Nigga

A Panamanian romantic reggaetonero who goes by the more marketable name of Flex (aka DJ Flex) in the United States, Nigga (born Féliz Danilo Gómez) established himself internationally in 2007 with the radio-friendly hit “Te Quiero.” The song, more or less typical of a concurrent wave of reggae panameño songs — romantic in theme with passionately sung vocals, pop-reggaeton rhythms, and a Caribbean lilt — was a smash hit stateside, topping the Latin Tropical Airplay chart, peaking at number two on the Hot Latin Tracks chart, and even going so far as cracking the Hot 100 chart (at number 99). It was also a major hit throughout much of Latin America. The popularity of “Te Quiero” helped drive sales of an accompanying full-length album, released in 2007 by EMI in the States as Te Quiero and in Latin America as La Monarquia. “Sin Tu Amor,” a duet with Alex Pro, was released as the follow-up single. ~ Jason Birchmeier