Born in 1978, William "Don" Omar Landrón Rivera grew up in a rough neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Though he was born into a long line of musicians and artists, he initially eschewed music, rebelling against his grandfather's wishes that he become a singer. After witnessing a violent shootout at age 7, he began a problematic childhood that led into an adolescence of petty crime. At age 18, after a close friend standing next to Don Omar was gunned down in a street shooting,... More >
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Born in 1978, William "Don" Omar Landrón Rivera grew up in a rough neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Though he was born into a long line of musicians and artists, he initially eschewed music, rebelling against his grandfather's wishes that he become a singer. After witnessing a violent shootout at age 7, he began a problematic childhood that led into an adolescence of petty crime. At age 18, after a close friend standing next to Don Omar was gunned down in a street shooting, Omar vowed to change his life and began religiously attending a nearby church.
Don Omar rediscovered music at church, joining the chorus and eventually forming a Christian rap group with fellow parishioners. He began to refine his craft by taking singing lessons, and soon his rap group became the chief draw for new members at his 800 person church. He began singing locally outside of the church, and soon found himself at the forefront of the reggaeton (a Latin American genre mixing rap, reggae, and indigenous musical styles) movement in Puerto Rico when he got a job as a backup singer for "Hector y Tito", alongside current reggaeton superstars Hector "El Father" and Tito "El Bambino." Riding on the rising popularity of reggaeton and his association with prominent acts in the scene (including Hector "El Father", Daddy Yankee, and Trebol Clan) Don Omar released his first solo album The Last Don in 2003, on prevalent Puerto Rican label V.I. Music. Fueled by the international success of breakout tracks Dile and Dale Don Dale, the album sold well in Latin America and in the United States, becoming one of only a handful of reggaeton albums to have been certified platinum by the RIAA. He released his second studio album, Latin Grammy-nominated King of Kings in 2006, which has gone on to become one of the most successful reggaeton albums of all time, selling over 2.5 million units worldwide. Don Omar's success hinges upon his crossover appeal; he performs in both English and Spanish and has collaborated with prominent American performing artists including Fabolous and Juelz Santana, as well as Jamaican reggae singer Beenie Man . He is slated to release his next album, El Orfanato, in 2008.From Lastfm:
William Omar Landrón (born February 10, 1978 in Puerto Rico), better known as Don Omar, is a reggaeton singer. He is one of the most well known reggaeton artists in Latin America. His cross over success in the U.S. has given him more exposure to English speaking Reggaeton fans, making him one of the more recognizable faces of Reggaeton along with Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderón. Don Omar's popularity is currently rising and he recently appeared on MTV. Omar is best known for his songs "Dile" and "Dale Don Dale" from his first album The Last Don and "Reggaeton Latino".
Read more about Don Omar on Last.fm.
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From Wikipedia:
Don Omar (born William Omar Landrón Rivera; February 10, 1978), is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer and actor. He is sometimes referred to by his nickname El Rey (Spanish: "The King").
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