Their debut song was not a big hit but they were quickly compared to the more famous at the time Zion y Lennox, refering to the way that one of them has a nice singing voice (Ken-y, Zion) and the other one raps (Rakim, Lennox).
Their first label was The Money Machine which was owned by veteran Notty Play. That year they also appeared on Ban2 Korrupto which was released by their label. They kept making more appearances like on "The Noise Live" but were still practically unknown.
They decided to release a mixtape to the streets and Internet called "Los Reyes del Mambo". This mixtape, produced completely by Ken-Y (who not only sings but also Dj's), caught the eye of Nicky Jam, who showed it to Raphy Pina, the owner of the infamous Pina Records label, which was up until now known as the War label, being that most of their artists (such as Lito y Polaco and Nicky Jam himself) were famous for their for beefs with artists from other labels.
Raphy liked the mixtape so much that he wanted the rookie duo in his label, so, after their contract with Money Machine was over, he convinced them to sign with Pina.
Their first appearance with the label was in the compilation album "Pina All - Stars 2", which was a compilation of many hit songs released by Pina Records. Raphy used this cd to release some new songs by Rakim y Ken-Y to the public.
Around this time, the awaited Nicky Jam album "Vida Escante" came out. On it they had a song in which Nicky Jam introduced them as the new members of Pina Records. This song of course, was "Me Estoy Muriendo". While not common on other labels, it is not uncommon in Pina Records for an artist to "present" the rookies. They also had a song with Nicky Jam called "Pasado", which originally came out in their mixtape but Nicky liked it so much he wanted a version with him for his cd.
Both this songs had videos which gave them great exposure to people who had not seen what they looked like before.
Fans realized that they were unlike most other duos in Reggaeton, being that they did not use curse words in their songs and they composed romantic music compared to the dancing music the others make.
Don Omar, a former member of Pina Records who was now arguably one of the most famous people in the genre, was about to release a cd called "Los Bandoleros", which was a cd executive produced by him (NOT MUSICALLY PRODUCED) to help his friends gain more exposure. He invited all his former label mates from Pina Records to the cd: Lito, Nicky Jam, Polaco and Rakim y Ken-Y.
He was impressed by Ken-Y's singing voice and wanted to have a song with them. The song, called "Si la Vez", was what definitely turned Rakim y Ken-Y into a mainstream duo. This was the biggest hit from the cd although it was not released as a single.
This gave them the most exposure they had never received and were soon becoming more and more popular while Zion y Lennox were starting to crumble.
Boy Wonder, producer of the cd/dvd Chosen Few El Documental and Chencho, of the popular duo Plan B, were producing a cd called "El Draft" del reggaeton which was made to give rookies a chance to shine. Fans were given the chance to vote for their favorite rookie and Rakim y Ken-Y won by a landslide beating many others reggaeton singers, even some that had released albums and very well known stars like John Eric, Jomar, Kartier, among others.
Their song "Tu No Estas" from El Draft was chosen as the single and the video for it shows Rakim y Ken-Y arriving to New York for El Draft with Raphy Pina.
Rakim, who is 27 years old and Ken-Y, who is 21, were now one of, if not the most, famous duo in Puerto Rico and fans were delighted when Raphy Pina announced their cd "Masterpiece" La Obra Maestra. Things took a bad turn though when someone broke in the Pina Records studio and destroyed everything.
All the work they had put on the cd was lost. Instead of moping around however, they quickly resumed work right away at a rented studio but the release date had to be pushed back, which conveniently ended up being Valentine's Day.
Finally, after much anticipation and hard work, Masterpiece was released. Masterpiece debuted #2 in the Latin Billboards, behind only Daddy Yankee's Barrio Fino: En Directo.
The song "Down" however, debuted at #1. The album sold extremely well, much better than anyone could have imagined and featured Nicky Jam, Polaco, La India, and Cruzito and Carlito's Way, two newcomers to Pina.
They are as strong as ever right now and are preparing for a massive concert in El Coliseo de Puerto Rico, the most important venue on the island, on August 18th.
