Gente de Zona was formed in Havana, in 2000, by Alexander Delgado. The band’s lineup changed several times. Today it includes Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcolm Ramirez. The musicians perform Cuban reggaeton songs. The band received several prestigious awards, among which there is a Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Fusion Album.
Delgado (born in 1979) grew up in a Havana neighborhood called Alamar, where the most popular music genre was Cuban hip-hop. That’s where the Alamar Rap Festival takes place annually. Initially, Alexander attended rap performances with pleasure. Soon he realized that he wanted something different. When Delgado found reggeaton, he understood how to give street songs a more commercial format.
Gente de Zona appeared due to Delgado’s efforts to create a band out of Alamar rappers. One of them finally joined Alexander. His name was Michel “El Caro”. Together the musicians performed at local parties, bars, and clubs. At that time, it was fairly easy to book Gente de Zona for a private event.
In 2005, Michel left the band and Alexander found two new musicians. He was joined by Jacob Forever and Nando Pro. The same year, the band recorded their first studio album Pa’ la Gente de Zona. However, it didn’t bring the musicians the fame they hoped for. The song “Pa’ la Gente de Zona” was somewhat successful and appeared on a popular music channel Cubavision TV.
