeton duo Arcángel & De la Ghetto. They appeared on compilation albums like Héctor el Father & Naldo’s “Sangre Nueva” in 2005 with “Ven Pégate,” and Luny Tunes’ “Mas Flow: Los Benjamins” in 2006 with “Mi fanática.” In late 2006, Arcángel left the duo and Baby Records to pursue a solo career, citing issues with the record label. His solo debut album, “El Fenómeno,” was released in 2008 and included popular tracks such as “Chica virtual,” which reached number 9 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart and number 22 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart. His 2013 album, “Sentimiento, elegancia & maldad,” debuted at number one on the US Top Latin Albums chart.

Subsequent years saw further success and collaborations. In 2015, he released “Los favoritos” with DJ Luian, an album that topped the Latin Album charts. In 2016, he signed with Hear This Music, releasing the hit “La ocasión” with Ozuna, De la Ghetto, and Anuel AA. His 2018 album, “Ares,” focused on trap and R&B, featuring artists like Bad Bunny and J Balvin. In 2019, after leaving Pina Records, he signed with Rimas Entertainment and released “Historias de un capricornio.” He released “Los favoritos 2” in 2020 and its sequel, “Los favoritos 2.5,” in 2021, which was nominated by Billboard as the ‘album of the week’. His 2022 album, “Sr. Santos,” served as a tribute to his late brother, Justin Santos, and included the hit single “La jumpa” with Bad Bunny, which peaked at number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2023, he collaborated with Bizarrap on ‘BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 54’ and released ‘Sentimiento, elegancia y más maldad,’ followed by ‘Papi Arca’ in 2024 and ‘La 8va maravilla’ in 2026, marking 20 years in his career.