* En anglais uniquement
Dubbed "the Machine Gun Rapper" because of his quick and forceful style, reggaeton vocalist
Don Chezina is the son of musician Ricardo "The Latin from Manhattan" Garcia. Born in Augusta, GA, but raised in Puerto Rico,
Chezina started out by collaborating with the DJ
Playero and appearing on the mixtape series Don Ricardo Garcia: Presents My Son Don Chezina and Sue Me Please...I Need the Publicity, which mixed
Jennifer Lopez,
Missy Elliot,
Otis Redding, and other artists' tracks with Garcia and
Chezina's vocals.
Bien Guillao de Gangster from 1997 marked the beginning of
Chezina's solo career and featured the massive Puerto Rican hits "Mi Historia" and "Bendicion de Dios" with special guest
Rey Pirin. Hits and remix collections like 1998's Mi Trayectoria and 2004's
Exitos followed, along with numerous singles and collaborations. With the reggaeton sound becoming popular in the U.S. and Europe at the end of 2004,
Chezina was now catching the ear of hot rap producer
Kanye West, who included a
Tego Calderón-dissing freestyle from
Chezina on his 50 Grand Mixtape. ~ David Jeffries