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iZaak is the stage moniker of Puerto Rican pop, trap, and urbano singer, songwriter, and producer Isaac Ortiz, who first found success in his teens with the popular boy band Los Menores. He became a star in his own right in 2017 with the release of the chart-topping single "Si Te Quedas," and continued to make waves with subsequent efforts like "No Me Dejes Solo" and 2024's Millo Blanco EP.

Growing up in the Central-Eastern city of Gurabo, Ortiz developed his love for music while singing in church. At the age of 14, he parlayed that passion into a musical career after competing in and winning the popular national talent contest Star Kids Fest. He joined Los Menores shortly thereafter, and three years later inked a solo deal with White Lion, the label that was instrumental in breaking urbano stars like Tego Calderón, Voltio, and Calle 13. His first single, "Si Te Quedas," became a streaming sensation, and before long Ortiz was collaborating with the likes of Daddy Yankee, Sech, and Nicky Jam. A string of hits followed, including 2018's "El Amor Se Cayó" and 2019's "Enchulao," "Vacilón," and "Fanática de Don," and in 2020 he continued his chart streak with "A Veces," "Jockey," and "Dale Con To," the latter of which saw him team up with fellow Puerto Rican hitmaker Farruko." Collaborations with Jay Wheeler ("Finde"), Jerry Di ("Tranqui"), Lenny Tavarez ("Victoria"), and J Abdiel ("WYA") helped further cement Ortiz's reputation as a hitmaker in the urbano scene, as did the release of the assured Millo Blanco EP in 2024. ~ James Christopher Monger

Smooth reggaeton specialist Jhay Cortez (aka Jhayco) has built on years of background work to become one of the most commercially successful artists on the Universal Music Latino roster. Shortly after he debuted as a headlining artist, the singer, rapper, and songwriter scored a Top Ten hit on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart with a remix of "No Me Conoce" (2019), the same year he released his long-lasting debut album Famouz. That album reached number five on the Top Latin Albums chart and was followed by a string of successful singles and collaborations, including a guest appearance on Bad Bunny's 2021 Latin Grammy-nominated hit "Dákiti." Cortez again reached the Latin Top Five with both 2021's Timelezz and 2024's Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X).

Based in New Jersey and originally from Puerto Rico -- his roots are in Rio Piedras and Carolina -- Jesús Manuel Nieves Cortes started to write and record at the age of 11. He was still a teenager when he worked on his first major releases, namely Zion & Lennox's Los Verdaderos and Tito El Bambino's El Patrón: Invencible. The latter won the 2011 Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Tropical Album. Cortez co-wrote dozens of songs for other artists over the ensuing years, and in 2018 reached a new level as a contributor to Cardi B's "I Like It," Anuel AA's "Amanece," and Bad Bunny's "RLNDT." Cortez signed a deal with Universal Music Latino during this hot streak and made his solo debut with the Eyez on Me EP. Early in 2019, he appeared on Sky's "Bajo Cero," which raised his profile ahead of his full-length Famouz. The album was highlighted by a remix of "No Me Conoce" featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny. The track quickly pierced Hot Latin Songs and eventually broke into the chart's Top Ten.

In 2020, Cortez followed Famouz with Famouz Reloaded, a digital-only series of album remixes that included a host of collaborations with artists Cortez admired. They included "Somos Iguales" (ft. Zion & Lennox), "Deséame Suerte" (ft. Karol G y Haze), "Imaginaste Remix" (ft. Wisin & Yandel), and "Easy Remix" (ft. Ozuna). The remix collection propelled Famouz to a Top Five peak and a 52-week run on the Latin Rhythm Albums charts.

In early 2021, Cortez teamed up with Myke Towers for the single "Los Bo" and scored a solo hit with the track "Christian Dior." Both tracks paved the way for his sophomore full-length, Timelezz, which arrived in September 2021 hitting number two on the Top Latin Albums chart. Also featured on the album were guest spots by Skrillex, Anuel AA, Buscabulla, and others. By the end of the year, he had topped the Hot Latin Songs chart with his appearance on Bad Bunny's "Dákiti," which also picked up a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Urban Song.

In March 2022, Cortez (now going under the stage name Jhayco) released the single "Sensual Bebé." More songs followed, including "Holanda" and "Ex-Special" (with Peso Pluma), all leading up to the release of his third studio album, Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X), which arrived in September 2024. Along with Pluma, the album featured guest spots from DJ Khaled, Eladio Carrión, Omar Courtz, Kapo, Bryant Myers, and Quevedo. It topped the Spanish Albums chart and reached number three on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart. ~ Andy Kellman & Thom Jurek

Anuel AA is a Puerto Rican MC whose thoroughly urban music seamlessly melds reggaeton and trap. He is one of the Boricua rappers who spearheaded the Latin trap movement. His uncompromising lyrics heavily detail sex ("Sola"), drugs ("Ayer"), and murder ("Nunca Sapo"). While his songs (and those of other Latin trap stars) are too risqué to be played on the radio, he quickly gained millions of followers through posting videos online and an intensely active social media presence -- mostly while in prison. According to many, Anuel AA is the true king of Latin trap since many other genre stars rose to prominence during his absence. His first three post-incarceration studio albums -- 2020's Emmanuel and 2021's Los Dioses (with Ozuna), and Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren -- all hit number one on the Top Latin Albums chart. 2022's LLMN2 debuted at number two and placed four tracks on the Latin singles charts. His 2023 collaboration with Mambo Kingz and DJ Luian, "Mejor Que Yo," was also a Top 20 Latin hit The single "Tacos Gucci" appeared in 2024.

