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	(1970-06-16) June 16, 1970 (age 55) 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, 1970) is a famous bachata artist from the Dominican Republic. He was one of the first bachata musicians to become popular around the world. As a pioneer of the bachata style, he helped it become much more well-known in the 1990s.

While older bachata songs were sometimes a bit risky, Raulín Rodríguez wrote romantic songs about love. This made bachata music appealing to more people and helped it get played often on the radio. Rodriguez is known as "El Cacique," which means "The Chief," and he is one of the most respected musicians from the Dominican Republic. He has many international hit songs, including "Nereyda," "Medicina de Amor," "Soledad," and "Esta Noche." Three of his songs have even been certified Platinum in the United States, which means they sold a lot of copies!

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Rodríguez was born in Las Matas de Santa Cruz, a town in the Dominican Republic. He is the youngest of four children from his mother. His father had more children later, making Raulín one of ten children from his father's side. From a very young age, Raulín loved music. His mother noticed this and sold two goats to buy him a guitar.

Around this time, another Dominican bachata musician named Luis Vargas helped him learn to play the guitar. Raulín wanted to study music formally, but his family did not have enough money for him to go to a special school. However, he was so eager to learn that he taught himself. When he was 14, he joined a school choir. Over time, he became an expert at playing bachata music and the guitar. He grew up in the same village as other famous bachata singers like Luis Vargas and Antony Santos.

Raulín Rodríguez's Music Career

Starting Out and Becoming a Star (1987–1999)

Raulín first started as a guitar player for Antony Santos, along with his sister Casilda. Both Santos and Rodriguez worked for Luis Vargas until Santos began his own music journey in 1991. Rodriguez continued to play for Santos until 1993. That year, he decided to start his own career as a solo artist.

Many people told him it was a bad idea to leave Santos's group. However, Raulín was determined to succeed on his own, believing he would also become very popular. And he did! In 1993, he released his first album, Una Mujer Como Tú. It was a huge success with songs like "Una Mujer Como Tú," "Que Dolor," and "Anoche."

In 1994, he released his second album, Regresa Amor. This album included popular songs like "Solo Por Ella," "Regresa Amor," and "Nereyda," which is still one of his most remembered songs. In the same year, he released his third album, Medicina De Amor. The song "Medicina De Amor" became a massive hit and one of his biggest successes. Other songs from this album, like "Mujer Infiel" and "Que Vuelva" (which featured one of his sisters), were also very popular. From 1995 to 1999, he continued to release more albums and gain more fame with hits such as "Dame Corazon," "Si Supieras," and "La Loca."

Continued Success in the 2000s (2000–2009)

In 2000, Raulín released his first live album, En Vivo (Live). The next year, he released his ninth studio album, Arrancame La Vida. This album included the title track and the song "Quiero Ser De Ti." In 2002, he released his tenth studio album, Derroche De Amor, and his second live album, Live, Volumen 2.

In 2003, his eleventh studio album, Dímelo, came out. It featured a version of "Cariño Mío" that mixed Spanish and English. In 2004, he released Si No Te Tengo, which included new versions of songs from his 2003 album. It also had new singles like "Ay Hombre" and "Si No Te Tengo."

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 Soberano Awards (which were then called the Cassandra Awards). In the same year, he released the album A Dónde Iré Sin Ti, which featured the huge hit song "Se Me Salen las Lágrimas." Around this time, he started to adopt a more cowboy-like style in his appearance. From 2007 to 2008, he released two more albums with popular songs like "Culpable" and "Parece Mentiras." After this, Rodriguez started releasing new music every two or three years instead of every year.

Collaborations and Platinum Hits (2010–2019)

In 2010, Rodriguez released Llámame, named after its main song. This album featured the voice of Julisa, a relative of one of Raulín's band members, on songs like "Paz En Este Amor" and "Besos Callejeros." In 2011, he released the single "Te Perdone." That same year, he joined Luis Vargas and Antony 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 important collaboration because Romeo brought together three of the biggest names in bachata music. In 2012, Raulín released the single "A Peso."

In 2013, he released the single "Esta Noche." This song was a massive success, reaching number 23 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. It was certified Platinum in the United States, meaning it sold over a million copies! The next year, it won Bachata of the Year at the 2014 Soberano Awards. Raulín also won Bachata Artist of the Year at the same event. By July 2025, the music video for "Esta Noche" had been viewed over 39 million times on YouTube.

