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FLEXING CHART MUSCLE
Reggae-Inspired Panamanian Singer Alters Moniker For U.S.
Success
The newest face of Latin rhythmic music comes with several
twists: He hails from Panama, not Puerto Rico; calls his style
romantic reggae, not reggaetón; and in Mexico, where his success
has given him entry to the U.S. market, he calls himself Nigga.
As of press time, Nigga's "Te Quiero" had been the No. 1 song on
the radio in Mexico for the last 10 weeks, according to Nielsen
Music Control. His Televisa EMI album of the same name climbed
to No. 1 on the Mexican sales charts the week of Nov. 12, with
sales of more than 50,000 copies, according to trade group
Amprofon.
Rhythm and pop stations in the United States, where the artist is
known as Flex, have adopted the single, which sounds like a
cross between the retro pop of Sean Kingston and melodic
reggaetón. The song is No. 20 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs
chart this week.
"It's a fusion of reggae music in Spanish with ballad lyrics," says
the artist, 27-year-old Felix Danilo Gomez, who counts
Panamanian reggae pioneer El General as an influence. "Puerto
Ricans liked it and did it their way. That's why reggaetón has a lot
to do with what I do—it's practically the same music, but they gave
it a different name and they made it more internationally
commercial."
The major signed Gomez on the strength of his relentless touring
in Mexico, where promoters have been booking him since June.
Some tweaking will be required in the U.S. market for an artist
known as Nigga. (The artist says the name came from a
Panamanian singer who "said I sang like a black guy from
Jamaica.") Gomez recut parts of his album where he makes
references to his Mexican moniker, and the CD packaging will be
reprinted with his U.S. name for its Jan. 15 release, label manager
Celeste Zendejas says.
But the sound may have less trouble translating, given the
success of romantic reggaetóneros like Rakim & Ken-Y and Casa
de Leones.
"It's a little more digestible than stuff that has the harder beat,"
says mun2 music scheduling manager Roberto Isaac, who has
also been fielding audience requests for the newly released "Te
Quiero" video.
Another Panamanian act, La Factoria, has received some airplay
traction as of late; its "Perdoname" stands at No. 22 on Hot Latin
Songs this week. But Gomez's success in Mexico has smoothed
the way for him here.
"Flex had such luck in Mexico that it made us take a look at him,"
KXOL Los Angeles music director/APD Jerry Pulles says.
Reggae-Inspired Panamanian Singer Alters Moniker For U.S.
Success
The newest face of Latin rhythmic music comes with several
twists: He hails from Panama, not Puerto Rico; calls his style
romantic reggae, not reggaetón; and in Mexico, where his success
has given him entry to the U.S. market, he calls himself Nigga.
As of press time, Nigga's "Te Quiero" had been the No. 1 song on
the radio in Mexico for the last 10 weeks, according to Nielsen
Music Control. His Televisa EMI album of the same name climbed
to No. 1 on the Mexican sales charts the week of Nov. 12, with
sales of more than 50,000 copies, according to trade group
Amprofon.
Rhythm and pop stations in the United States, where the artist is
known as Flex, have adopted the single, which sounds like a
cross between the retro pop of Sean Kingston and melodic
reggaetón. The song is No. 20 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs
chart this week.
"It's a fusion of reggae music in Spanish with ballad lyrics," says
the artist, 27-year-old Felix Danilo Gomez, who counts
Panamanian reggae pioneer El General as an influence. "Puerto
Ricans liked it and did it their way. That's why reggaetón has a lot
to do with what I do—it's practically the same music, but they gave
it a different name and they made it more internationally
commercial."
The major signed Gomez on the strength of his relentless touring
in Mexico, where promoters have been booking him since June.
Some tweaking will be required in the U.S. market for an artist
known as Nigga. (The artist says the name came from a
Panamanian singer who "said I sang like a black guy from
Jamaica.") Gomez recut parts of his album where he makes
references to his Mexican moniker, and the CD packaging will be
reprinted with his U.S. name for its Jan. 15 release, label manager
Celeste Zendejas says.
But the sound may have less trouble translating, given the
success of romantic reggaetóneros like Rakim & Ken-Y and Casa
de Leones.
"It's a little more digestible than stuff that has the harder beat,"
says mun2 music scheduling manager Roberto Isaac, who has
also been fielding audience requests for the newly released "Te
Quiero" video.
Another Panamanian act, La Factoria, has received some airplay
traction as of late; its "Perdoname" stands at No. 22 on Hot Latin
Songs this week. But Gomez's success in Mexico has smoothed
the way for him here.
"Flex had such luck in Mexico that it made us take a look at him,"
KXOL Los Angeles music director/APD Jerry Pulles says.
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