Getting Ready for Los Dioses (Part 2): Who Is Anuel AA?

While we wait for Ozuna and Anuel’s joint album Los Dioses with bated breath, we’re going over everything you need to know about both artists. Read our breakdown of the duo’s best songs together so far and get to know more about Ozuna and our ranking of all of his albums. Since Anuel only has two albums, we’re going to go over some of his biography and the tracks you need to know.

Anuel AA has been one of the most influential and important figures in Latin music for the last five years or so. He has also been one of the most controversial.

Background

Born in 1992 in Puerto Rico, as Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago, Anuel grew up the son of a record producer. He grew up in a housing project in Puerto Rico and once his father lost his job, their family fell on even harder financial times. A huge fan of Tupac, Anuel’s style has been heavily influenced by that 90s style rap. Anuel, along with other artists like Bad Bunny, Ozuna, De La Ghetto, and Messiah, was one of the major early artists of the Latin Trap movement. His first mixtape Real Hasta La Muerte, released in 2016, was a massive success. He didn’t have much of a chance to enjoy this success however.

On April 3rd, 2016, Anuel was arrested on charges of illegal gun possession. As local stations would report, the police confiscated three pistols, nine magazines, and 152 bullets from Anuel’s possession. During his trial, Anuel’s music became a point of contention. Many critics of Anuel cited the sexually explicit and violent lyrics as contributing to negative perceptions of Puerto Rico. Anuel stated that those lyrics reflected the reality of the Puerto Rican streets. The prosectuor in the case recommended a sentence of 18 months for Anuel, who entered a plea bargain. The judge instead sentenced him to 30 months of prison. This harsh sentencing led many to believe that Anuel’s music and reputation led the judge to unfairly punish the artist. The #FreeAnuel movement was born from this and the case helped to give Anuel a new level of notoriety and fame.

A Pioneer of Latin Trap

While Anuel was incarcerated, Latin trap exploded. Bad Bunny and Ozuna became two of biggest artists in the world. Songs like La Ocasion by De La Ghetto (remixed with a number of artists) helped expand the genre internationally. The rapid expansion of the genre didn’t leave Anuel behind however. Artists like Ozuna and J Balvin would frequently add the tag, “Free Anuel” into their songs. Anuel would also record features and sometimes full tracks over the phone while in prison. His first album (also) titled Real Hasta La Muerte was released the same day that Anuel was released from prison in 2018.

Real Hasta La Muerte was a massive success. The album reestablished Anuel as one of the foremost artists in urban music. Compared to earlier works, this album cleaned up the lyrics a bit and had an eye for the mainstream. While the trap roots were evident, the album was a massive commercial success.

From 2018 – 2020, Anuel released a number of highly successful singles including China (which has well over a billion views on Youtube), Me Gusta with Shakira, and Adictiva with Daddy Yankee. He also appeared on tracks with artists like Meek Mill, 6ix9ine, and Bad Bunny. His most popular collaborator has been Karol G, who just so happens to be his fiancé. The two have released a number of tracks together and have been very public about their relationship.

Anuel’s second album Emmanuel was released in 2020. It is a massive album with 20 tracks and a number of huge featuring artists like Enrique Iglesias, Lil Wayne, Bad Bunny, and Travis Barker to name a few. This album was amongst the best of 2020 with songs to fit every mood and to light up every party.

If you don’t know if Anuel is in a song, there a few key things to listen for. If you hear any of the following phrases or sounds from a gravely nasally voice, it’s probably Anuel: