El Roockie

While Flex pwns pop radio with "Te Quiero," another romantic Panamanian is waiting in the wings.

Reggae singer-rapper Ivan Vladimir Bautista, El Roockie, made his debut nearly a decade ago with Revelations and has followed with almost an album a year since: Máquina De Lírica (2001), Fórmula Cruda (2002), En Tus Manos (2003) and Humanidad (2005). Popular in his native Panamá, the self-described “máquina de lírica” (lyrical machine) extended his reach to Puerto Rico, where he caught the eye of reggaetón icon Vico C, who has touted El Roockie has having "the most potential of any of his peers." Producing duo Luny Tunes agree. They signed El Roockie to their Más Flow Inc. imprint and let him showcase his flow on "No Te Quiere," an El General-meets-reggaetón joint from Los Benjamins.

El Roockie's latest solo release, Semblante Urbano, is produced by Luny Tunes, Predicador, Tainy and Sensei and has spawned three singles. Parece Sincera is a dancehall ditty with synth zaps and healthy chunks of acoustic guitar. Martes De Galería, featuring De La Ghetto, flips the bassline from Barrington Levy's Black Roses and adds dramatic strings while Sigue Bailando is a romantic reggae track similar to, well, something you'd hear from Flex.

Prompted by the success of fellow Panamanians Eddy Lover and Flex, El Roockie argues his countrymen should unite and conquer: “I think to become successful, we have to repeat the formula that was used in Puerto Rico – producers working together and helping out the artists, making some good music."

See: myspace.com/theroockie