Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado (born May 2, 1991), better known by his stage name Farruko, is a Puerto Rican singer. He rose to fame collaborating with Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Don Omar, and J Álvarez. He came to prominence in 2010 with his first solo album, El Talento del Bloque.[1]
Career
2007–2011: Career beginnings
Farruko began his career in 2009. He credits Myspace with helping him create a fan base that would eventually result in him becoming a popular singer.[2] In 2011, Farruko appears on a song with José Feliciano called "Su Hija Me Gusta".[3] As his style developed he typically directed his music to younger people and relationships. As his songs grew in popularity online, Puerto Rican radio stations picked up on the internet hype and began to broadcast Farruko to a wider audience, solidifying his presence in the reggaeton scene.
In 2014, Farruko and his manager, Franklin Martínez, cofounded the music label, Carbon Fiber Music, which as of 2022 has 9 artists signed to the music label.
On June 24, 2021, Farruko released his hit single "Pepas", which has over 1 billion streams on Spotify. The song is a mixture of tribal guarachero and reggaeton. That same year on November 21, he collaborated with Lil Tati on the song "She Got It".
On February 12, 2022, during a performance at the FTX Arena in Miami, Farruko stopped the concert to give a speech, in which he devoted himself to preaching about God, expressing his problems and asking forgiveness for the lyrics of some of his songs.[7] Responding to complaint of fans, Farruko replied that "Farru is retired and Carlos is here now" and that they will refund the money of dissatisfied attendees.[8] However, Farruko did not actually retire and resumed performing in May 2023.[9]
Arrest
On April 3, 2018, Farruko was arrested in Puerto Rico, accused of hiding $52,000 in undeclared cash in shoes and luggage when returning from the Dominican Republic for which he was required to do three years of probation.[10] As of 2017, he had a net worth of $3 million.[11]
Personal life
Farruko became a Christian in 2022. He spoke about his faith in an interview in the same year with Rolling Stone magazine: 'Look, I’m a human who was falling, who wasn’t doing the right thing. Now I got up and I’m strong, and you can, too.' He also spoke about how his faith helped him reconcile with his family.[12]