Tego Calderó Hits Stores With Eagerly Awaited Jiggiri/Atlantic Debut

New York, NY (Atlantic Records) - Atlantic Records has announced the release this week of THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO, the eagerly anticipated Jiggiri/Atlantic debut from Latin rap superstar Tego Calderón. Calderón celebrated the release of the album with a special midnight in-store performance on Monday night (8/28) in his homeland of Puerto Rico. The free concert, which took place at La Gran Discoteca at Los Colobos in the city of Carolina, was packed with over 1,000 fans. Following his live performance, Calderón stayed at the store until 3 a.m. signing autographs.

Calderón arrives in the U.S. today for a string of in-store autograph signings, kicking off tonight, August 30th, at the Virgin Megastore in New York's Times Square. Tego then continues on to appearances in Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, and Orlando.
Calderón is slated to perform at the star-studded NFL Opening Kickoff 2006 concert on Miami's South Beach on Thursday, September 7th. Two songs from Tego's performance will be televised on Telemundo.

'Los Maté,' the first single from THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO, jumped nearly 30 spots to hit No 17 with a bullet on this week's Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, and the track has hit No 1 in Latin Rhythmic airplay in the U.S. The song's companion video made its worldwide premiere last Thursday on Univision.com. In addition, a full album listening party went live on the AOL Latino Musica homepage yesterday and will run through next Tuesday.

Released on Calderón's own Atlantic-distributed Jiggiri Records, THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO is already being hailed as a landmark in the Latin hip-hop and reggaetón movement. When Calderón inked a worldwide deal with Atlantic last year, he became the first artist in the Latin hip-hop field to ink a global pact with a major label.

Calderón describes his new album as 'a musical journey through the Afro-Caribbean culture.' It showcases poetry from the heart and is a unique fusion of elements taken from traditional bomba puertorriqueña, Jamaican reggae, blues, Cuban rumba, and New York salsa. The diversity of styles that Tego brings together is reflected in the wide array of musical instruments on the album. Calderón brings to his palate the music of percussion and brass to create a vivid soundscape that recalls the classic rhythms of the legendary salsa greats.

THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO contains 22 tracks plus one bonus track and features collaborations with such artists as Buju Banton, Eddie Dee & Voltio, Yandel, Chyno Nyno, Don Omar, and legendary salsa singer Oscar D'León. The album also features the work of producers DJ Nelson, Danny Fornaris, DJ Nesty, Naldo, DJ Joe, Echo & Diesel, Cookee, Major League, Salaam Remi, Erick Figueroa, Daniel Cruz & Eduardo Lobo, and Troyton Rami. All the songs on the album were co-written by Calderón, with the exception of 'Chango Blanco,' written by Luis López Cabán. Featured in the album is a special booklet with bilingual track-by-track commentary by award-winning Puerto Rican author and professor Mayra Santos-Febres.