Noztra Makes his Mark on Reggaeton
July , 2005
- Reggaeton has captured the attention of many Latin Americans. It is now said to be the biggest selling Latin genre in the world. As Reggaeton integrates itself into the mainstream, fans worldwide hope to see what talents, if any, Reggaeton artists from the United States possess. The music industry is tough, and it takes a lot of determination to break through as an artist. Twenty -two year old Martin Rivera has worked hard to ensure his success as a Reggaeton artist. Although his hit single “ Damelo Duro ” has been circulating for almost a year now, the man behind the song has gone virtually unnoticed until now. Backed by Machete Music , Rivera hopes to make his mark in the world of Reggaeton.
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised on the streets of New York, Martin Rivera knows just what it is to work hard to turn a dream into reality. His father moved the family to New York to make a better life for his family when Rivera was only 7. Life in New York was not so bad for him. He kept busy with sports and computers and tried to stay out of trouble. He was fortunate that growing up on the tough streets of Brooklyn did not have a negative effect on his life as it does for so many. “I think the street made me a better person. Now, I think twice about doing something that will affect my life negatively. I continuously think about the consequences of my actions before I do anything. What I have learned growing up has made me more of a professional in everything I do.”
As a high school student, he put all his energy into playing baseball, programming and working with computers. “I was really good with computers. I was a teacher's assistant and stuff like that in the computer room during high school. So I decided to go to college for Business Management and Computer Technology .” He recalls, “I found that sometimes I learn faster by myself than learning from someone else. It was kind of hard starting off, but you know, everything that you do starts off hard until you get the hang of it. Now, working with computers and music is easy for me.”
He attributes his love for music to the influence of his family. “Music is something that people listen to everyday, and I don't think people could live without it. Everywhere you go, there is music playing. I have liked music since I was young. On my father's side I have brothers that are involved in the music industry so I think it's in my blood.” When he began to perform and showcase his talents, his friends bestowed upon him the name “ Noztra ”. Friends linked him to Nostradamus as he predicted his rise to fame in the near future.
Noztra began doing music as a side job, DJing for local radio station, 93.5 FM in New Rochelle , New York, doing the mixes for an hour long radio show before Reggaeton was hot. It was the first radio show in New York that focused entirely on Reggaeton. After that, he began recording for compilation CDs and started doing shows. He used those experiences as practice, he says.
At first he found no help from his family. Noztra remembers, “It was hell getting support at first, because they used to tell me it was a waste of time and wanted me to stick to school and do something else. ‘Music is not going to get you anywhere,' they told me. Like most kids, when you want to do something really bad, and it feels right, but your parents may not want you to do it, you're stubborn. Despite the opposition I faced, I just kept on working with music. Finally, my family saw working with music was what I really wanted to do, and that I was good at it. Since they couldn't say anything to stop me, [from persuing a career in music], over time they got used to it. My father passed away and he did get to see how successful I am today. My mother, she is happy now because she is able to see that I am doing something positive with my life.”
Noztra has done work on a few small compilation CDs. His first projects can be found on the Reggaeton CD Reggaeton Xtrassy 20/20 compiled in 2000. He also took part in a few productions through In Da House Magazine . The Magazine used to have a radio show, and issues of the magazine were sold with a bonus CD. Noztra's initial productions focused on Hip-hop back then, because Reggaeton had not yet caught on in the United States. Listeners were more interested in Spanish Hip-Hop than Reggaeton that time.
“ Damelo Duro ” was Noztra's first club single, and has been circulating for approximately a year. The song was hot on the charts, but not in regular rotation because Noztra was not yet signed by a major record label. Early in June of this year, landed a deal with Machete Music , and is now contracted for 5 albums. “The first album is just the beginning. It's crazy,” he adds. The song will be showcased in Boy Wonder 's newest production, El Draft 2005 , this fall. “ El Maquinon ”, produced by Dj Urba & Monserrate , will be the first single off his first album, Ya' Ain't Ready , which is being released August 30th.
Producing his first album, Ya' Ain't Ready was a difficult task for him in the beginning. With “Damelo Duro” out, it made his album a little easier to complete. He started working on the album on his own because he did not have a company to distribute it, or a label to back him up. With some assistance from his manager, he was able to connect with producers like, LunyTunes , Sonic , and DJ Mecca in Puerto Rico . “I went to Puerto Rico. to work on the album,” Noztra recalls. “I walked into Luny's studio and told him that I wanted to work on some beats. He said let me see what you got, listened, and said, ‘A'ight it sounds good, you have to come to my studio tomorrow, and record this again.' ” Noztra also completed a few tracks in New York with his personal DJ, Myztiko .
When asked what artists he would like to work with in the future, many artists came to mind. “I would not want to keep it like they have been doing it for the past year. Lately people have done collaborations with Reggaeton artists like Zion y Lennox , Wisin y Yndel . I want to do something a little different,” was Noztra's reply. “I am from New York, and I am like one of the first artists to be signed to the label that is from out here, who is not from Puerto Rico, representing the Dominican Republic. I would like to work with Hip-hop artists like Nina Sky , Pitbull , and possibly do something with someone from Bad Boy or Aftermath . I just want to be someone who helps Reggaeton step up to the next level.”
Although fans may disagree, Noztra feels that the entrance of P. Diddy 's new Label, Bad Boy Latino , will be a positive addition to the music industry. “I don't think there is anything wrong with Bad Boy Latino. It will just help the market, especially with Reggaeton and the direction it's headed now. It's a good thing. All P. Diddy has to do is get the right people. If they do the right kind of promotion and get the right people in there to do the job, everything could pop.” Many fans feel that Sean Combs is only interested in Reggaeton to make money off of the sweat of Latinos. Noztra disagrees and simply states, “If you want to make money you have to push money.” In the past, there have not been many who were interested in investing their money in the future of Latin Hip-hop artists. Most have had to build their projects on their own with no outside funding. With Reggaeton, there comes new hope and endless possibilities.
Many fans feel that the success of “ Oye Mi Canto ” and “ Gasolina ” can be like a double-edged sword. They want the world to know that there is more to Reggaeton than “ Gasolina .” New listeners should pay more attention to the work Reggaeton artists created prior to Reggaeton's introduction to the general public. “ Daddy Yankee 's ‘Gasolina' hot right now,” says Noztra, “Yankee has been an artist that has been hot for a while but the track on the Barrio Fino album that I felt was the best was “ Lo Que Paso Paso .” “ Hay algo en Ti ” by Zion y Lennox , and Yandel 's “ La Calle me Llama ”are also good songs to listen to.
Reggaeton has been under fire by critics who deem it as vulgar and demeaning toward women. “They judge music with all kinds of things, people judged Hip-hop to be too violent. I believe music is what you make it, if a girl wants to go out to a club or concert and embarrass herself, it's on her, not on us,” Noztra says. “Music can't make you do things you don't want to. I don't put the blame on music at all. People need to remember that Reggaeton is not only about sex, there are a lot of songs in my album that have nothing to do with sex. I have stuff about what's going on in the world, and war, and kids dying, as well as club tracks that make people want to get up and dance.” Noztra feels that women have a choice during concerts. There is always the need to “pump up” the crowd before a performance. He also added, if he saw his sister on stage embarrassing herself, he would probably grab her off the stage if he could.
Noztra definitely sees himself as a key player in the future of Reggaeton. As far as the impact that Reggaeton is having on the world, he feels that Reggaeton is a new culture of music for the young people. Reggaeton has many more listeners than it did a year ago. It's even playing in Japan. It's worldwide, and has sparked a new movement. Noztra thinks that Reggaeton is sitting where Hip-hop used to be back in the 80's. He states that to get to the next level, Reggaeton artists need to stay on a positive path, and learn from the mistakes that 2Pac and Biggie made. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of the industry, Reggaeton artists should focus on producing quality music.
