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About Don Omar

Don Omar became one of reggaeton's first international superstars thanks to his early-2000s work with Luny Tunes, but even more so to 'Reggaeton Latino,' his 2005 anthem that became one of the style's first genuine crossover hits. Born William Omar Landrón on February 10, 1978, in Villa Palmeras, Puerto Rico, Omar involved himself in the church at a young age. He became a preacher; in fact, and it was in this role that he began honing his performance ability as well as his deep insight into the human soul. He eventually left the church (a matter later addressed in his song 'Aunque Te Fuiste') and channeled his talents toward music. It wasn't that far of a stretch from his days in the church, and Omar quickly took to the burgeoning reggaeton movement then sweeping through Puerto Rico. His big break came courtesy of Héctor el Bambino (aka Héctor el Father) of the popular duo Héctor & Tito. Initially, Omar produced and wrote songs for the duo, but it wasn't long before he was given the opportunity to collaborate with them vocally, as featured on the song 'A la Reconquista.' His solo career took off around this same time, with one of his first hits being 'Desde Que Llego' in 2002. He made his album debut the following year on the VI Music label with The Last Don (2003); it was a landmark for the reggaeton movement, which was just beginning to make inroads into the lucrative stateside market. The album featured extensive production work by Luny Tunes and Eliel, who would quickly become the style's go-to hitmakers (the former in particular), and it spawned a few hit records, including 'Intocable' and 'Dile.' Omar scored more hits with Luny Tunes on their mixtape CDs, most notably 'Entre Tú y Yo' from Mas Flow and 'Dale Don Dale' from La Trayectoria. One of his biggest hits came on the Chosen Few compilation. 'Reggaeton Latino' was the perfect anthem -- an empowering rallying call of Latino pride, arriving just as reggaeton was spreading like wildfire throughout the coastal urban centers of the U.S. in the summer of 2005. The song was so popular in the U.S. that a remix was quickly issued to further the crossover possibilities. This bilingual effort featured well-known Latino rappers N.O.R.E. and Fat Joe, and was the second reggaeton song to get MTV airplay in the States, not to mention crossover radio airplay. The success of 'Reggaeton Latino' affirmed Omar's status alongside Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderón as one of reggaeton's true leaders, and of them, he was clearly the revolutionary: A man of passion with a voice that sought to uplift his people to brighter days, not unlike what he had sought to do in his previous profession as a preacher, but now with an emphasis on the secular rather than non-secular, and with a much, much larger following.
Following a live album, The Last Don: Live, in 2004, and a best-of/remix compilation, Da Hit Man Presents Reggaeton Latino, in 2005, Omar released his second proper album, King of Kings (2006). It easily debuted atop the Latin album chart; more notably, though, it reached number eight on the Billboard 200 overall album chart, the first reggaeton album ever to break the Top Ten. In the wake of the album's big debut and the popularity of lead single 'Angelito,' which was a number one hit, Omar released a couple mixtapes -- Los Bandoleros Reloaded (2006) and El Pentagono (2007) -- which featured hits such as 'No Se de Ella (My Space).' The futuristic concept album iDon arrived in 2009, with a protégé showcase, Don Omar Presents Meet the Orphans, following in late 2010. Its sequel, MTO: New Generation, arrived in 2012, and was another number one Latin hit. The album won Best Urban Music Album at the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards. Don Omar scored two hit singles in 2014, 'Guaya Guaya' and 'Soledad,' both were included on his next album, The Last Don 2, released in June of 2015. It claimed the top spot on the Top Latin Albums chart and peaked at 73 in the Top 200 and number six at Top Rap Albums. It also made the Top 50 on the year's Album Sales charts. Its singles, 'Soledad' and 'Perdido en Tus Ojos,' featuring Natti Natasha, both placed in the top ten on the Latin Airplay chart. In January, he followed with the collaborative single 'Te Quiero Pa'mi,' with Zion & Lennox. It reached 14 at Tropical Airplay. Omar issued the pre-release single 'Encanto' featuring Sharlene Taule in March of 2017. The record placed in the Top Ten on digital streaming and download lists, and peaked at number 11 on Latin Pop Airplay while its video racked up over 8.5 million views. ~ Jason Birchmeier

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Don Omar in November 2010.
Background information
Birth name	William Omar Landrón Rivera
Also known as	El Rey
Born	10 February 1978 (age 41) Carolina, Puerto Rico
Genres
Occupation(s)	Singer actor
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1996–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website	orfanatomusic.com

William Omar Landrón Rivera, better known by his stage name Don Omar, is a Puerto Ricanreggaeton singer and actor. He is sometimes referred to by his nicknames El Rey, and King of Kings of Reggaeton Music. On September 1, 2017, he announced that he will retire after a series of concerts at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Puerto Rico, scheduled to be held on December 15, 16 and 17.^[1][2]

• 5Discography

Early life[edit]

Don Omar was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, where he was raised, the oldest son of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. From an early age, he showed interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC.^{[citation needed]} During his youth, he became an active member of a Protestant church, Iglesia Evangélica Restauración en Cristo in Bayamón where he occasionally offered sermons. However, after four years, he left the church to dedicate himself to singing.^[3]

Career[edit]

His first public performance in a night club was accompanied by disc jockey Eliel Lind Osorio. Afterwards he appeared regularly on compilation albums from popular DJs and producers including Luny Tunes, Noriega, and DJ Eric. He also worked as a backup singer for the duo Héctor & Tito. One of the members, Héctor Delgado, helped him produce his first solo album.^[3]

Omar's career rose to stardom with the release of his first studio album, The Last Don with Frankie Needles. Both the studio version and its live edition have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Worldwide, The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD] has sold over one million copies, according to his official website. He earned awards for Latin Pop Album of the Year and New Artist & Latin Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year by the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2003. The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD] was also nominated for Urban Music Album at the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards.

Omar's May 2006 album King of Kings, became history's highest ranking reggaeton LP in the top 10 US charts, with its debut at #1 on the Latin sales charts and the #1 spot on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Radio Chart with his single “Angelito”.^[4] Omar was also able to beat the in-store appearance sales record at Disney World's Virgin music store previously set by pop star Britney Spears.

With the highest charting debut by a reggaeton artist, Omar's King of Kings entered at No. 7 with 74,000, beating Daddy Yankee's No. 24 entry with 2005's 'Barrio Fino En Directo'. In April 2007, Don Omar received the Billboard Latin Music Award for Reggaeton Album of the Year for King of Kings.^[5]Billboard recognized that King of Kings was the most successful album of the decade in Latin America, besides being the most successful in the history of the genre of reggaeton. Billboard estimated that the album sold over 4.1 million copies by the end of 2009.^[6]

Omar participated in Gilberto Santa Rosa's presentation in an event titled 'Concierto del Amor', presented in the Madison Square Garden on February 9, 2008. He closed the event and performed reggaeton themes with Frankie Needles.^[7]

Omar's third studio album, iDon, was released on April 28, 2009. This album was dedicated to his cousin Cordell Brown. 'Virtual Diva' became the most requested song on Latin radio stations.^[8][9] The second official single, titled 'Sexy Robotica', was released on July 6, 2009.

The album Don Omar Presents: Meet The Orphans was released on November 16, 2010. The album features the artists under Don Omar's Orfanato Music Group label and other reggaeton artists. The album includes the promotional single Hasta Abajo and the album's lead single Danza Kuduro featuring Portuguese-French singer Lucenzo, as well as collaborations from Orfanato Music Group artists including Kendo Kaponi, Syko, Plan B, Zion & Lennox, Yaga & Mackie and Danny Fornaris. Danza Kuduro appears on the Fast Five soundtrack and is the song played at the conclusion of the movie. He is signed to VI Music and Machete Music through Universal Music Latino.

The album Don Omar Presents MTO2: The New Generation was released on May 1, 2012. The album features newly signed to Orfanato Music GroupNatti Natasha as well as many other signed artists and other reggaeton artists like Zion Y Lennox. The album includes the singles Hasta Que Salga El Sol, which won the award for Best Urban Song at the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards, and Dutty Love featuring Natti Natasha, which was also nominated. The album also features collaborations with Juan Magan, Mims, Syko, Vinny el Vendito, and Yunel Cruz. The album has been well received as it won the award for Best Urban Music Album at the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards.^[10]

After a decade's long rivalry feud with fellow artist Daddy Yankee for the 'King of Reggaeton' title, in early 2016 Daddy Yankee and Don Omar announced in a Billboard press conference that they would perform together on stage in a concert series called The Kingdom World Tour.^[11] The tour announcement left many fans in disbelief, while selling out in minutes in cities like Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, New York.^[12] Discussing the tour and his rivalry with Daddy Yankee, Don Omar said “Let me clarify: I am not his best friend, and he is not my best friend, but we respect each other. That desire to be the best is what has pushed us to be better.”^[13]

Personal life[edit]

In 2003, Omar had his first son, Nicolas Valle Gomez. Omar married forecaster/journalist Jackie Guerrido on April 19, 2008. In March 2011, it was revealed they had divorced.

Legal issues[edit]

On September 18, 2007, Omar was briefly detained in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia due to a legal dispute. A Bolivian concert promoter sued him and some of his management after he canceled a concert scheduled for earlier that year in La Paz as part of the international tour Up Close.^[14][15][16] The organization claimed that he had defrauded US$70,000 due to the cancellation.^[16] Omar responded that he canceled the concert because the company did not provide air tickets in time.^[16] After the case was presented before a local judge, both parties reached an agreement.^[16] Omar was allowed to leave the country in order to comply with a previously scheduled appearance in Buenos Aires on Argentine television and returned the next day to hold his concert in Santa Cruz's Tahuichi Aguilera soccer stadium.^[17]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

• The Last Don (2003)
• King of Kings (2006)
• iDon (2009)
• Meet The Orphans (2010)
• The Last Don 2 (2015)
• Societad Secreta (2018)

Live and Special edition albums[edit]

• The Last Don Live (2004)
• The Last Don: The Gold Series (2006)
• King of Kings: Armageddon Edition (2006)
• King of Kings Live (2007)

Compilation albums[edit]

• Los Bandoleros (2005)
• Da Hitman Presents Reggaetón Latino (2005)
• El Pentágono (2007)
• Meet The Orphans 2: New Generation (2012)

Greatest hits albums[edit]

• Los Bandoleros Reloaded (2006)

Awards and nominations[edit]

Filmography[edit]

Denotes films/television series that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role
2009	Fast & Furious[18][19]	Rico Santos
	Los Bandoleros
2011	Fast Five
2017	The Fate of the Furious

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Mendonza, Alejandro (September 1, 2017). 'Don Omar se retira'. El País (America) (in Spanish). Retrieved September 1, 2017.
2. ^EFE (September 1, 2017). 'Se retira Don Omar, el 'rey del reguetón'' (in Spanish). eltiempo.com. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
3. ^ ^abBiografías, Prpop.org. Retrieved on 2012-01-29.
4. ^'Don Omar On Top of Charts with ‘King of Kings’ Debut'. Latinrapper.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-29.
5. ^Billboard Latin Music Conference & AwardsArchived April 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. April 7–10, 2008.
6. ^King of Kings Album Reviews, Billboard. Retrieved on 2012-01-29.
7. ^Tirado, Frances (2008-01-25). 'Don Omar y Gilberto Santa Rosa juntos en concierto del amor'. Primera Hora. Archived from the original on 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
8. ^Entertainment as a Second Language with Carlos Santos.
9. ^'Orfanato Music Group es el sello de Don Omar'. Wikiton Magazine. 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
10. ^Dery, Yanik (2012-11-16). 'Latin Grammys : Don Omar wins the Urban categories'. Reggaetonline. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
11. ^'Billboard Latin Music Conference: Daddy Yankee and Don Omar Rivalry Continues... Or Not?'. Billboard.
12. ^'Daddy Yankee and Don Omar Announce Dates for Their Kingdom Tour'. E! Online. 8 June 2016.
13. ^'Don Omar & Daddy Yankee Lock In 4 Concert Dates'. Billboard.
14. ^Maderazo, Jennifer Woodard. 'Don Omar Detained and Released in Bolivia'Archived June 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Vivir Latino, 19 September 2007.
15. ^'Cantante 'Don Omar' recobra libertad en Bolivia', El Mercurio Online, 18 September 2007.
16. ^ ^abcd'Flash!'. Don Omar: Pasa horas detenido (in Spanish). Puerto Rico: El Nuevo Día. 2007-09-19. p. 103.
17. ^Ladron, W. (2009)
18. ^Brunton, Richard. (2006-05-26) Don Omar in new Fast and the Furious film. Filmstalker.co.uk. Retrieved on 2012-01-29.
19. ^'Don Omar starring alongside Vin Diesel'. Voymusic.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2015-01-29.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Don Omar.

• Official page at MySpace
• Official page at Facebook
• Don Omar on IMDb