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INSIDE REGGAETON - Exclusive!
Tego Calderon; More Hero Than Underdog
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OTHER INSIDE EXCLUSIVES
- Alexis y Fido Nominated Twice for Latin Grammys 09/11/2008
- MTV TR3S and Calle 13 Partner to Unveil Grammy Winning Duo 09/05/2008
- Voltio Redeemed by His Music 08/27/2008
- Wisin Y Yandel Gearing Up 05/27/2008
- Julio Voltio on Grand Theft Auto IV 05/12/2008
- Rakim and Ken Y Caught Stealing Songs From Erre XI 04/21/2008
- Introducing ‘Mr. New York City’ Nick Diddy aka Talentino 02/24/2008
- Marlon Peña the Man Behind the Video Camera 02/01/2008
- Stef La Kallejera onfire representing the females 12/05/2007
- Dj Hostile Holding it down for NYC 11/20/2007
January 15, 2007
A man, who was once a taxi driver in the cities of Puerto Rico, is now one of the biggest Reggaeton artists in the world. The name Tego Calderon is synonymous with a natural coolness, street credibility and respect that most Reggaeton artists dream of. Some have mistaken Tego for an actual “Underdog (Subestimado)” as a child who grew up in poverty, but Tego is quick to set the record straight: “Some people have me stereotyped as growing up poor and underprivileged, but it wasn’t like that for me at all. My family was a middle class family - my mother was a teacher and my father used to work for the government. Yes, it was hard sometimes, but it wasn’t like we were poor like that. Yes, I feel compassion for people, but it’s not because I grew up poor.” Tego is an open book when it comes to explaining who he is and what makes him tick. It is this characteristic that attracts fans to him like bees are to honey.
Born and raised in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Tego was introduced to music at a very young age. “My dad used to listen to Blues, Jazz and artists like Billy Holiday,” Tego told Reggaetonline.net. “He introduced me to all types of music. I was in the school of arts and music when I was younger and I learned how to play drums and other percussion instruments in Puerto Rico. We moved to Miami and that is where I was introduced to Hip-Hop. The most influential artists to me were NWA and Public Enemy around 1989 and 1988 because they talked about real things and real life. People usually did not rap about the things those guys rapped about. They were really into social issues. That caught my attention and I wanted to talk about things like that too.” Indeed, Tego has followed a path of creating music that deals with the social side of life. This is what set him apart from other Reggaeton artists from the start.
Many African Americans, who have noticed Tego Calderon in advertising, see him as one of their own, only with a “pimpin” Afro. In fact he is one of them, just with a lot of Puerto Rican flava’ added in. About growing up black in Puerto Rico, Tego said: “It’s definitely a different experience. Growing up, my father taught me well. He always taught me about my heritage and my people. He taught me to love my black people no matter where they were from and what language they spoke.”
The history of the black people in the United States is taught a little bit differently and deals with deeper issues than that of the people of the Caribbean. Of course, people from the Caribbean also deal with issues of race in a different manner. The way rappers in the United States dealt with the topic of race really hit a special place in Tego when he was younger. “After I heard Public Enemy and KRS-One I thought my father’s teachings were crazy - my father became my enemy. I didn’t want to hear any of the nonsense my dad was talking. Things were different for me then. I was lucky to have the parents that I have. I had a lot of information to deal with at that time and to learn from.” Together, the teachings of his father and the information gathered through the Hip-Hop he came across made him the artist he is today. He definitely feels that he wouldn’t be where he is now if it wasn’t for the guidance of his parents.
Tego hopes to trace back his roots one day. Fortunately, he recently went to Sierra Leone, West Africa along with Paul Wall and Raekwon (from Wu Tang Clan) to see where some of the world’s best diamonds come from, and how those diamonds affect the people of Sierra Leone. “It was really heart breaking to see the effects of war and the things people went through for diamonds,” recalled Tego. “`I still felt like I was in Loiza, because to me, the location didn’t make any difference to me, the people there felt like my brothers. I am really trying to trace my roots. I don’t know how to do it but its something that I really, really would like to do.” Wall, Raekwon and Calderon will be featured in a VH1 Rockumentary this year on the atrocities suffered by the people of Sierra Leone during the height of the war and diamond mining.
To most Reggaeton fans, Tego is the coolest Reggaeton artist around. Others joke that he should do more stuff with salsa. “I feel like I am a Hip-Hop artist that happens to do Reggaeton and loves Salsa,” Tego said with a laugh. “I love Afro-Caribbean Music as much as I do Hip-Hop. I think my flow is based on Hip-Hop. I love salsa, and I am a huge fan, but I could never see myself as a Salsero.” When you put it all together, Tego just considers himself another musician.
Tego doesn’t have any plans to move out of Puerto Rico any time soon. As a matter of fact, when he was asked about all the other artists migrating to the U.S. and if he was going to follow, his reply was quick: “Nooo Noo. This is my home, and this is where my people are, so this is where I will stay. I don’t have anyone to run from and I am happy here.”
Tego made a conscious choice to do his latest album, “The Underdog/El Subestimado,” in Spanish and with very little English. “I did it that way for my brothers, and sisters; for my Latinos. That’s me.” Tego is definitely not out to make commercial songs, he makes music that pleases himself in hopes that it pleases others as well. “I am not trying to do no crossover. If it happens it happens. It’s not like I am trying to turn myself into something that I am not. I have an English song that I did and it pokes fun of this same subject.” Tego has always “done Tego”, and it is for this reason that fans adore him. It is a blessing to come into this world well grounded and knowing where you stand on social issues. Whether it be his choice not to wear diamonds, or his style of music, fans appreciate how real he has been on a continuous basis.
