Tony Dize is ready to step out from under the shadow of his longtime collaborators Wisin and Yandel and into the limelight.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts as Tony Feliciano Rivera, Dize was raised in sleepy Coamo, Puerto Rico and was a Christian singer – until he met Yandel. As a reggaetonero, Dize has traded verses with Angel, Franco "El Gorila," Ken-Y and Héctor "El Father." In 2006, he joined Wisin y Yandel, Gadiel, El Tío and Franco "El Gorila" in the supergroup Los Vaqueros, where his romantikeo on Quizás earned him both industry props and the love of the ladies.

After five years, Dize will release his first solo album La Melodía De La Calle (The Melody of The Streets) – already available on iTunes – later this month. Bien Sudao’, ("schweaty"), a grinding mash of hip hop and reggaetón, is currently available for free on iTunes Latino.

True to his beliefs, Dize points above when asked why he waited so long before going solo: "[Y]ou have to be very patient. In this business, if you get mad you lose. When God says the album is ready, that is the moment it will be out."

See: myspace.com/tonydize

Correction: In an earlier version, "Bien Sudao" was incorrectly described as the first single from Tony Dize's La Melodia de la Calle. Dize's first single is "Permítame" featuring Yandel.