Puedo Reir
Rakim Y Ken-Y Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Para decirte cuanto te amo
Solo espero que en esta canción
Descubras que hoy por ti
Puedo reír y no llorar
Ya no hay mas lagrimas en mis ojos
Puedo vivir puedo soñar
Fue la magia de tus ojos
La que me hipnotizo
O fue el dulce de tus labios
Que a tus brazos me llevo
Y soy feliz, si soy feliz
Porque te tengo a ti hoy
Puedo decir que conocí
De mi vida el amor
Puedo reír y no llorar
Ya no hay mas lagrimas en mis ojos
Puedo vivir puedo soñar
Porqué a mi lado tu estas (x2)
Yo me encontraba solo y ahora tengo alegría
No me importaba nada todo era agonía
Gracias a que llegaste se alegraron mis días
Mi alma no esta vacía
Mírame mi sonrisa no para
Lo que siento se nota en mi cara
Estoy sintiendo una sensación rara
Que con nada se compara
Será tu mirada tus labios tus ojos
Nose lo que tu tienes que te miro y me sonrojo
Desde que llegaste no siento enojo
Por este amor yo mato y cruzaría el mar rojo
Siento que llegaste a mi vida
Cuando no tenia salida
Sanaste mis dolores y heridas
Mi alma no esta vacía
Puedo reír y no llorar
Ya no hay mas lagrimas en mis ojos
Puedo vivir puedo soñar
Porqué a mi lado tu estas (x2)
In the song "Puedo Reir" by Rakim Y Ken-Y, the singer expresses their love for their partner, but they struggle to find the right moment to say "I love you." However, through this song, they hope that their partner understands just how deeply they feel for them. The singer describes how they are able to laugh and not cry anymore because their partner has helped to bring joy back into their life. They feel that their life is complete now that their partner is with them, and they are grateful for their love. The song also touches on the feeling of loneliness before the singer's love came into their life, and how their partner has helped heal their pain and wounds.
The lyrics of "Puedo Reir" are quite straightforward, but the theme and message of the song are universal, making it relatable to many people. The song became incredibly popular in Latin America, particularly in Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Argentina. It was released in 2006 and was part of the album "Masterpiece" by Rakim Y Ken-Y. The song received critical acclaim, with many praising the duo's unique sound and smooth vocals.
Line by Line Meaning
No he encontrado la ocasión
I have not found the opportunity
Para decirte cuanto te amo
To tell you how much I love you
Solo espero que en esta canción
I only hope that in this song
Descubras que hoy por ti
You discover that today for you
Puedo reír y no llorar
I can laugh and not cry
Ya no hay mas lagrimas en mis ojos
There are no more tears in my eyes
Puedo vivir puedo soñar
I can live, I can dream
Porque a mi lado tu estas (x2)
Because you are by my side (x2)
Fue la magia de tus ojos
It was the magic of your eyes
La que me hipnotizo
That hypnotized me
O fue el dulce de tus labios
Or it was the sweetness of your lips
Que a tus brazos me llevo
That led me to your arms
Y soy feliz, si soy feliz
And I am happy, yes I am happy
Porque te tengo a ti hoy
Because I have you today
Puedo decir que conocí
I can say that I have known
De mi vida el amor
Love in my life
Yo me encontraba solo y ahora tengo alegría
I was alone and now I have joy
No me importaba nada todo era agonía
Nothing mattered to me, everything was agony
Gracias a que llegaste se alegraron mis días
Thanks to you, my days became happy
Mi alma no esta vacía
My soul is not empty
Mírame mi sonrisa no para
Look at me, my smile does not stop
Lo que siento se nota en mi cara
What I feel is evident on my face
Estoy sintiendo una sensación rara
I am feeling a strange sensation
Que con nada se compara
That cannot be compared to anything
Será tu mirada tus labios tus ojos
Maybe it's your look, your lips, your eyes
No se lo que tu tienes que te miro y me sonrojo
I don't know what you have, that when I look at you I blush
Desde que llegaste no siento enojo
Since you arrived, I do not feel anger
Por este amor yo mato y cruzaría el mar rojo
For this love I would do anything and cross the Red Sea
Siento que llegaste a mi vida
I feel that you arrived in my life
Cuando no tenia salida
When I had no way out
Sanaste mis dolores y heridas
You healed my pains and wounds
Mi alma no esta vacía
My soul is not empty
Puedo reír y no llorar
I can laugh and not cry
Ya no hay mas lagrimas en mis ojos
There are no more tears in my eyes
Puedo vivir puedo soñar
I can live, I can dream
Porqué a mi lado tu estas (x2)
Because you are by my side (x2)
Contributed by Leah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.