L-Gante

Breaking the mould with a fusion of cumbia and reggaeton sounds, Argentinian rapper L-Gante (a spin on "elegante" or elegant) exploded into the Latin mainstream with the chart-topping single "L-GANTE RKT" (streamed over 200 million times) pioneering the RKT genre alongside producer <a href="spotify:artist:5kfMU816qY0ujqEt3xIHqR">DT.Bilardo</a>. His genre-fusing anthems proved an equal hit on Argentinian producer <a href="spotify:artist:716NhGYqD1jl2wI1Qkgq36">Bizarrap</a>'s freestyle series, with the duo's collaboration racking up another 200 million streams in under a year.

Born in April 2000 in Buenos Aires, Argentinian rapper L-Gante (born Elian Ángel Valenzuela) began producing music in his early teens, joining close collaborator <a href="spotify:artist:5kfMU816qY0ujqEt3xIHqR">DT.Bilardo</a> for early singles like 2017's "A Escondidas." A significant early success came with "Uno Más Uno," which garnered several million streams online, and was soon followed by further <a href="spotify:artist:5kfMU816qY0ujqEt3xIHqR">DT.Bilardo</a> collaborations like "Aleteo 420," "Rich," and "Tik Tok." In late 2020, L-Gante catapulted himself to mainstream success with breakout single "L-GANTE RKT." Produced by Papu DJ, the track brought the Cumbia 420 sound to international attention, garnering 200 million streams in under a year and topping the Billboard Argentinian Chart. Upping his output in late 2020 and early 2021, Valenzuela scored impressive streaming numbers on subsequent singles like the <a href="spotify:artist:5kfMU816qY0ujqEt3xIHqR">DT.Bilardo</a>-produced "Pistola" (with <a href="spotify:artist:1M1s4ofh9rBEBWhyYsXAcn">El Mas Ladrón</a>), "Malianteo 420," and "Titubeo" (with <a href="spotify:artist:0Xo4VFS3v07L0GwIVkZLfg">Homer El Mero Mero</a>) surpassing 50 million views apiece. In March 2021, he found a second career-defining hit alongside <a href="spotify:artist:716NhGYqD1jl2wI1Qkgq36">Bizarrap</a>. "L-Gante: BZRP Music Sessions #38" garnered a further 200 million streams with its menacing, bass-heavy take on the Cumbia 420 sound. He closed out the year with a relentless chain of singles, finding massive streaming numbers with "Tinty Nasty" (with <a href="spotify:artist:4cJD9t5QBFTUQcd3xfbOb2">Dillom</a>), the "Pistola Remix" (with <a href="spotify:artist:3YeBTR1Q1rUxKguz4jP6UV">Damas Gratis</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1M1s4ofh9rBEBWhyYsXAcn">El Mas Ladrón</a>), and "Malianteo 420 (Volumen 2)." ~ David Crone