Raulín Rodríguez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raulín Rodríguez
Raulín Rodríguez performing live.
Background information
Birth name	Raulín Marte Rodríguez
Also known as	El Cacique
Born	(1971-06-16) June 16, 1971 (age 54) Las Matas de Santa Cruz, Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Genres	Bachata
Occupation(s)	Musician singer
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Platano Records Cacique Records
Associated acts	Luis Vargas Anthony "Romeo" Santos

Raulín Marte Rodríguez (born June 16, 1971) is a famous Dominican bachata singer. He was one of the first bachata artists to become popular around the world. Raulín helped make bachata music more well-known in the 1990s.

Before him, many bachata songs were a bit daring. But Raulín Rodríguez sang about romantic love in a sweet way. This made bachata music popular for everyone and helped it get played on the radio. People call him "El Cacique," which means "The Chief." He is one of the most important musicians from the Dominican Republic. He has many hit songs like "Nereyda" and "Medicina de Amor." Some of his songs have even sold so many copies that they are called Platinum in the United States.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Raulín Rodríguez was born in Las Matas de Santa Cruz, a town in the Dominican Republic. He was the youngest of four children from his mother. His father had more children later, so Raulín has many siblings.

From a very young age, Raulín loved music. His mother noticed this and sold two goats to buy him a guitar. A famous bachata musician named Luis Vargas helped him learn to play the guitar. Raulín wanted to go to music school, but his family did not have enough money. So, he taught himself how to play.

When he was 14, he joined a school choir. Over time, he became very good at playing bachata music and the guitar. He grew up in the same village as other famous bachata singers, Luis Vargas and Antony Santos.

Raulín Rodríguez's Music Career

Starting Out and Becoming a Star (1987–1999)

Raulín started his music career playing guitar for Anthony Santos, along with his sister Casilda. Both Santos and Rodriguez first worked for Luis Vargas. Anthony Santos began his own music path in 1991. Raulín stayed with Santos until 1993.

In 1993, Raulín decided to start his own career. Many people told him it was a bad idea to leave Santos's group. But Raulín believed he could become popular on his own. And he did!

In 1993, he released his first album, Una Mujer Como Tú. It was a huge success. Songs like "Una Mujer Como Tú" and "Que Dolor" became very popular. In 1994, he released his second album, Regresa Amor. This album included "Nereyda," which is still one of his most famous songs.

In 1995, his third album, Medicina De Amor, came out. The song "Medicina De Amor" was a massive hit. Other songs like "Mujer Infiel" were also very successful. From 1996 to 1999, he released more albums and gained even more fame. He had hits like "Dame Corazon" and "Si Supieras."

Continued Success in the 2000s (2000–2009)

In 2000, Raulín released his first live album, En Vivo. The next year, he released his ninth studio album, Arrancame La Vida. This album included the song "Quiero Ser De Ti." In 2002, he released his tenth album, Derroche De Amor. He also released a second live album that year.

In 2003, his album Dímelo came out. It had a version of "Cariño Mío" where someone sang in English. In 2004, he released Si No Te Tengo. This album had new versions of some songs from his 2003 album. It also included new hits like "Ay Hombre."

In 2005, he released Piel Sin Alma, and five of its songs became big hits. The next year, he won Bachata Artist of the Year at the 2006 Cassandra Awards. In 2006, he also released the album A Dónde Iré Sin Ti. This album featured the very popular song "Se Me Salen las Lágrimas." Around this time, he started to wear more cowboy-style clothes. From 2007 to 2008, he released two more albums with songs like "Culpable" and "Parece Mentiras." After this, he started releasing albums every two or three years instead of every year.

Collaborations and Big Hits (2010–2019)

In 2010, Raulín released Llámame, named after its main song. This album featured Julisa, who sang on "Paz En Este Amor." In 2011, he released the song "Te Perdone."

Later in 2011, he joined Luis Vargas and Anthony Santos on Romeo Santos's song "Debate de 4." This song was part of Romeo's first solo album, Formula, Vol. 1. This was a very special collaboration because it brought together three of the biggest names in bachata music. In 2012, Raulín released the song "A Peso."

In 2013, he released "Esta Noche." This song was a huge success! It reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. It was certified Platinum in the United States. This means it sold over one million copies. The next year, it won Bachata of the Year at the 2014 Soberano Awards. Raulín also won Bachata Artist of the Year that same night. The music video for "Esta Noche" has been watched over 39 million times on YouTube.

"Esta Noche" was the main song for Raulín's album, Escenas De Amor, released in 2015. This was his 25th album overall. It also included "Te Perdone" and "A Peso." Another song from the album, "Como Seras Tu," also became Platinum and won Bachata of the Year in 2016. Raulín won Bachata Artist of the Year for the third time at that event.

