Darell

Darell (aka Castro) is a charting Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and songwriter in the genres of reggaeton and Latin trap. He is regarded as one of the best urban rappers and singers, and penned the chart-topping collaborative single “Te Boté,” with remixes featuring Casper Magico, Nio Garcia, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny, and Ozuna. The song was a massive hit in 2018, garnering notice across North America and the Caribbean, and set the table for future hits like 2019′s “Velitas” with Brytiago and the 2020 El Alfa and Noriel collaboration “4K.” After releasing his debut album, LVV: The Real Rondon, Darell continued to rack up streams with songs like 2021′s “Elma Maria” with Maffio and Don Miguelo, 2022′s “Instagram (Remix)” with Blessd and De La Ghetto, and 2023′s “Adentro de la Disco” featuring Myke Towers, the latter of which was included on 2023′s Everybody Go to the Discotek. He returned the following year with Darell 2024. Darell was born in 1990 and raised in Puerto Rico. His personal life before he became an artist is mired in myth and intrigue about which little is known. He hit the scene in 2010 as half of the duo Belto & Darell. Their singles, including “Hate La Maldad,” “Si Te Dicen,” and “Sateo” (with Nicky Jam), were resounding successes in the underground clubs of San Juan and Miami. Darell went solo in 2011. He was properly discovered by Nengo Flow’s label Real G4 Life after Nengo called him an artist to watch. They put him together with producers such as Lil Geniuz, Onyx, and Symphonic, and all assisted in developing the lyrics he wrote into finished songs. During this period, he also appeared as a featured guest on others’ recordings, scoring his first hit with “Ninguno Se Monta” (feat. Tempo, Anuel AA, and Nengo Flow). The video single racked up 11 million views out of the box and helped establish his reputation with other artists. Darell then released his successful debut mixtape, La Verdadera Vuelta, which mixed trap and reggaeton. Its singles, including “La Brega,” “Blanco,” “No Me Hablen de Calle,” and “No Le Dices Na” ran up the LatinX urban streaming charts and were DJ staples in clubs, while its videos garnered tens of millions of views. In addition to his own recordings, Darell collaborated with artists such as Tempo, Anuel AA, and Farruko, among others. In 2016, he participated in the remix of “Ella y Yo” with Farruko, Ozuna, Kevin Roldan, Ñengo Flow, Anuel AA, and Pepe Quintana. He also participated in the remix of “Punto G” that landed at Hot Latin Songs and Latin Rhythm Airplay. When his original single of “Te Bote” was issued, the song did well at streaming but didn’t have a proper chart run until its collaborative remix was promoted by DJs in clubs, as it was too risqué for terrestrial radio. The remix helped it blow up, and the track conquered the urban dance scene and earned a spot well inside the Hot 100′s Top 40. Over the next 12 months, Darell pushed out a handful of charting singles and videos including “Jeugo,” “Funeral” (feat. Ro Millones), “Quiero Hablate” (feat. Bryant Myers), “Tu Peor Error,” and the Kelmitt x Darell hit “No Me Vuelvo a Enamorar.” Darell remained prolific throughout 2019, with charting tracks like “Caliente” (feat. Farruko), “Velitas” with Brytiago, and “No Vuelvas Más.” He also guested on Sech’s smash hit “Otro Trago” In 2020, Darell delivered his debut album, LVV: The Real Rondon. It hit number 48 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and yielded a crop of streaming hits including “Como Me Ven” featuring Pablo Chill-E, “Billetes de 100” with Gerardo Ortiz, and “Booty Call” with KEVVO. That same year, he collaborated with El Alfa and Noriel on the hit “4K.” Over the next couple of years, Darell kept up a seemingly endless barrage of singles and collaborations, many of which were big streaming hits. They include songs like 2021′s “Pakata” with El Alfa and “Elma Maria” with Maffio and Don Miguelo, the 2022 solo track “Mi Peor Error,” and later that year the massive hit “Instagram (Remix)” with Blessd and De La Ghetto. 2023 brought “Me Dice Daddy” with Omar Courtz and “Adentro de la Disco” featuring Myke Towers. Both songs were included on his 2023 full-length, Everybody Go to the Discotek. In September 2024, he returned with the album Darell 2024, which featured guest appearances by the Rudeboyz, Clean Bandit, Lil Geniuz, and others. ~ Thom Jurek