M.J. vs. Baby Boy
versus
mon 8/4/2008
| name | José A. Matos Negrón. | Roberto Borrero. |
| hometown | Born in Puerto Rico. Grew up in Pennsylvania. | Born in Puerto Rico. Grew up in New Jersey and Florida. |
| age | 23. | 27. |
| style | Pop, bachata and reggaetón. | Pop and R&B. |
| the look | Stunna shades-loving pretty boy. | Stunna shades-loving pretty boy. |
| former day job | Sound engineer. | Restauranteur and owner of cell phone store chain. |
| before going solo | Worked with Luny Tunes. | Member of bachata-pop group Afixiao. |
| could be the next | Zion. | Flex. |
| in their own words | "Yes, there are many new young artists in our genre and all of us have a lot of dreams. But I'm ready to work and leave my footprint in music." | "In my album there is no reggaetón, but that's not a bad thing… it doesn't mean I won't do reggaetón again." |
| breakthrough track | He Venido. | Ya No Llores (Let Me Love You). |
| most recent release | Mi Sentimiento. | Ya No Llores: Let Me Love You. |
| the critics | Real Talk Reggaetón: "[M.J.'s] CD is fire!! It is definately worth a download. There is no reason to say that M.J. isn't good. This guy is going to blow up in the next few months." | El Corillord.com: “A month after releasing his debut album … [Baby Boy] has created a group of followers in and outside the U.S. that are propelling him little by little to the center of the universe of urban latin music.” |
| webprops | 10,911 friends on official MySpace. | 5,301 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Trying to win over a girl who has a BF in Dile. | Reminding a girl she's too young for love in Tus Quince Años. |
M.J.
as seen on myspace
wed 6/25/2008
M.J. couldn't stay behind the music for long.
A sound engineer and producer, 23-year-old José A. Matos Negrón, aka M.J., left the console behind and picked up a microphone after he was discovered by DJ Negro at The Noise – the Puerto Rican club nights promoted by the DJ collective of the same name. Backed by romantic reggaetonero Zion, M.J. earned a spot on Los Benjamins: La Continuación by Luny Tunes. Dile, a romantikeo jam with sizzling synths and acoustic guitar, became a minor hit in Puerto Rico – no small feat when you're on an album with the likes of Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Wisin y Yandel.
Earlier this month, M.J. released his debut album, Mi Sentimiento. Produced by Eliel, Memo and Mambo Kingz, the album includes his latest hit, He Venido, a syrupy reggaetón-flavored pop track. There's also the techno-ish She Makes Me Feel with Sean Kingston, and Se Fue featuring Zion, which sounds a lot like reggaetón's answer to Apologize by Timbaland and OneRepublic. As his star rises, M.J. remains humble: "Everything has happened so quickly that I sometimes find it hard to believe that I've received so many blessings in my career."
Puertorican Princess Says:
