El General
Edgardo Armando Franco (born 27 September 1969), better known as El General, is a Panamanian former reggae artist considered by some to be one of the fathers of reggae en Español and a precursor to reggaetón.
El General | |
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El General at the 1993 Viña del Mar Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 27 September 1969 Panama City, Panama |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1990–2006 |
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During the early 1990s, he was one of the artists who initiated the Spanish-language dancehall variety of reggae music. Early examples of this were the international and somewhat mainstream songs, "Te Ves Buena" and "Tu Pum Pum". “Tu Pum Pum" emerged after a friend of El General invited him to collaborate with a Jamaican producer that was searching for a “different sound in Panama." Both songs, performed in Spanish deejaying style, were very successful in North America. After getting his foot in the door of the commercial market, many other Spanish-language dancehall reggae artists became famous in the mainstream as well. He has a unique, easy to listen to style of dance music and has produced many well-known songs all over Latin America.
El General retired from music in 2004 and became a Jehovah's Witness.