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Magic Juan (born July 27, 1971) is a Dominican-American urban Latino pioneer, widely known as the King of Merengue Hip Hop and the former lead rapper and singer of the group
Proyecto Uno Proyecto Uno (from Spanish into English: Project One) is a Dominican-American Hip hop/ Merengue house group which helped popularize a style of music that blends merengue with techno, dancehall, hip-hop/ rap and reggae music. The band was found ...
. The group gained success with hits like "Brinca", "Está Pegao," and among others,
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
recognized his hit "El Tiburo

as one of the 25 biggest Latin songs ever recorded, cementing the group's legacy with over 6 million albums sold. After leaving the group, Magic Juan pursued a solo career, blending Hip hop (culture), hip-hop,
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
,
dembow The dembow beat or dembow riddim is a musical rhythm best known for its use as the core percussion element in reggaeton music, having taken its name from the 1990 dancehall song " Dem Bow" by Shabba Ranks. The rhythm, first developed by Jamaican ...
and
bachata Bachata may refer to: * Bachata (music), a musical genre which originated in the Dominican Republic ** Traditional bachata, a subgenre of bachata music ** Bachata (dance), a dance form * Bachatón, a hybrid bachata/reggaeton music style * "Bach ...
into his own music. Known as "El Negrito del Swin

'' Magic enjoyed solo success with his debut album “La Prueba,” which spawned other hits like “Ta Buena," “Meneando la Pera,” and “La Última Vez.” In 2024, Magic Juan made a triumphant return with his album Superhéroe, blending reggaeton, merengue, and hip-hop. The album reflects themes of resilience and empowerment, drawing inspiration from his personal experiences, earning him a Latin Grammy Awards, Latin Grammy nomination for Album Of The Year (Merengue Bachata). His accolades include nominations for
Premios Lo Nuestro The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro ( Spanish for "Ours") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by TelevisaUnivision, and is carried by its Univision network in association with its related radio sta ...
for Best Urban Album and Best Urban Artist, as well as a nomination for Tropical Song of the Year for "La Última Vez. In 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives honored Magic Juan, also known as “El Duro,” for his contributions to Hip-Hop as part of its 50-year anniversary celebratio

His contributions to Latin music have earned him numerous accolades, including Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards,
Premios Juventud Premios Juventud (Youth Awards) is an awards show for Spanish-speaking celebrities in the areas of film, music, sports, fashion, and pop culture, presented by the television network Univision. Winners are determined by online vote at univision.c ...

/u> and an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
award. His participation in the "Free Cove

'' live unplugged series broke streaming records, and his collaboration on the Beatnuts' hit single Se Acabo recently made TikTok’s Top 10 viral songs list in 2022.


Early life and education

Magic Juan was born in
Washington Heights, Manhattan Washington Heights is a neighborhood in the northern part of the Borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is named for Fort Washington (Manhattan), Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the Bennett Park (Ne ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and raised in
Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. The town is know for their pancake throwing contest held ...
. He is of Dominican descent. He joined the school choir at the age of ten and took piano, guitar, and drum lessons. After high school, he played with the idea of studying marketing, but after an offer to join
Proyecto Uno Proyecto Uno (from Spanish into English: Project One) is a Dominican-American Hip hop/ Merengue house group which helped popularize a style of music that blends merengue with techno, dancehall, hip-hop/ rap and reggae music. The band was found ...
, a merengue band with heavy urban and hip-hop influences, he decided to drop out of
New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a Private university, private research university, research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York (state), New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long I ...
in order to pursue his interest in music.


Career

Juan's bilingual rapping was featured on the single "Brinca," which went to number one in over eight countries in Latin America.
Proyecto Uno Proyecto Uno (from Spanish into English: Project One) is a Dominican-American Hip hop/ Merengue house group which helped popularize a style of music that blends merengue with techno, dancehall, hip-hop/ rap and reggae music. The band was found ...
went on to sell over three million albums worldwide. Juan soon desired to record his own solo material. In 2003, he released his solo debut, ''La Prueba'', and became the New York correspondent for
Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...
's Latin hip-hop show, ''The Roof''. In 2004, he released ''Libertad: The Magic Juan Mix'' and the double CD, ''Inevitable''. On June 9, 2009, Magic released his third studio album as a solo artist, ''The Sure Bet'', containing a wide variety of musical influences, including hip hop, reggae, bachata, salsa, and merengue. The album's first single was "Baby Come Back".


