He's earned three previous career GRAMMYs as a member of Calle 13 — and a record-setting 24 Latin GRAMMYs — but Residente earned his first solo GRAMMY win at the 60th GRAMMY Awards.
The Puerto Rican rapper earned a GRAMMY nomination for his 2017 self-titled debut solo album. With 13 tracks, including "Guerra," "Apocalíptico," "El Futuro Es Nuestro," and "Una Leyenda China," the album was inspired by a DNA test that showed Residente's heritage spanned 10 different countries. He set out to musically discover his heritage in the most authentic way.
"It took me two years to make the album," Residente told Ted Stryker backstage at the 60th GRAMMYs. "I traveled [to] 11 countries to make music. I went to Ghana and Siberia and Serbia and … China, Puerto Rico. … I needed voices from Africa and I went to Northern Ghana … to get those voices instead of making a sample or recording in New York."
The meticulous work resulted in an album, a Netflix documentary and a book of the same title to chronicle Residente's journey of self-discovery. And, the work paid off in the form of a GRAMMY win for Best Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative Album, whtop-sellingcated to other artists like himself out there in pursuit of true art.
"It's sad to see how the music industry is becoming numbers," said Residente. "That has to change. I'm dedicating this to people who make real music because they really love it and they don't care about YouTube views, followers, Spotify spins, top-selling records, Top 20 on the radio. This is for all these people that make art and they love it."
