Residente
René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978), known professionally as Residente (often stylized as Resīdɛntə), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter and filmmaker. He is best known as one of the founders of the alternative rap band Calle 13. Residente released five albums with Calle 13 before announcing his solo career in 2015. Residente released his debut solo album in 2017. He has won four Grammy Awards and 28 Latin Grammy Awards—more than any other Latin artist. Residente has also delved into producing documentaries including Sin Mapa (2009) and Residente (2017) and has directed some of his own music videos.
For his solo album, see Residente (album).
Residente
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- filmmaker
2004–present
- Denise Quiñones
(2006–2009) - Kasia Marciniak
(2017–present)
1
- Eduardo Cabra
(step-brother) - iLe
(half-sister) - Lin-Manuel Miranda (cousin)
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Residente developed an interest in art, music, and left-wing politics at an early age. He studied art at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, returning to Puerto Rico in 2003 to work on music with his step-brother, Visitante, with whom he formed Calle 13. Early in his career, his sarcastic and self-deprecating lyrical style garnered both praise and controversy. The group recorded five critically and commercially successful albums. His album Residente was inspired by a genealogical DNA test the artist took to learn about his background, and was recorded in various countries around the world featuring a wide range of international musical styles. He has since released the singles "Sexo" in 2018, "Bellacoso" (with Bad Bunny) in 2019, and "René" in 2020.
He has been recognized for his social contributions and serves as the face of campaigns for UNICEF and Amnesty International. He has consistently defended education in Latin America and the rights of indigenous peoples. In 2009 he criticized the governor of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuño for laying off more than 30,000 public employees.[2] In November 2015, Residente received a recognition award in Barcelona at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates forum due to his commitment to social awareness and for promoting peace.[3]
Early life and education[edit]
René Pérez Joglar was born in a hospital in Hato Rey, a sector within the San Juan area. His mother, Flor Joglar de García, is an actress who was part of the theatrical company called Teatro del 60 (Theater of the 60s). In her student years, she belonged to Juventud Independentista Universitaria or JIU (Independentist Youth of the university). René's father, Reinaldo Pérez Ramírez, is a labor lawyer, musician and writer. He studied in the Escuela Libre de Música (Free School of Music). When he was 17, together with Louis García, a trombonist and arranger, they founded the band, Latin Tempo. Reinaldo studied Political Science and Law at the University of Puerto Rico with the idea of contributing to the Independence of Puerto Rico. While he was studying Political Science, he became the president of the Juventud Independentista Universitaria (JIU). Immediately after he graduated from the School of Law, he founded a law firm dedicated to representing labor unions. In 1978, he traveled to Cuba as a representative of the youth of Puerto Rico and a member of the Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño or PSP (Puerto Rican Socialist Party). In the 1980s, he traveled to Nicaragua during the Sandinista Revolution to show solidarity with other Puerto Ricans.[4]
René grew up in a working middle-class neighborhood in Trujillo Alto with his brothers and mother. He was surrounded by art, music and sports from early life. He taught himself to play the guitar and took saxophone and drum classes. At 12 years old, he was part of the school band as a drummer. Since he was young, his interest for drawing and music was evident, but baseball was always his passion, a sport that he practiced for many years until he finished high school.[5] When he finished school, he had to make the tough decision regarding which path to take and chose the arts. He was admitted to the Escuela de Artes Plásticas (School of Visual Arts) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He earned a scholarship based on his portfolio and transferred to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where he finished his master's degree in fine arts.
While he was studying in Savannah, René created his alias "Residente Calle 13" to relive some memories from his childhood and during his free time began to write poems and rap songs. When he finished his master's degree, he traveled to Barcelona, Spain, with the dream of working there. After failing to find employment, he decided to take film courses because he also loved this form of art.
During the time he lived in Spain, he screened a short film he directed while he was a student in the SCAD called S=emp2 or sexo = energía x masa x placer2 (Sex = Energy x Mass x Pleasure2). He presented it in Madrid and won second place in a short film festival of independent films.
When he returned to Puerto Rico, he worked on a variety of art projects. He created illustrations and 3D animations for architects. He also worked as a music video editor. During this period, he started to write again, this time from the capital, Old San Juan. René started to feed his writing with the essence of the boricua (Puerto Rican) life and its lingo. He also connected with the La Perla neighborhood since he lived across from it. All this is reflected in his first album later on. Having reached a better understanding of how and what to write about, René approached his brother, Eduardo Cabra, to help him with the music.
Although many major labels did not pay attention to his music, René continued his search. It was not until one afternoon when René was without food in his refrigerator that he desperately called his brother, Gabriel, who recommended that he present his music to White Lion Records, an independent music company responsible for the success of Tego Calderón. He wrote the song "Tengo Hambre" ("I'm Hungry") during this period. Elías de León, owner of White Lion Records, and his A&R Director, Karly Rosario, were the first visionaries to see René's great potential.
Luis Fortuño comments[edit]
On October 15, 2009, Calle 13 won the Premios MTV Latinoamérica for "Best Urban Artist".[51] Pérez hosted the ceremony, and used this exposure to insult Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuño and comment about a civilian general strike that was organized earlier that day, held to protest the firing of more than 25,000 public employees by Fortuño's administration.[51] Pérez generated much controversy after referring to Fortuño as an "hijo de la gran puta".[52] The phrase is commonly translated as "son of a bitch", although the phrase places emphasis on the mother of the subject being a prostitute, which many found disrespectful to Fortuño's mother. Fortuño responded by saying "This individual disrespected all Puerto Rican women, all Puerto Rican mothers and the people of Puerto Rico in general."[52]
Personal life[edit]
Residente married Soledad Fandiño in January 2013 in a private ceremony in Puerto Rico.[65] Their son Milo was born on August 7, 2014[66] and the couple divorced in 2017.[67] After lyrics in his 2017 song "Mis Disculpas" were criticized as offensive towards people with Down syndrome and autism, Residente disclosed his own diagnoses of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[68][69][70]
Official website
Media related to Residente at Wikimedia Commons