Recognition

* 1993 and 1995: Premios Ronda and Premios Orquídea (Venezuela) * 1993 and 1996: New York ACE Awards * 1994: Premios Lo Nuestro, ''Música Rap'' 1994 * 1994, 1995 and 1997: New York Premios Estrella * 1996 and 1997: New York Premios Too Much * 1996: Song of the Colombian World Cup Team ''Está Pegao'' * 1997:
Billboard Latin Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards grew out of the ''Billboard'' Music Awards program from ''Billboard'' magazine, an industry publication charting the sales and radio airplay success of musical recordings. The ''Billboard'' awards are the La ...
, Rap Album Of the Year, ''In Da’ House'' 1997 * 1998: Billboard Latin Music Awards, Latin Dance Single of the Year, ''Mueve La Cadera'' (Move your Hips) with Reel 2 Reel * 1998: Nominated: Premios Lo Nuestro, ''Grupo Del Año-Tropical'' * 1999: Nominated to Billboard Latin Music Awards, Latin Dance Club Play Track of the Year, ''No Nos Tenemos (NNT)'' * 1999: Emmy Awards, Outstanding Original Music Composition * 2000: Nominated Colombian Song of the Year ''25 horas'' * 2002 ''20 Éxitos'' * 2002 ''Todo Éxitos'' * 2005 ''Éxitos de Proyecto Uno'' * 2024 Latin Grammy Nomination For Best Merengue And Bachata Album


Singles

* El Tiburón" (The Shark) (1993) * "Pumpin'" * "Materialista * "Cuarto de hotel" * "El grillero" * "Te dejaron flat" * "Tan interesada" * "Todo el mundo" (Everybody) * "Brinca" * "Nu nu" * "25 Horas" (25 Hours) * "Al otro lado del mar" * "Hombre fiel" * "Empujando el cielo" * "Es tu cumpleaños" * "Another Night" * "Déjame probar" (taste your love) * "Candela" * "Está pegao" * "Déjame tener algo contigo" (Let Me Have Something With You) * "Latinos" * "Mueve la cadera" (Move your hip) * "Baby Come Back" (2008) * "Venezolana" (2012) * "Eembrujao" (2014) * "Toy En Ti" (2014) * "Chévere" featuring "Happy Colors" (2017) * "Chévere - Remix" feat "Happy Colors and Gualtiero" (2017) * "La Musa" (2019) * "Matatana" (2019) * "Donde Nos Vamos A Ver" - Remix feat "Chyno Miranda and Juan Magán" (2019) * "Jeruselema" feat "Martin Machore" (2020) * "Chica Superpoderosa" feat "Martin Machore" (2021) * "Chica Superpoderosa" feat "Martin Machore" Salsa Version (2021) * "Chica Superpoderosa" feat "Martin Machore" Salsa Instrumental Version (2021) * "Chica Superpoderosa" feat "Martin Machore" Salsa Choke Version (2021) * "Huele a Marihuana" feat "Martin Machore and Budu" (2021) * "Se Te Sube" Zumba Mix (2021) * "La Nueva Cita" feat "Reykon" (2022) * "Mix Magic Juan: Latinos / Tiburón / Está Pegao / Another Night" feat Free Cover Venezuela" (2022) * "La Blusa" feat "Xantos and Mark B" (2022) * "Adicto" Remix feat "Omar Acedo" (2022) * "A Mover El Cuerpo" (Zumba Remix) feat "Don Fulano" (2022) * "Mix Sandy & Papo MC: La Hora de Bailar / Mueve Mueve / La Ultima Vez" feat "free Cover Venezuela" (2022) * "Cuando La Vi" feat "Pasabordo" (2023) * "No Se Cae" (2023) * "Volvi" (2024) * "Vibra" (2024) * "Vamos Ahora" (2024) * "Tu Forma De Ser (Love your way)" feat "Frankie J and David Anthony" (2024) * "Tsunami" (2024) * "The One (Eres Tu)" (2024) * "Superhéroe" (2024) * "Suelata Eso" Afro Mix (2024) * "Suelta Eso" (2024)


Solo albums

*''The Album'' (2000) *''La Prueba'' (2001) *This Thing Of Ours (2003) *''El Duro'' (2004) *''Libertad: The Magic Juan Street Mix Jump Off'' (2004) *''Inevitable'' (2004) *''Quiscalle'' (2007) *''The Sure Bet'' (2009) *Éxitos (2016) *Live RD (2023) *Superhéroe (2024)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Juan, Magic Record producers from New York (state) Musicians from Teaneck, New Jersey Musicians from Manhattan People from Washington Heights, Manhattan American reggaeton musicians American merengue musicians American hip-hop musicians American rappers of Dominican Republic descent Living people 1971 births 21st-century American rappers New York Institute of Technology alumni