El General
Edgardo Franco ( born September 27, 1969 in Panama City ), better known by his stage name El General, is a Panamanian musician and DJ. He is considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre.
Franco's stage name El General based on the fact that a friend after completion of military service gave him at the beginning of his career, a naval uniform. This uniform was Franco henceforth at his concerts.
Biography
He grew up in a poor, multicultural, embossed particularly of Caribbean influences neighborhood called Río Abajo Franco began at the age of 12 years to write his own songs, in which he did address the everyday life in his neighborhood. In 1985 he emigrated with his mother to the United States and took there his last years of school.
In 1988 he took the songwriting again. That same year, a Jamaican producer noticed him and offered him the production of a single. Tu Pum Pum, a dancehall title, was in the Spanish-speaking scene of the United States soon after a hit; the title is very popular to this day in Latin America in nightclubs. Published in 1991 El General released his debut album Estas Buena, whose title song Te ves Buena became one of his biggest hits.
In the same year he was inspired by a song of the Jamaican Shabba Ranks Dem Bow called a cover version called Son Bow. This had far -reaching consequences for his musical career, as the straight drum machine rhythm of this title that marks the reggaeton until today, from now on the main basis of his songs was. Also in 1991 he released his second album Muevelo, in addition Son Bow also contained a remix of Te Ves Buena.
Over 90s El General has published numerous other albums and also continued to develop musically by elements from other styles, such as Samba and merengue, integrated into his music. In 1998 his first best-of album called Grandes Exitos. In addition, he has received numerous awards, including a Grammy nomination, and 17 platinum and 32 gold records. Latinos A Ganar was also the anthem of the Latin American soccer teams at the World Cup 1994.
2004, drew Franco, after an incident with the Panamanian government, which did not extend to him his diplomatic passport, as well as personal reasons provisionally from the stage. He now works as a producer and businessman ( he runs the label ARPA Music) and is involved in his own social project Niños Pobres Sin Fronteras ( Poor Children Without Borders) in his hometown, where he also works as a presenter on a radio program for children.