Fuego

Rising from the Latin music underground in Washington, D.C., Dominican-American singer and songwriter Fuego came into his own with several solo hits in the early 2010s, gaining even more visibility when he released a Spanish-language reworking of Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” Fusing genres like Caribbean mambo, Latin trap, and hardcore rap, he released a handful of mixtapes and a 2010 studio debut, La Música del Futuro, signing with Pitbull’s label Mr. 305 for his breakthrough Fireboy Forever 2 in 2016. Jumping to the majors, he released 2018′s Libre: Fireboy Forever. He maintained a steady clip into the 2020s, with an additional handful of studio efforts including 2021′s Supremo.
Born Miguel Duran on September 24, 1981, in Washington, D.C., Fuego was raised by his father to appreciate tropical music legends such as Frankie Ruiz, Juan Luis Guerra, and Héctor Lavoe. On his own, he developed an appreciation for American rappers such as 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Fuego began his musical performance career in 1998 as a member of 3Men2 (“Tremendo”). While the group eventually split up, his experiences helped him foster the skills that would later draw the attention of Chencho from Plan B, who in turn introduced him to Boy Wonder. The CEO of Chosen Few Emerald Entertainment, Boy Wonder, saw promise in the young vocalist and featured him on the various-artists compilation El Draft 2005. As part of the Chosen Few artist roster, Fuego was featured on the subsequent compilations El Documental II (2006) and Chosen Few III: The Movie (2008). Following the Amor y Fuego mixtape and the “Super Estrella” promotional single with Omega, Fuego released “Que Buena Tu Ta” as his official solo debut single. A fusion of mambo and reggaeton that features Dominican-born Hindi vocalist Deevani, “Que Buena Tu Ta” was originally released in 2009 but didn’t catch on until the following year, when it became one of the summer’s biggest tropical hits. Meanwhile, as “Que Buena Tu Ta” was climbing the Billboard Tropical Songs chart, Fuego made his full-length album debut with La Música del Futuro (2010) and released the follow-up single “Ya Te Olvide.” The years that followed were busy and successful for Fuego, with non-stop touring and new singles coming at a rapid pace. After extensive touring he relocated from D.C. to Miami and in 2013 released his “Mala Mia” single and video. After several other singles, he released the Fireboy Forever mixtape in late 2014. The next year was a huge one for him, as he joined the roster of Pitbull’s label Mr. 305 and scored a viral hit with “Cuanda Suena El Bling,” his Spanish-language reworking of Drake’s monster single “Hotline Bling.” Though it was his most visible track of this nature, and some critics went so far as to rank it as better than the original, Fuego had actually reworked several other artists’ hits in Spanish-language versions, including takes on songs by Travis Scott, Gyptian, and others. In early 2016, he released his second album, Fireboy Forever 2, building his audience in the process. He began working with producer DVLP (known for work on hits by Lady Gaga, Eminem, and other stars) and the two worked diligently toward creating Libre: Fireboy Forever. The full-length was Fuego’s first for a major label and was released on Universal Music Latino in the summer of 2018. His second effort for the label swiftly followed in 2019. You're Welcome featured guests like C. Tangana, Nicky Jam, and A.CHAL. Two shorter sets arrived in succession, with Nightshift arriving in 2020 and Supremo in 2021. ~ Jason Birchmeier & Neil Z. Yeung