De La Ghetto
Courtesy of Imagine It Media
Two years after Mi Movimiento and in the midst of a global pandemic, De La Ghetto presents his newest album Los Chulitos, named after a movement he created years ago when he lived in the barrios of Puerto Rico.
“I made this phrase mainstream,” he tells Billboard. “When I was recording this album, one of my friends told me to name it ‘Los Chulitos’ because I’ve been saying this word for a long time and it categorizes me.”
Chulito is slang for someone who’s cool. For De La, being a chulito or chulita is much more than having swag. “It’s about having that positive energy and believing in yourself. You don’t have to be a model or be fashionable to be chulito or chulita. It’s just the way you carry yourself. You have to be presentable, humble, and have a winning attitude,” he says.
On this album, released via Warner Music Latina, the Puerto Rican artist invited many of his colleagues such as Nicky Jam, Manuel Turizo, Justin Quiles, Jowell y Randy, and Farruko, to name a few. Home to 18 songs, including the already-released singles “Feka,” “Selfie,” and the Darell-assisted “El Que Se Enamora Pierde,” De La believes this is his best album yet.
“Every song is different,” he admits. “I can’t do a song that sounds like another song. The beats can be similar but never the same. I just had fun with it and let it flow. There’s a lot of new producers and new artists. I think this is one of the best albums I’ve done… even better than ‘Mi Movimiento,’ real talk.” According to De La, Los Chulitos was done in a 10-month period prior to the pandemic but it was officially finalized during the quarantine.
Below, listen to three songs recommended by De La Ghetto, plus an editor’s pick.
“ChuliGang”
“‘ChuliGang’ is the intro. It’s a trap song that kicks off the album because you know, that’s what I do, that’s what I love.”
“El Volante” featuring Dalex
“I really like this song. I love it! Honestly, there are just too many great songs on this album that it’s hard to pick.”
“Me Acostumbre” featuring Arcangel
“Arcangel and I grew up together. We were dreamers in La Perla and we’re still dreamers. Being in the industry 15 years later means a lot to us because we had the same dream when we had nothing and we finally made it.”
Editor’s Pick: “Sube La Music” featuring Nicky Jam
On this track, released with a music video along with the album, De La Ghetto and Nicky Jam give a refreshing reggaeton-dancehall twist to the 2003 Jamaican reggae hit “No Letting Go” by Wayne Wonder.