ADISC | Recognition of Latino-Quebecer Cruzito

A standard-bearer for Latin urban music, Cruzito is an ADISQ finalist for the first time this year. The Latin-Quebec artist, who has collaborated with world reggaeton stars like Nicky Jam and RKM & Ken-Y, is finally enjoying recognition at home, 15 years after his debut.

The Honduran-born singer welcomes us to Pizza Lagua in the Saint-Michel district of Montreal. It’s there, at the corner of rue Villeray and 18^e Avenue, which he went to dinner in the early 2000s when he was at Joseph-François-Perrault high school.

At the time, reggaeton was not as popular as it is today in Quebec. This fusion between dancehall and rap was already resonating thanks to the success gasolina of Daddy Yankee, but Cruzito could not have predicted that it would see such an expansion. “Artists who were doing church basements 10 years ago now fill Place Bell or the Bell Center,” notes Edi Cruz, whose real name is.

Moreover, Cruzito travels regularly to attend reggaeton music events. Last September, he notably went to see Karol G’s show at the Bell Centre. Very interesting fact: Karol G knows the artist. On social networks, we can indeed find a resumption of success Tithe What Will Be de Cruzito performed by the Colombian superstar. The snippet still appears today on Karol G’s Instagram account, which has 57.3 million followers. The singer even left him a comment on this social network. “Your songs are legendary,” she wrote to him already in 2014.

From Quebec to Puerto Rico

Cruzito — an artist name chosen in honor of his grandmother, who called him Edito — published his first models on the web while attending high school. Two of them, Tithe What Will Be and From Que Vale, spread on Latin American websites. The second even runs on the radio. In the process, the founder of Pina Records (reggaeton’s flagship label) contacted him. The Montrealer flew to Puerto Rico in no time and signed with Daddy Yankee’s label — yes, yes, the author of Despacito.

Cruzito participates in three songs of master piece, the debut album by Puerto Ricans Rakim and Ken-Y. An instant success, the pop-sounding disc, released in 2006, forever changed the face of reggaeton.

Despite his success, he parted ways with Pina Records. “I got discouraged too quickly,” he admits today. But his songs, launched in the age of blogs, chat rooms and hacking sites, left a mark in Latin America. To this day, his Spotify page is still listened to in Chile, Peru, Mexico and Colombia.

From reggaeton to ADISQ

Today, Cruzito is well established at Joy Ride Records (Loud, Connaisseur Ticaso), with which he released his first official album, Lagrimas y Lambos, in 2021. It is this record that earned him, 15 years after his debut, his first selections at ADISQ. Cruzito is nominated in two categories, that of the best world music album and that of the international collaboration of the year (thanks to the song Como Ayer with Ken-Y, his longtime collaborator).

According to Cruzito, Quebec is beginning to feel the omnipresence of this music. “We have to reward her. For me, we have already won. With reggaeton! With Ken-Y! »

Journalist and researcher Antoine-Samuel Mauffette Alavo notes the popularity of the genre in Quebec. Specializing in urban music, he says that Francophones are increasingly adopting reggaeton as “party music”. “They don’t understand the lyrics, but they know the songs. Bad Bunny is the number 1 request to all DJs. It became a meme. »

But what does the Hispanic community think of Cruzito’s selections?

Even though he listened to Céline Dion and Les Cowboys Fringants during his childhood, Edi Cruz watches the gala mainly because Louis-José Houde, his “all-time favorite” comedian, hosts the evening. “We must not forget my musical journey. I dropped out of school to go to Puerto Rico. My head was not in Quebec! »

He believes that part of his community has a lack of interest in following ADISQ. In the meantime, he can, at least, represent it.

With 75,900 subscribers on TikTok, where he makes Quebecers laugh with his videos, Cruzito has a good head start in getting people talking about him.