Ken-Y
| R.K.M & Ken-Y | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Gurabo, Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Reggaetón |
| Years active | 2003–2013 |
| Labels | Pina, Universal Music Latino, Machete Music |
José Nieves (R.K.M) and Kenny Vázquez (Ken-Y), both from Gurabo, Puerto Rico, were a Grammy Award-nominated reggaeton duo. They separated in 2013 so each artist could pursue their own musical endeavors.
The duo started their music career in high school. R.K.M (formerly known as "Rakim" but changed to avoid confusion with the established hip-hop artist Rakim) was inspired by the explosion of reggaeton music in the 1990s. He encouraged Ken-Y to join him to form a duo; they performed at 15th birthday parties (quinceañeras) and public events.
Nicky Jam gave them a chance to make an appearance on his album, Vida Escante. They were featured on "Pasado" and "Me Estoy Muriendo". These singles were hits in Latin America. They also won The Draft, a contest for upcoming Latin artists. They won the best Latin and reggae award in 2007.
This success attrcated Raphy Pina, the reggaeton moguls. They signed to the label and a year later released Masterpiece. The album was nominated for Premio Lo Nuestro of 2007. Their first hit single was "Down", reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in 2006. Four other singles were released from the album, as well as music videos. It won many awards. The album went platinum and sold about 600,000 copies. The duo went on a tour across the world. They have released the songs performed on tour on an album entitled Masterpiece: World Tour (Sold Out). They have also released a special edition version of the album entitled Masterpiece Commemorative Edition.
Their studio album, The Royalty, was released on September 9, 2008.
The first single released from the album was "Mis Días Sin Ti". Raphy Pina announced the return of R.K.M & Ken-Y February 15, 2008. The date was actually a concert they held in the Choliseo in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The concert's headline was "Romantic en el Choliseo". Reggaeton artists like Wisin & Yandel, Tito "El Bambino", Nicky Jam, Rene Moz and Arcangel were present. Other artists like N'Klabe and Karis were also present.
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