Their debut song was not a big hit but they were quickly compared to the more famous 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, since most of their artists (such as Lito y Polaco and Nicky Jam himself) were famous for their 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, among others.
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. It is considered one of the reggaeton genre greatests songs.
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 but controversial 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 Estás" 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 that Masterpiece, their upcoming album, would soon be released. However, 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 is debuted #3 in the Latin Billboards, behind only Marc Anthony's "Sigo siendo yo."
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.
On August 18, they had their first concert in Puerto Rico, at the Choliseo. It was practically sold out, and although being deemed too short, receiwed great reviews.
ЈáŹ==Discography==
Enamorado Por Primera Vez
Rakim y Ken Y Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tan solo un gesto busco de ti
Una sonrisa de esas que hablan
Que hacen sentir cosas
Que no me atrevo decirte
Una señal
Que le de vida a mi esperanza
Que puedas notar
Coro:
Porq estoy
Enamorado por primera vez
Sintiendo cosas que nunca pense
Buscando formas para acercarme,
Pero no me ves, que estoy
Imaginando tu piel con mi piel
Los dos amandonos sin timidez
Soñando solo con que llegue el dia
En que tu me digas...
Te Amo Tambien.!
Una sonrisa de esas que hablan
Que hacen sentir cosas
Que no me atrevo decir
Una señal que le de vida a mi esperanza
Que puedas notar
Que este hombre te ama
Coro:
Porq estoy
Enamorado por primera vez
Sintiendo cosas que nunca pense
Buscando formas para acercarme,
Pero no me ves, que estoy
Imaginando tu piel con mi piel
Los dos amandonos sin timidez
Soñando solo con que llegue el dia
En que tu me digas...
Por q estoy enamorado
Sintiendo cosas que nunk pense
Buscando formas...
Por q estoy
Imaginando tu piel con mi piel
Los dos amandonos sin timidez
Soñando con que llegue el dia
En que tu me digas
Te Amo Tambien...
Te amo!
The song Enamorado Por Primera Vez by Rakim y Ken Y is a declaration of love from a man to a woman. The lyrics describe the man's desire to express his love, but he is too afraid to come forward and share his true feelings. He seeks just a small gesture or signal from the woman, a smile or a look that will give him hope and encouragement. He daydreams about being together with her, feeling her skin against his skin, and expressing their love without any hesitation or shyness. He longs for the day that she will reciprocate his feelings and say "Te Amo Tambien!" meaning "I love you too."
The chorus repeats the theme of being in love for the first time, feeling things he never thought he would feel, searching for ways to approach her, but not being seen or noticed. He remains in a state of imagination, envisioning a future together when she will profess her love for him too. The song is a heartfelt confession of love, characterized by the vulnerability and insecurity of the man's emotions, and the intensity of his desire for love to be returned.
Line by Line Meaning
Una palabra, una mirada
I am searching for a signal from you, even if it’s just a word, a glance, or a gesture.
Tan solo un gesto busco de ti
I’m seeking a small sign from you to give life to my hope, so you can notice that I love you.
Una sonrisa de esas que hablan
A smile that speaks volumes, conveying emotions that I cannot put into words.
Que hacen sentir cosas
These emotions are feelings that I’ve never experienced before, making me fall in love for the first time.
Que no me atrevo decirte
Even though I’m in love, I don’t have the courage to tell you how I feel.
Una señal
I’m looking for a sign that will give me hope, revealing that there’s a chance that you love me too.
Que le de vida a mi esperanza
I’m desperately hoping for a sign that will confirm my love for you, giving me hope for the future.
Que puedas notar
I’m hoping that you can notice how much I love you, even though I’m struggling to express my feelings.
Que este hombre te ama
I want you to know that I, this man, love you more than anything else.
Porq estoy
Enamorado por primera vez
Sintiendo cosas que nunca pense
Buscando formas para acercarme,
Pero no me ves, que estoy
Imaginando tu piel con mi piel
Los dos amandonos sin timidez
Soñando solo con que llegue el dia
En que tu me digas...
Te Amo Tambien.!
I’m in love with you for the first time, and the feelings that I’m experiencing are completely new to me. I’m searching for ways to approach you, but you don’t seem to notice my efforts. I imagine us together, loving each other without any shyness, and I dream of the day when you confess your love for me too.
Por q estoy enamorado
Sintiendo cosas que nunk pense
Buscando formas...
Por q estoy
Imaginando tu piel con mi piel
Los dos amandonos sin timidez
Soñando con que llegue el dia
En que tu me digas
Te Amo Tambien...
I’m completely in love with you, feeling emotions that I never thought were possible. I’m trying to find a way to win your heart, dreaming of the day we can be together. I imagine our bodies entwined, expressing our love fearlessly, and I long for the day when you tell me that you love me too.
Te amo!
I love you more than anything in this world, and I will do anything to make you see how much you mean to me.
Contributed by Isaiah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.