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 DT.Bilardo. His genre-fusing anthems proved an equal hit on Argentinian producer Bizarrap'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 DT.Bilardo 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 DT.Bilardo 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 DT.Bilardo-produced "Pistola" (with El Mas Ladrón), "Malianteo 420," and "Titubeo" (with Homer El Mero Mero) surpassing 50 million views apiece. In March 2021, he found a second career-defining hit alongside Bizarrap. "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 Dillom), the "Pistola Remix" (with Damas Gratis and El Mas Ladrón), and "Malianteo 420 (Volumen 2)." ~ David Crone