De La Ghetto

De La Ghetto is taking his break-up well.

The fresh-faced 27-year-old split up with his partner of three years, Arcángel, before the duo could release its highly-anticipated debut album. Arcángel y De La Ghetto earned a buzz with club-ready singles like Ven y Pégate (Get Close), Sorpresa (Surprise) and Ella Quiere (She Wants To) and appeared alongside Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Wisin y Yandel on Mas Flow: Los Benjamins by Luny Tunes.

After management and label disputes, tiraera magnet Arcángel went solo, leaving De La Ghetto (Rafael Castillo) with doubts about his own solo career: "I was always worried that [fans] wouldn't support me, because Arcángel had many solo songs and I didn't have any." The Puerto Rican-Dominican began to fill out his resume by teaming up with Zion, Roc-a-fella rapper Memphis Bleek and Jamaican reggae artist Mavado. Sensación del Bloque (The Hit of the Block), De La Ghetto's collaboration with Randy, proved that "De La Geezy" could drop hits without his former partner.

Nicknamed "Mr. Versatility," De La Ghetto is prepping his solo debut, Masacre Musical, for a late September release. The album's first single, Es Difícil (It's Difficult), is an electro-R&B jam about learning to cope with a lost love. The New York-bred De La Ghetto promises hip hop, house, reggae, bachata and salsa on Masacre Musical, but quickly adds: "I'm not gonna forget about the reggaetón."

See: myspace.com/delageezy