On October 17, 2017, he released "Corazón Con Candado." This song reached the top ten on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart. It also hit number 1 on the Monitor Latino charts in the Dominican Republic. This song was also certified Platinum in the United States. It was the main song for his 2018 album, Hablamos En La Cama. The lyric video for "Corazón Con Candado" has over 40 million views on YouTube. In November 2018, he worked with Jou Kenedy on a remix of "No Te Cambio Por Ninguna." This was Raulín's first time working on urban music.

In 2019, he worked with Romeo Santos again on the song "La Demanda." This song was on Romeo Santos's album Utopía. The music video came out in April 2019. The song did well on the Billboard charts. It reached number 9 on the Tropical Airplay chart. It also hit number 1 on the Monitor Latino charts in the Dominican Republic. They performed the song live at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in April 2019. They also performed together at Romeo Santos's Utopía concert at MetLife Stadium in September 2019. This concert was later made into a film called Utopía Live from MetLife Stadium. Raulín also sang his hit song "Nereyda" at the concert.

Recent Career and More Collaborations (since 2020)

In 2020, Raulín was part of a mix of songs with Dominican Bachata singer Luis Segura. This was for Segura's album El Papá De La Bachata, Su Legado - Añoñado 3. In February 2021, he released the music video for "Nadie Es Eterno."

In March 2021, he had another special collaboration. He sang on the song "Perdóname Amigo Mio" with Elvis Martínez. This song reached number 1 on the Bachata chart in the Dominican Republic. The music video was released in April 2021. Two days later, he released the song "Bien Por Ti." In May, he released "Noche Pasajera." Later that month, he released a special song for his mother called "Cumpliste El Rol De Madre." He sang it with his sisters Casilda, Dismania, and Griselda Rodríguez. In December 2021, he released music videos for "Y Nos Dieron Las Diez" and "Me Gustas."

In April 2022, he had another important collaboration. He sang on "Como Da Vueltas La Vida" with Dominican Bachata singer Joe Veras. In 2022, he also released new versions of his older songs from the 1990s and 2000s. These included "Hoy Que Tú Te Vas" and "Quiero Ser De Ti."

On August 7, 2022, he released the album Mi Álbum De Amor (My Album Of Love). It had new songs and more remakes of his past hits. These included "Si Supieras" and "Derroche De Sexo."

In October 2022, he released "Si Me Eliges" with Dominican Dembow rappers Toxic Crow and La Insuperable. On December 31, 2022, he ended the year by releasing the music video for "He Conocido Un Amor." This song reached number 1 on the Bachata and General charts in the Dominican Republic.

Raulín's Music Style

Raulín Rodríguez sings traditional bachata music. He is also known for mixing bachata guitar sounds with Merengue songs. Before the 1990s, many bachata songs had daring lyrics. When Raulín started in 1993, he changed this. He sang about romantic love in a sweet way. This helped bachata music become accepted by more people and get played on the radio.

Raulín Rodríguez's Legacy

Raulín Rodríguez is seen as one of the greatest bachata artists ever. He is called "El Cacique," which means "The Chief" in the old Taíno language. He is one of the pioneers who helped modernize bachata music in the 1990s.

He has inspired many other artists. This includes solo singers and bands from the U.S., like Bachata Heightz and Aventura.

Personal Life

Raulín Rodríguez is a father of four children. He has two sons, Raul and Raulín Jr., and two daughters, Ariany and Sol De Luna. He is married to a woman named Andrea.

Raulín was once the brother-in-law of Antony Santos. Santos was married to Raulín's sister, Griselda. They had children together, including Jordi, who is also a bachata singer known as Yordi Saints. This means Raulín is Jordi's uncle. Santos and Griselda later divorced.

Discography

Studio Albums

Live Albums

• En Vivo (2000)
• Live Vol. 2 (2002)
• Esta Noche (En Vivo) (2022)
• Que Vuelva (En Vivo) (2022)
• Nereyda (En Vivo) (2022)
• Dame Corazón (En Vivo) (2022)
• Una Mujer Como Tu (En Vivo) (2022)
• Culpable (2023)
• Bachatas Clásicas (Live Edition) (with Anthony Santos) (2024)

Compilation Albums

• Grandes Éxitos (2001)
• Todo Éxitos (2004)
• Éxitos De Raulín Rodríguez (2007)
• Mega MixHits (2011)
• Uniquehits (2014)
• 1 (2015)
• 30 Años De Trayectoria (2019)
• BachaGOAT (2022)
• "Éxitos Del Cacique" (2024)
• Bachatas Clásicas Más Pegadas Del Cacique (2024)

Collaborative Compilation Albums

• Frente A Frente: Dos Estrellas En Uno (with Antony Santos) (2000)
• Frente A Frente: Dos Estrellas En Uno (with Luis Segura) (2000)
• 2 Grandes De La Bachata, Vol. 1 (with Monchy & Alexandra) (2006)

See also

In Spanish: Raulín Rodríguez para niños