Archive for the ‘Biography’ Category
September 8th, 2007 | 
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After establishing himself as a lead vocalist for Los Kumbia Kings on hits like “No Tengo Dinero,” DJ Kane opted for a solo career, which got off to a good start with hits like “La Negra Tomasa” and some Latin Grammy nominations. Born in Houston, TX, on June 8, 1975, Jason Cano spent most of his childhood in Brooklyn, where he found himself surrounded by urban music, particularly hiphop and reggae. He took an interest in music at a young age, forming his own rap group when he was only 12 years old. His recording career began in the late ’90s, when, billed as DJ Kane, he was a member of the original lineup of Los Kumbia Kings. This original lineup, which lasted for a few albums before splintering bitterly, enjoyed immense success. Amor, Familia y Respeto… (1999), Shhh (2001), All Mixed Up: Los Remixes (2002), and 4 (2003) the Kumbia Kings albums on which Kane appeared all were popular and sold an estimated five million units in total. Hits such as “Shhh,” “Boom Boom,” “No Tengo Dinero,” and “Desde Que No Estás Aquí” were sung by him.
Born In Tijuana, Mexico, Frankie and his family moved to San Diego, California, when he was 2. Both his grandfather and father were musical and as a young child Frankie loved to sing and would often entertain his family. Spanish was Frankie’s first language and the first music he was exposed to was the rhythmic sounds of his native land such as Cumbias Rancheras and Bandas. “Spanish music and the language is really my roots,” Frankie offers, “but I also listened to the same stuff other kids liked like Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, the Fat Boys and Michael Jackson. When I was 8 I was really into Michael Jackson and breaking, and as I got older I was really into artists like Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder and K-Ci and Jo Jo. You know, the real honest R&B.”
Abraham Quintanilla III remained at the forefront of Latin pop for years on end, primarily as a producer with a long track record, but also as the brother of Selena, as a hit songwriter, and as a polarizing troublemaker. His recording career began alongside that of his iconic sister, with the release of Selena y los Dinos (1984), the first of many albums that he would produce and co-write. As Selena’s star rose, so did his. And when her star went dark, following her tragic slaying in 1995, Quintanilla withdrew from the limelight for a while, co-writing occasional songs for Selena followers like Thalía and Olga Tañón. In 1999, he returned to the big time with A.B. Quintanilla y los Kumbia Kings, a bilingual hitmaking collective that fused traditional Mexican music (cumbia, above all) with urban American styles (hip-hop, funk, R&B, reggae), topping it all off with a slick sheen of easily enjoyable pop accessibility. Los Kumbia Kings, always preceded in billing — or, later, “presented” — by Quintanilla, scored too many hits to list, and following their debut album, they began hitting number one with regularity. The group unraveled, however, following the release of their fourth album, 4 (2003), as all the leading members of the group, including frontmen Frankie J and DJ Kane, left bitterly and mounted recording careers of their own. In the media, this bitterness was always coupled with references to “the business” and how they’d learned a lot in Los Kumbia Kings. The subtext, it’s safe to deduce, is that the guys weren’t getting paid their fair share by Quintanilla, who had a track record of co-writing songs that may have not been his to begin with — and so it has been argued to no clear resolve. In any event, penny-pincher or not, Quintanilla proved himself to be a savvy producer and co-writer, as no matter whom he worked with, he scored hits. For instance, Los Kumbia Kings remained successful even after their mass regrouping, and following another intra-group feud over money, Quintanilla enjoyed instant success with a new group of his, the Kumbia All Starz.