Héctor Luis Delgado Román (born September 4, 1979) is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and record producer, formerly known by his stage names Héctor el Father and Héctor el Bambino. He rose to fame as a member of the duo Héctor & Tito. As a producer, Delgado has worked with several reggaeton producers, as well as Emilio Estefan.[1]
He announced his retirement from music on September 3, 2008 with the album El Juicio Final,[2] but his series of Farewell Concerts went on until May 2010.[3] After retirement, he obtained a degree in Theology at Southern Methodist University and has dedicated his life to Christianity.[4] In 2018, he wrote and starred in the autobiographic movie Héctor el Father: Conocerás la Verdad, which chronicled his conversion to Christianity.[5][6] In 2021, he returned to music under his real name Héctor Delgado, with his third studio album La Hora Cero, which only contains religious music.[7][8]
In 2015, he founded Maranatha Radio Ministries in Río Grande, Puerto Rico.[9] In his recent work as a preacher, he has touched many lives, moving many rappers to follow in his footsteps including Tito el Bambino and Almighty. He has also been prolific in the field of linguistics, coining terms like calenturri, as well as phrases including sácala, dale úsala (which was used in get-out-the-vote campaigns in 2020).[10]
Héctor joined Efraín Fines Nevares (later known as Tito El Bambino) and formed the duo Héctor & Tito ("Los Bambinos"). Héctor & Tito released their first album in 1998. Together they became reggaeton stars releasing several successful albums and making appearances in several compilations, becoming one of the most sought-out duos in the genre. Both became the first reggaeton artists to sell out a massive concert in Puerto Rico, opening the path to other artists such as Tego Calderón, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, and Wisin & Yandel. As a duet both captured the world's attention and made reggaeton a popular genre, winning awards such as the Billboard Latin Music Award for Latin Rap Album of the Year for their album A la Reconquista.[12]
In 2004, the duo announced their breakup, and each of them has continued with their separate careers.
Delgado followed the success of Trébol Clan with his compilation album titled Los Anormales which went on to break all record sales in Puerto Rico with 130,000 copies sold in just two days. Los Anormales featured reggaeton artists such as Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Trébol Clan, Divino, Zion, and the duo Alexis & Fido.
In February, Delgado performed in the Canary Islands during their big Carnival festivities. His performance was a sold-out success. His song "Baila Morena", which Delgado produced for Héctor & Tito, was one of the songs with the most airplay in Puerto Rico.
In mid-2005, Delgado signed an agreement with Roc-A-Fella Records owner Jay-Z to promote him in the United States through the newly founded Roc-A-Fella sub-label Roc-La-Familia. The label, created to house international artists, would have Jay-Z and Héctor both produce and perform on a compilation album. The album titled Los Rompe Discotekas featured top-of-the-line artists both from the United States hip-hop and Spanish reggaeton music industries.[13]
Additionally, Delgado became the Hispanic image for, what was at that time, the Roc-A-Fella-owned clothing line Rocawear. The advertising campaign including his image was featured in TV spots, print, and billboards. The agreement included a deal for Rocawear to sponsor Delgado's clothing designs under the label Bambino. The clothing deal included Héctor designing tennis shoes to be released as part of Jay-Z's "S. Carter Collection" under Reebok.[13]
In January 2008, Delgado decided to lose weight and contracted José Bonilla, a personal trainer to help him. He also began practicing the Atkins diet. At the beginning of this weight program he weighed 221 pounds and by the end had lost 31 pounds.[14]
In 2002 he became an evangelical Christian member of the Iglesia Cristo Misionero in Canóvanas.[15]
It was confirmed by Delgado that an audio clip from a remix called "Los terroristas" with the line con los terroristas was used uncredited[16] in the opening of Baauer's "Harlem Shake", which became a viral internet sensation in February 2013. Baauer had referred to the voice in the opening of his song, as "The dude in the beginning I got somewhere off the Internet, I don't even know where"[17] in an earlier interview. Delgado told WAPA-TV's Lo Sé Todo that he was working with his lawyers and that he planned to meet with them the next week to discuss his next steps.[16]
Diplo, head of Mad Decent and frontman of dancehall group Major Lazer helped settle the legal dispute in April 2013.[18]
