Puerto Rican half-brothers Residente (René Pérez Joglar) and Visitante (Eduardo José Cabra Martínez)—nicknamed for their respective roles in their weekly step-family visits to 13th Street—together make Calle 13. The music of Calle 13 is a sort of hip-hop/reggaeton with a sense of humor and playfulness. Watch out for the bleeped naughty words.

Italian pop star Eros Ramazzotti teams up with Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin in this duet, “No Estamos Solos” (“We are not alone”—or, “Non Siamo Soli” in its Italian version). Born in Rome, the 44-year-old Ramazzotti is no duet virgin: He’s recorded songs with the late Luciano Pavarotti, Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Cher and Carlos Santana, to name a few.

Encarnita (Kany) García had her first brush with fame on the Puerto Rican talent-search show Objetivo Fama in 2004. But she had to pull out of the OF competition after a terrible car accident landed her in intensive care… Luckily, things have looked up since then. After writing songs for fellow OF alum Janina, singer/songwriter Kany released her own album, Cualquier Día, in 2007 to critical acclaim.

For some people, the Menudo years stood as Ricky Martin’s best. Others might sing out Maria, Livin’ La Vida Loca or She Bangs to highlight the top of the pop singer’s ascent. It’s been a while since Ricky’s smiling face was everywhere and his name sat up high in the Billboard charts. Nowadays, he devotes much of his time to helping others as Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF and through the Ricky Martin Foundation.

Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony are in love! (Beware cold-hearted fellows! This could be painful for you…) Their careers are skyrocketing, and they have a set of absolutely angelic twins (reportedly netting them from $3 to $6 Million for a photo session). Take a chance with Por Arriesgarnos, and let them share their joy.

Michael Stuart, born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, received his musical education from his uncle Israel Timbalero Stuart, who helped him secure background vocal gigs for Johnny Rivera and Marc Antony. Since 1996, Stuart has released nine records, his latest a salsa album entitled Sentimiento de un Rumbero released on Machete Records in 2007.

Deep in the heart of Old San Juan you can hear live salsa music playing most any night at the Nuyorican Cafe. We stepped into the alley for a breather and had a little chat with two lovely salseras to get an insider view of what brings them back to the dance floor night after night.

Puerto Rican by birth, Luis Fonsi moved at an early age to Orlando, Florida. Despite having participated in a number of minor “boy bands,” it wasn’t until he was discovered by the president of the music school at the University of Florida, where he was a student, that he was offered a sizable recording contract. Success came quickly as his reputation spread throughout Latin America.

Of course tuve is the preterite yo form tener, so one might be misled to think that the refrain of this tune is “I had, I had.” However, in casual speech on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, tú ve’ is short for tú ves (“you see”), but the uninitiated could easily mistake it for the verb tuve (“I had”). ¿Tú ve’?

Pulsorock has this to say about Los Nativos (the name given to the members of Vivanativa): La energía positiva que irradia este conjunto de talentos no tiene fin y es imparable. The positive energy that this set of talents radiates is endless and unstoppable! Hyperbole? We think not… check it out!

Have you ever had una sospecha (a suspicion)? Puerto Rico’s Circo explores restless uncertainty and mines a treasure chest of carnivalesque imagery from the world of Santeria, that mix of African deity worship and Catholicism that sprouted after African slaves arrived on the shores of the new world.

Polbo used to play sixties cover songs in bars “de mala muerte” in Yabucoa by night, while studying physics at university by day. They began to write their own songs, which the crowds started to demand more than the covers. Keep an ear out for them!

Oye, Vivanativa puts the effee in funky! This grupo boricua has been taking the island, and now the world, like a category five hurricane heading straight for San Juan.

How hard is your cáscara? Here Circo’s José Luis “Fofé” Abreu sings about a certain someone with the power to crack his. Note that cáscara is mostly used for eggs and nuts, whereas the shell of a turtle would be caparazón and that of a snail would be concha.

Grammy-nominated La Secta Allstar boasts Puerto Rican roots despite having come together in Orlando, where the members attended college, and shortly after that settling in Miami. This title track from their album, Consejo, may very well make their mothers and mothers around the Spanish speaking world proud.