Born Emmanuel Santiago Gazmey, his father, José Gazmey, was the vice-president of the A&R department of Sony Music Entertainment's Puerto Rican division. After Anuel AA began posting songs online in 2010, they racked up thousands of hits from around the world. With assistance from Ñengo Flow, Ozuna, Arcángel, and others, his gritty, bouncy sound and aggressive lyric attack gained popularity via millions of views for his early singles and remixes, and came to the attention of Rick Ross, who signed him to the Latin division of Maybach Music Group. Anuel AA released a well-received mixtape in February 2016.

He was arrested on charges of gun possession when various firearms and ammunition were discovered in the trunk of a car in which he was a passenger, resulting in the #FreeAnuel hashtag campaign among his international fan base. Nevertheless, his management continued uploading songs from his vault while he was incarcerated. He even managed to record new material behind bars. "Yesterday 2" featured collaborations from J Balvin, Nicky Jam, and Cosculluela. Anuel AA continued recording while inside; however, he often sang through phones during calls. His videos resonated with fans and racked up over 500 million views. Numerous songs featuring his voice appeared with some regularity. Ozuna labeled him a guest on "Bebé," the hit single from his successful 2017 album Odisea -- which spent 32 consecutive weeks comfortably atop Billboard's Top Latin Albums. Released in December 2016, a remix of Anuel AA's own "Sola" had noteworthy guests such as Daddy Yankee and Wisin participating. Other singles sporting Anuel verses included Arcángel's "Rojo," Farruko's "Liberace," and Ñengo Flow's "47." Some earned RIAA Latin certifications. Anuel AA received a platinum certification for the single "Ayer," produced by DJ Nelson.

Anuel AA, who spent no less than 90 days in solitary confinement, surprised the music world by releasing the full-length album Real Hasta La Muerte to streaming and digital platforms in 2018. It debuted at number 51 on the Billboard 200 and claimed the top spot on Top Latin Albums, taking Odisea down a peg. The Ozuna-assisted party anthem "Brindemos" appeared at number 48 on Hot Latin Songs before an actual video was released. After being awarded the Billboard Latin Music Award for New Artist of the Year in 2019, Anuel AA issued a barrage of tracks off his 2020 album Emmanuel, including the Karol G collaborations "Secreto" and "China," the latter of which also included Daddy Yankee. New tracks continued to leak out into 2020, and in May of that year Anuel AA appeared alongside Nicki Minaj on a remix of Black Jonas Point's song "La Bebe." Other collaborators on the full-length included Travis Barker (on a Spanish cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry"), Karol G, Tego Calderon, Bad Bunny, Farruko, Lil Wayne, Zion, and more. The 22-track Emmanuel entered the Top 200 at number eight and was eventually certified six times platinum (Latin).

In January 2021, Anuel AA released Los Dioses, a collaborative album with Ozuna. It became his third set to top Billboard's Latin Albums chart. Later in the year, "Location" (with Karol G) and "Los de Siempre" (with Chris Jedi) appeared. In November, he issued Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren. It debuted at number one on the Hot Latin Albums chart and began its run on the Top 200 at number 29. He followed it with a completely sold-out, eight-month tour.

In March 2022, the reggaetonero was back. He issued the single "Si Tu Me Busca," in collaboration with rapper/girlfriend Yailin la Mas Viral. It peaked at number 12 on Latin Digital Songs and charted in eight countries. May's "¿Qué Nos Pasó?" hit in over a dozen. In June, he and Yailin la Mas Viral surprised fans with a wedding announcement.

July's "La Llevo Al Cielo" (ft. Ñengo Flow) charted in more than 20 countries including the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Anuel AA followed with the video single "Malo," with collaborative help from Randy and Zion. It registered more than 14 million views during its first week. In early July, he canceled his long-planned U.S. tour in order to "recharge his batteries" and finish his fourth album.

LLNM2 appeared in December 2022. Originally purposed as an EP titled Me Fui de Gira, the completed project comprised a whopping 33 tracks and was a sequel to the previous year's Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren. The collaboration-rich set offered more than 15 guests -- David Guetta, DaBaby, and Bryant Myers among them -- entered Top Latin Albums chart at number two. Four of its tracks likewise made appearances on the Hot Latin Songs list including "La Máquina," with Jowell & Randy, De la Ghetto, and Yailin La Mas Viral, as well as "Sufro," with Kodak Black and Nengo Flow. The full-length also placed at 30 in the all-genre Top 200. In 2023, he scored more Top 20 Latin hits joining forces with Mambo Kingz and DJ Luian for both "Más Rica Que Ayer" and "Mejor Que Yo." The team also released "Baby" with Quavo. Anuel made guest appearances on singles by acts including Nio Garcia and Marshmello, and released solo songs such as "Glock, Glock, Glock." In 2024, he appeared on Jennifer Lopez's "Rebound," and released the track "Tacos Gucci." ~ Paul Simpson & Thom Jurek