| R.K.M & Ken-Y | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | José Nieves, Kenny Rúben Vázquez Félix |
| Born | February 6, 1981 (R.K.M) September 7, 1984 (Ken-Y) |
| Origin | Gurabo, Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Reggaetón, Romantikeo, pop, Tropical, Bachata |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Pina, Universal Music Latino, Machete Music |
José Nieves (R.K.M) and Kenny Vázquez (Ken-Y), both of Gurabo, Puerto Rico, are a Grammy Award-nominated reggaeton duo.
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The duo started their career of music in high school. R.K.M (formerly known as "Rakim" but changed to avoid confusion with established Hip-Hop artist Rakim) was inspired by the recent explosion of reggaeton music in the 90's. He encouraged Ken-Y to join him to form a duo. They later would perform at sweet 16 birthday parties and public events.
Soon the duo went on to record their music. Nicky Jam gave the duo a chance to make an appearance on his album, Vida Escante. R.K.M & Ken-Y were featured on "Pasado" and "Me Estoy Muriendo". The two singles were instant hits all across Latin America. They also won The Draft, a contest for upcoming Latin artist. They won the best Latin and reggae award in 2007. In Friday 16, January 2009 RKM married with Gladys Morales in Caguas
This success caught the eyes of Raphy Pina, reggaeton moguls. They were quickly signed to the label and a year later released "Masterpiece". The album was nominated for Premio Lo Nuestro of 2007. Their first hit single was "Down", reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in 2006. The album also spawned 4 other singles, music videos, and many awards. Although their album went platinum, it sold about 600,000 copies.
The duo soon after went on a tour across the world. They have released their songs performed on tour onto an album entitled "Masterpiece: World Tour (Sold Out)". They also have released a special edition version of the album entitled "Masterpiece Commemorative Edition".
Their studio album, The Royalty, was released September 9, 2008.
The first single of the album was "Mis Días Sin Ti", . , Raphy Pina announces the return of RKM & Ken-Y February 15, 2008. The date is actually a concert they held in the Choliseo in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The concert's headline is "Romantic en el Choliseo". Reggaeton artists like Wisin & Yandel, Tito "El Bambino", Nicky Jam, Rene Moz and Arcangel were present. Other artists like N'Klabe, and Karis were also present.
Since their debut album, R.K.M & Ken-Y have gone on to appear and guest star on many songs. They have worked with artists such as Cruzito, Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, José Feliciano, Pitbull, Hector "El Father", David Bisbal, Ivy Queen, Chino y Nacho, Hector "El Torito".
R.K.M provides rapping verses for many songs while Ken-Y provides the vocal lyrics. R.K.M tends to have fast, upbeat verses while Ken-Y sings many hooks.