Javid David Álvarez Fernández (born December 13, 1983), also known by his stage name J Álvarez is a Puerto Rican singer.
He is best known for hit singles such as "La Pregunta", "Junto al Amanecer", "Sexo, Sudor y Calor" and "Regálame Una Noche".
Early life
Álvarez was born in
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream".
Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to:
Places United States
* Rio, Fl ...
. His mother and father are both from the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
. When Alvarez was 12 years old he sang in front of several of his classmates and teachers, his first-ever song "Lo Que Ella Trae" (What She Brings).
As a child, he listened to many
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
and
hip hop artists, and his music was inspired by
Tego Calderon and
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
.
In 2004, he was arrested for selling drugs in Puerto Rico. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but served only 43 months of it due to his good behavior. His reasoning for selling drugs was that he needed to provide for his family.
He played basketball in his youth but decided to pursue a musical career instead.
Musical career
2009-2010: Career beginnings and early mixtapes
Via a connection through his cousin, Álvarez secured a meeting with
DJ Nelson
Nelson Díaz Martinez (born on April 7, 1972, in San Juan, Puerto Rico), known professionally as DJ Nelson is a Puerto Rican DJ and record producer who played a significant role in the development and popularization of reggaeton. He first made a n ...
, and a working chemistry soon emerged between the two. He was then signed to
Flow Music
Flow Music is a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican record label founded by DJ Nelson specializing in the reggaeton genre.
Associated Labels
*On Top Of The World Music
*GLAD EMPIRE
*DYNAMIC RECORDS
*Flow La Movie
*EmpireLatino
Artists
*Jay Wheeler
*Baby ...
in 2009, and later that year, his debut mixtape ''El Dueño Del Sistema'' was released, which included collaborations with several high-profile artists such as
De La Ghetto,
Jowell & Randy
Jowell & Randy are a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo composed of Joel Muñoz Martínez (born March 3, 1982) and Randy Ortiz Acevedo (born July 16, 1983). The duo have been active since the early-2000s and have become one of the most popular acts in r ...
, and
Ñejo & Dalmata. He followed this release with a second mixtape, titled ''El Movimiento: The Mixtape'', which was released on September 12, 2010.
2011-2015: ''Otro Nivel de Musica'' and ''De Camino Pa' La Cima''
Otro Nivel De Musica, his debut studio album, was released on September 20, 2011, and featured the hit singles "La Pregunta" and "Junto Al Amanecer", which both charted on the
Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and became the singer's first songs to chart. A special edition was later released on May 1, 2012, titled
Otro Nivel De Musica Reloaded. This album was very well received among fans and was nominated for
Best Urban Music Album at the
2012 Latin Grammy Awards. In 2014, "La Pregunta" was nominated for
Urban Song of the Year at the
26th Lo Nuestro Awards.
On February 18, 2014, he released his second studio album entitled ''
De Camino Pa' La Cima'', which would debut at #2 in its second week on Top Latin Albums, and reached the top spot on the Latin Rhythm Albums chart. It features collaborations from
Mackie,
Zion
Zion (; ) is a placename in the Tanakh, often used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole.
The name is found in 2 Samuel (), one of the books of the Tanakh dated to approximately the mid-6th century BCE. It o ...
, and
Daddy Yankee
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (; born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee (), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina". Dubbed the "Honorific ...
. On January 27, 2015, J Álvarez released ''
De Camino Pa' La Cima Reloaded'', his fourth studio album, which features
Cosculluela
José Fernando Cosculluela Suárez (born October 15, 1980) is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2018, he was caught up in a controversy after fellow rapper Anuel AA released a diss track.
Early life and education
Cosculluela ...
and
Wisin
Juan Luis Alberto Morera Luna (; born December 19, 1978), known professionally as Wisin (), is a Puerto Rican reggaeton rapper, singer and record producer, best known as a member of the reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel. Wisin is noted for his uniq ...
. This album also reached the #1 spot on Top Latin Rhythm Albums and held that position for about a month.
2016-2020: ''Big Yauran'' albums, ''La Fama Que Camina'', and ''El Jonson''
In September 2016, he released his third studio album, ''Big Yauran'', which reached the number 8 spot on Top Latin Rhythm Albums. In addition, one of the singles which appeared on the album, "Haters", charted on Hot Latin Songs.
In March 2018, he released his
certified gold fourth album titled ''La Fama Que Camina'', which includes charting singles such as "Esa Boquita", "De La Mia Personal", and "Rico Suave".
In November 2018, the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
certified
Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
that the single "De La Mia Personal" had reached platinum status.
On April 24, 2019, Álvarez headlined the Billboard Sounds Showcase in Las Vegas. On March 5, 2021, he collaborated on a single titled "Billete" with Marie Monti and
Mariah Angeliq
Mariah Angelique Pérez (born August 7, 1999), known professionally as Mariah Angeliq, is an American singer.
Early life
Angeliq was born Mariah Angelique Pérez in Miami, Florida, to a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother. She was named af ...
.
On July 1, 2020, he released his fifth studio album titled ''El Jonson (Side A).'' Later on September 11, 2020 he released ''El Jonson (Side B).''
2020-present: ''El Toque de Midas'' and ''Barrio Colombia''
On June 10, 2022, he released ''El Toque de Midas.''
On June 29, 2023, he released ''Barrio Colombia.'' Later on August 8, 2024, he release an EP called ''Barrio Colombia 2.''
Discography
* ''
Otro Nivel De Música'' (2011)
* ''
De Camino Pa' La Cima'' (2014)
* ''Big Yauran'' (2016)
* ''La Fama Que Camina'' (2018)
* ''Big Yauran 2'' (2020)
* ''El Jonson'' (2020)
* ''El Jonson (Side B)'' (2020)
* ''El Toque de Midas'' (2022)
* ''Barrio Colombia'' (2023)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, J
1983 births
Living people
Puerto Rican trap musicians
People from Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican people of Dominican Republic descent
Puerto Rican reggaeton musicians
21st-century Puerto Rican male singers
21st-century Puerto Rican singers