* En anglais uniquement
Darell (aka Castro; birth name, Osval Elías Castro Hernández) is a charting Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and songwriter in the genres of reggaeton and Latin trap. He is regarded as one of the best urban rappers and singers, and penned the chart-topping collaborative single "Te Boté," with remixes featuring
Casper Magico,
Nio Garcia,
Nicky Jam,
Bad Bunny, and
Ozuna. Its release amounted to the most listened-to urban song in 2018; it spent 11 weeks at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and remained there for 19 weeks overall, garnering notice across North America and the Caribbean. The remix also spent 19 weeks on the Latin Airplay chart, peaking at number two after registering more than half-a-billion digital streams. The track's video went viral, racking up over a billion-and-half views.
Darell was born and raised in Puerto Rico. His personal life before he became an artist is mired in myth and intrigue about which little is known. He hit the scene in 2010 as half of the duo Belto & Darell. Their singles, including "Hate La Maldad," "Si Te Dicen," and "Sateo" (with
Nicky Jam), were resounding successes in the underground clubs of San Juan and Miami.
Darell went solo in 2011.
He was properly discovered by
Nengo Flow's label Real G4 Life after
Nengo called him an artist to watch. They put him together with producers such as
Lil Geniuz, Onyx, and
Symphonic, and all assisted in developing the lyrics he wrote into finished songs. During this period, he also appeared as a featured guest on others' recordings, scoring his first hit with "Ninguno Se Monta" (feat.
Tempo,
Anuel AA, and
Nengo Flow). The video single racked up 11 million views out of the box and helped establish his reputation with other artists.
Darell then dropped his successful debut album, La Verdadera Vuelta, that mixed trap and reggaeton. Its singles, including "La Brega," "Blanco," "No Me Hablen de Calle," and "No Le Dices Na" ran up the LatinX urban streaming charts and were DJ staples in clubs. Its videos garnered tens of millions of views. In addition to his own recordings,
Darell collaborated with artists such as
Tempo,
Anuel AA, and
Farruko, among others. In 2016, he participated in the remix of "Ella y Yo" with
Farruko,
Ozuna,
Kevin Roldan,
Ñengo Flow,
Anuel AA, and Pepe Quintana. He also participated in the remix of "Punto G" that landed at Hot Latin Songs and Latin Rhythm Airplay. When his original single of "Te Bote" was issued, the song did well at streaming but didn't have a proper chart run until its collaborative remix was promoted by DJs in clubs, as it was too risqué for terrestrial radio. The remix helped it blow up, and the track conquered the urban dance scene and earned a spot well inside the Hot 100's Top 40.
Over the next 12 months,
Darell pushed out a handful of charting singles and videos including "Jeugo," "Funeral" (feat.
Ro Millones), "Quiero Hablate" (feat.
Bryant Myers), "Tu Peor Error," and the
Kelmitt x Darell hit "No Me Vuelvo a Enamorar."
Darell remained prolific at the beginning 2019. He collaborated with
Ele A El Dominio,
Jamby el Favo,
Juanka, and
Pacho el Antifeka on the single "Vamos a Matar" and issued the track "Caliente" (feat.
Farruko) on his own in February. In March he,
Brytiago, and
De La Ghetto all participated in the smash "Una Mujer" (feat.
DJ Nelson). Its video rang up over ten million views during its first week of release.
Darell also headlined the charting collaborative single "Se Nos Dió" featuring
Ñengo Flow,
Myke Towers,
Jhay Cortéz, and
the Secret Panda. ~ Thom Jurek