KUMBIA KINGS KUMBIA KINGS KUMBIA KINGS

 

 

For the first time, AB Quintanilla III presents the Kumbia Kings, creators of the cumbia hip-hop

For the first time, AB Quintanilla III presents the Kumbia Kings, creators of the cumbia hip-hop, on a live album where they recreate the musical theme Pachuco, the greatest link between two cultures: the American and the Mexican.

With the song Pachuco, Kumbia Kings roars its new war cry in their latest album A.B. Quintanilla III presents Kumbia Kings LIVE. This album is their first live recording in which they bring their true spirit: a live performing act. Kumbia Kings LIVE will be on sale on April 4.

The first promotional single Pachuco, was a great hit by Mexican rock-en-español group Maldita Vecindad, and now the Kumbia Kings bring it to us in their unique and original style. To revive the theme of the ..Pachuco.. is more than just reviving an era and a fashion, it..s to approach the link between two cultures. AB says that with Pachuco, Kumbia Kings will emphasize that to be called a ..pachuco.. it..s more than a way to dress, a way to speak or a dancing style. To be a ..pachuco.. is to be part of ..the fusion of two cultures.. and when we speak about fusion, definitely we have to speak about the Kumbia Kings.

With their previous album ..FUEGO.. A.B. QUINTANILLA III y CRUZ MARTINEZ surpass their own records when just weeks after its release, it was certified Latin Platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales surpassing 200,000 units in the U.S. alone.

FUEGO represented A.B. QUINTANILLA III & KUMBIA KINGS.. greatest artistic and commercial achievement yet in the U.S. and especially in Mexico, where their fame leapt to superstar status thanks to singles like ..Fuego,.. ..Parte de mi Corazón,.. and especially ..Na Na Na (Dulce Niña)...

The album also won A.B. QUINTANILLA III & KUMBIA KINGS great respect from their peers in the music industry, who gave them two Latin Grammy nominations that year .. Best Regional Mexican Song for ..Na Na Na (Dulce Niña).. and Best Engineered Album.

In addition, FUEGO was awarded Latin Pop Album of the Year, Duo or Group at the 2005 Billboard Latin Music Awards. In Mexico, FUEGO became A.B. QUINTANILLA III & KUMBIA KINGS.. biggest triumph to date, garnering three Premios OYE! awards .. Best Regional Mexican Album, Best Tropical Album, and Best Regional Mexican Song, for ..Na Na Na (Dulce Niña)...

Fuego, the fourth studio release of all-new material from A.B. QUINTANILLA III & KUMBIA KINGS, achieved other milestones as well, receiving nominations from Univision..s Premios Juventud (Youth Awards) for Voice of Today and Favorite Urban Artist, and from Telemundo..s Premio de la Gente (People..s Award) for Contemporary Artist of the Year.

A.B. QUINTANILLA III founded the Kumbia Kings in 1999 and has taken them to unprecedented heights of success in the Latin music world. They..ve sold millions of albums and won awards and nominations from the American Music Awards, Latin Grammys, Tejano Music Awards, Univision..s Premio Lo Nuestro and Billboard Latin Music Awards, among others.

The group..s visionary outlook springs from the creative force of A.B. QUINTANILLA III. He..s the only producer, composer and musician who is in demand in genres as diverse as regional Mexican, Latin pop, Tropical, and Tejano. His influences, meanwhile, range from R&B, pop, hip-hop, reggae and rock to rap, techno-funk, acid, and house. Plus, he has created his own genre, which he dubs kumbia mix.

A.B. QUINTANILLA III, the oldest child of Marcela and Abraham Quintanilla II, was born in Toppenish, Washington. A few years later, the Quintanilla family moved to Lake Jackson, Texas, where his sisters Suzette and Selena were born.

When the family moved again, to Corpus Christi, the kids.. lives took a 180-degree turn .. they were surrounded by Hispanic culture for the first time. It was a culture shock, but a positive one. A.B. quickly absorbed the influences and in 1984 became musical director of the Tejano group Selena y Los Dinos.

By 1990, Selena y Los Dinos had signed with EMI LATIN and were becoming known as one of Tejano..s most exciting young groups. The dues-paying was finally bearing fruit. A.B. was producing and co-writing songs that were becoming legendary in the voice of the immortal Selena. Among them were sweet, quirky gems like ..La Carcacha.. and ..El Chico del Apartamento 512.. whose beats got audiences dancing and whose lyrics painted affectionate vignettes of daily life.

In 1994, A.B. QUINTANILLA III won a Grammy as producer of SELENA LIVE. He also won the first of what would be many awards from the songwriters.. organization BMI.

On March 31, 1995, grief struck the Quintanilla family and the entire music world, when Selena..s life was tragically cut short at age 23. Her death made a mark on her brother A.B...s musical personality, and left a permanent scar on his soul. It would be more than a year before he could think about making music again.

But he..d promised Selena that he..d keep going, no matter what, and he gradually recovered the strength and inspiration needed to return to his calling. In 1997, A.B. QUINTANILLA III collaborated with the Mexican pop princess Thalía, producing her hit ..Amándote... Soon he was back in the game, working with a diverse group of Latin music stars, including Verónica Castro, Cristian Castro, Olga Tañón, Paulina Rubio and Ricky Martin.

In 1999, A.B. QUINTANILLA III made his long-awaited return to live performing as the producer, songwriter, musical director and bass player of Kumbia Kings. Initially an eight-member band, the group debuted with Amor, Familia y Respeto, which featured such guest artists as Sheila E, tropical-cumbia sax man Fito Olivares, Nu Flavor, the Puerto Rican rapper Vico-C, and the funkmeister Roger Troutman, in one of his last performances before his untimely death on April 25, 1999.

Featuring such hits as ..Azucar.. and ..Fuiste Mala,.. Amor, Familia y Respeto has gone on to sell over ONE MILLION UNITS in Mexico and the United States.

In February 2001, Kumbia Kings returned with Shhh!, which remained on Billboard..s Top Latin Albums chart for nearly 100 consecutive weeks and produced hits ..Boom Boom.. and the title track.

The group released its first remix album, All Mixed Up: Los Remixes, in October 2002. It featured ..La Cucaracha.. and sold over 200,000 units.

Featuring cuts in Spanish and in English, Kumbia Kings.. groundbreaking studio album 4, released in March 2003, was critically hailed and expanded the group..s prestige internationally with hits like ..No Tengo Dinero.. and ..Insomnio...

Truly a step forward, 4 fused styles such as pop, reggae, hip-hop and vallenato, and featured great guest artists representing the spectrum of Latin music .. talents such as Juan Gabriel, Aleks Syntek, El Gran Silencio and Ozomatli.