Ele A El Dominio

Ele a el Dominio (given name Eliezer Azuaje) is a Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter. He is one of the progenitors of the extreme urban strain of reggaeton and Latin trap (that he calls “trapeton”) that erupted in 2017 with ten singles and two mixtapes. This output got him signed to Ñengo Flow’s company “Real G4 Life” and his own label, Codeine Niggas, LLC. Along with cousin singer Jon Z (with whom he created the 2018 mixtape Super Saiyan Flow) and a handful of others, he has co-created the Malianteo movement. The word “maleante” translates as “malefactor,” which pleases Ele a el Dominio: his songs are saturated in gangster references. His mixtapes and singles have garnered over a million plays on various streaming services and YouTube, making him a sensation. His best-known tracks, such as “Con Temas Como Mi Perico,” “De Matar Tengo Hambre,” “Maliantiando y Pal Bote Ele a el Dominio,” with their tense electro-acoustic musical frameworks, transcended reggaeton and attracted fans of underground hip-hop. He is controversial for his social media conflicts, including a very public spat with Bad Bunny — addressed by his track “Me Trague al Pacino” that discusses shooting the rapper and DJ Luian. The video single racked up over a million views. Ele a el Dominio deliberately resists more commercial topics and music-making methods. His 2017 “Mi Perico Remix” mixtape with Arcángel, Ñejo, and Ñengo Flow, proved influential in raising his profile. Between his performances in 2018, he released his own single “Trabajo” and made a guest appearance on Joniel el Lethal’s title track single “Prendo,” both of which registered high on streaming charts. ~ Thom Jurek