"Esta Noche" was the main song for Rodriguez's eighteenth studio album, Escenas De Amor. This album was released in 2015 and was his 25th album overall. It also included the singles "Te Perdone," "A Peso," and "Como Seras Tu." "Como Seras Tu" was also certified Platinum in the United States and won Bachata of the Year at the 2016 Soberano Awards. At that event, he won Bachata Artist of the Year for the third time.

On October 17, 2017, he released the song "Corazón Con Candado." It reached the top ten on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart and was number 1 on the Dominican Republic Bachata and General charts. This single was also certified Platinum in the United States. It was the main song for his 2018 album Hablamos En La Cama. By July 2025, the lyric video for "Corazón Con Candado" had over 40 million views on YouTube. On November 2, 2018, he was featured in a remix of "No Te Cambio Por Ninguna" with Jou Kenedy, which was his first time working on urban music.

In 2019, he worked with American bachata singer Romeo Santos again on the song "La Demanda." This song was part of Santos's fourth studio album, Utopía. The music video came out on April 12, 2019. The song reached number 9 on the Tropical Airplay chart and was number 1 on the Dominican Republic Bachata and General charts. On April 25, 2019, they performed the song live at the 26th Billboard Latin Music Awards. On September 21, 2019, they performed together again at MetLife Stadium as part of Romeo Santos's Utopía concert. This performance was featured in Romeo's 2021 concert film, Utopía Live from MetLife Stadium. Raulín also performed his 1994 hit "Nereyda" at this concert.

Recent Career and More Collaborations (2020–Present)

In 2020, Raulín was featured in a mix of songs with Dominican Bachata singer Luis Segura. This medley was part of Segura's album El Papá De La Bachata, Su Legado - Añoñado 3 (2020). On February 26, 2021, he released the music video for "Nadie Es Eterno." On March 24, 2021, he was part of another important collaboration on the song "Perdóname Amigo Mio" with Dominican Bachata singer Elvis Martínez. This song reached number 1 on the Dominican Republic Bachata chart. The music video was released on April 23, 2021. Two days later, he released the single "Bien Por Ti." On May 6, he released "Noche Pasajera." Later that month, he released a special song for his mother called "Cumpliste El Rol De Madre" with his sisters Casilda, Dismania, and Griselda Rodríguez. In December 2021, he released music videos for "Y Nos Dieron Las Diez" and "Me Gustas."

On April 22, 2022, he was featured in another important collaboration for bachata music on the song "Como Da Vueltas La Vida" with Dominican Bachata singer Joe Veras. In the same year, he released new versions of his songs from the 1990s and 2000s as singles. These included "Hoy Que Tú Te Vas" (from his 1997 album Soledad) and "Quiero Ser De Ti" (from his 2001 album Arráncame la Vida). On August 7, 2022, he released the album Mi Álbum De Amor (My Album Of Love). It included new songs and more remakes of his past hits like "Si Supieras" and "Y Ahora Te Vas."

On October 24, 2022, he released "Si Me Eliges" with Dominican Dembow rappers Toxic Crow and La Insuperable. On December 31, 2022, Rodriguez ended the year by releasing the music video for "He Conocido Un Amor." This song reached number 1 on both the Dominican Republic Bachata and General charts.

Raulín Rodríguez's Musical Style

Raulín Rodríguez plays traditional bachata music. He is also known for mixing bachata guitar sounds into Merengue songs. Before the 1990s, bachata songs were often a bit daring. When Rodríguez started in 1993, he changed the style of the music with his romantic lyrics. This helped bachata become more widely accepted and played on the radio.

Legacy and Influence

Rodríguez is considered one of the greatest bachata artists of all time. He is known as "El Cacique," which in Taíno culture means a native or tribal chief. He is one of the pioneers who helped modernize bachata music in the 1990s.

He has inspired many artists, including solo musicians and bands from the U.S. like Bachata Heightz and Aventura.

Personal Life

Raulín Rodríguez is a father of four children: two sons named Raul and Raulín Jr., and two daughters named Ariany and Sol De Luna. He is married to Andrea. He is also the uncle of Antony Santos's children.

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)

See also

In Spanish: Raulín Rodríguez para niños