Latin Artist on the Rise: How Mexican Rapper Gera MX Made History On Billboard’s Hot 100
#Music
Born in Monterrey and raised in San Luis Potosi, Gera MX says his upbringing is what shaped his career as one of Mexico’s hottest rappers of the moment.
“I come from a dangerous neighborhood that made it easy for my lyrics,” he tells Billboard. “I had so many things to share, nothing was invented. I simply penned my feelings [on] paper.”
Gera MX discovered his love for music at a very young age — but it was his attraction to artists such as Molotov, Control Machete, and King Lil G that sparked his interest in hip-hop.
“I love their songs because they expressed what they felt without fear of anything,” he says. “I began writing at the age of 13 and never let go.”
Finding his sound was also an easy process for Gera, who always had the vision of being the fresh rapper that could fit in every song. “My ideology was to create phrases that people want to tattoo on themselves. My style had to be unique and sound like all the artists that have influenced me,” he adds.
With a trajectory that spans almost 10 years, Gera recalls that the first time he went viral was in 2014 with his song “Suelo Soñar y Tropezarme,” which put on the map his unapologetic and real music. It was the first time people sang one of his songs at a concert, he says.
Now, the 26-year-old rapper is making the rounds with his Christian Nodal-assisted “Botella Tras Botella,” which dropped April 23rd via Virgin Music México. Lacing both of their genres, the breakup song, produced by Erick Gutierrez Cervantes and Edgar Barrera, is a Country-tinged, acoustic ranchera with Hip-Hop beats.
It has become a phenomenon.
“Botella Tras Botella,” which was born during a carne asada hang out in the midst of the pandemic, makes history on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as the first Regional Mexican title to enter the list in its almost 63-year history. In addition, the song also debuts at No. 3 on Hot Latin Songs and in the top 10 on both Global charts: No. 4 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and No. 9 on Billboard Global 200.
“Christian and I live in the same residential, and one day he rode his bike to my house to hang out. I still can’t believe that Nodal, this huge artist that everyone knows, rides a bike to my house. That’s when I knew he was part of la raza,” Gera expresses. “He played the melody on the guitar and I just knew that this was the song. We hit the studio, turned our feelings into lyrics, and here it is. We weren’t even looking for it,” he continues.
As for the song’s massive success on social media and digital platforms, Gera owes it all to a real friendship and the heart.
“This song did not have a marketing strategy or a plan. It has soul,” he says. “I wrote it thinking about someone very important to me and people can tell that it hurt me a lot. I can’t find any other explanation and it’s beautiful. You’re not only showing off your artistic side but also your human side.”
Meet this week’s Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise below:
Name: Gerardo Daniel Torres Montante
Age: 26
Recommended Song: “Botella Tras Botella” – Gera MX, Christian Nodal
Major Accomplishments: “Everything that’s happening with this song!… For Mexican rap, it’s very difficult to enter the Billboard charts because of our tone and sound. There is nothing wrong with that, but this is something nice that’s happening to two friends from Mexico. It feeds your soul and makes you believe in yourself 1,000 percent more. ‘Botella Tras Botella’ will make history. That, and also, to be able to have my mom, grandparents, and sister stable, without nothing to worry about.”
What’s Next: “Make good decisions for my career. Be smart, stick with my team, release more music, do live shows. In fact, we announced a concert in Monterrey and it sold out in 15 minutes. I’m just enjoying this moment. I’ve worked hard for 10 years, it’s been a challenging but beautiful career and I think I finally found what I needed to be able to breathe. Now, I’m going to work double to take this to the next level.”
via https://www.DMT.NEWS/
Jessica Roiz, Khareem Sudlow, DMTDaily
