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Julio Voltio

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Julio Voltio (also known simply as Voltio; born as Julio Irving Ramos Filomeno[note 1] on June 11, 1977, in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican (former) singer and rapper. An early pioneer of reggaetón—a modern genre of Latin music originating primarily in Panamá and Puerto Rico, with sonic roots in Jamaican dancehall and American hip hop—Voltio officially retired from the music industry in 2014, having converted to Christianity.[1][2]

Julio Voltio
Voltio performing in Managua, Nicaragua on July 31, 2007.
Voltio performing in Managua, Nicaragua on July 31, 2007.
Background information
Birth nameJulio Irving Ramos Filomeno
Also known asEl Chamaco
Born (1977-06-11) June 11, 1977 (age 47)
Santurce, Puerto Rico
GenresReggaeton
Occupations
  • Singer
  • rapper
Years active1994–2014
Labels
WebsiteOfficial website

The name "Voltio"—meaning "(electrical) volt"—came about after an incident, during his time as an electrician, in which he inadvertently placed his hand in the wrong location and received an electric shock.[citation needed] At that point, he began being referred to by friends as "Bombillo" ("light bulb") or "Corto-Circuito" ("short-circuit"), until eventually calling him "Voltio".

The artists formerly known as Voltio now identifies as a born-again Christian, once stating in an interview: "…Yes, really[,] I accepted Christ as my savior[;] I really do [accept Christ,] because sometimes you have a void in the hearts [your heart] and therefore need to search for Christ."[1][2]

Music career

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Growing up in the Parque Ecuestre Carolina, San Juan, Voltio entered the music business as a teenager. Together with Rey 29 and Héctor el Father, he formed The Masters of Funk. Although the trio released no official music, they were influential in starting the local, island reggaetón movement of the 1990s.

Shortly after separating from The Masters of Funk, Voltio partnered with Karel, a neighborhood friend, forming the duo Karel y Voltio. They released their debut album Los Dueños del Estilo ("the owners of the style") in 2003. The album did not make a critical or commercial impact, however, and the duo's enthusiasm dwindled. Karel was last featured on La Mision 4 (2004), a compilation album by Luny Tunes.

Voltio was eventually signed under Raphael 'Raphy' Pina's label, Pina Records; Pina subsequently stole money from Voltio, resulting in his departing from that label. Voltio then went into musical "battle-mode", releasing diss-tracks (or tiraeras) against Pina Records and the label's signed artists, with songs such as "Bling Bling"[3] and "Guasa Guasa",[4] both duets with fellow Pina-affected artist Tego Calderón. With few options remaining, Voltio was preparing to exit the music business until Calderón, a primary artist with White Lion Records, convinced him to sign with the label. Having taken Tego's advice, Voltio released the album Voltage ACc(2004), featuring the hits "Bumper", "No Amarres Fuego" (featuring Zion & Lennox) and "Julito Maraña".

Voltio also was featured on a remix of the song "Locked Up" by Senegal-based singer Akon, released in the UK as part of Locked Up-Global Remixes.[5]

Having experienced relative success, Voltio returned with his self-titled release in 2005, which included his biggest hit to date, "Chulín Culín Chunflai", which features Residente, and a remixed version with American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. In 2006, Voltio appeared on Frankie's 2006 remix of "Puerto Rico".

Voltio teamed up with Calle 13 to speak-out against police brutality in Puerto Rico.[6] On August 11, 2008, he announced the publication of a documentary titled En vivo desde Oso Blanco. The documentary covers the time that Voltio spent in prison and his release.[7]

Voltio was featured on the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack with his song "Pónmela", from the album En lo Claro (2007). He also collaborated with Jowell & Randy on "Welcome To My Crib".

En lo Claro experienced lukewarm success in-contrast to Voltio's first two albums, reaching No. 36 on the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and No. 24 on the Top Heatseekers chart, respectively.

In 2014, Voltio left reggaetón completely, having converted to Evangelical Christianity.[1][2]

Discography

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Albums

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Solo albums
Other albums
  • 2003: Los Dueños del Estilo

Singles

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Guest appearances

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Filmography

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  • 2008: Feel The Noise as himself
  • 2009: Talento de Barrio as himself
  • TBA: Julito Maraña

Note

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  1. ^
    In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ramos and the second or maternal family name is Filomeno.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Julio Voltio admite que se convirtió al cristianismo". Primera Hora. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Local religion digest: Douglassville couple among 10 to lead diocesan wedding anniversary celebration". Reading Eagle. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  3. ^ "BLING BLING TEGO Y FEAT VOLTIO". FROMER12345. 23 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Guasa Guasa_Remix(Tiraera a Pina Récord) Tego Calderón ft Julio Voltio_(Bass Boosted)". Jc Music507 (YouTube channel). 11 September 2020.
  5. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Headlong-Episode 5-Fin". YouTube.
  6. ^ "Julio Voltio and Residente (Calle 13) Denounce Police brutality with Two New Songs". Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Voltio lanza documental sobre su experiencia en prisión". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 2008-08-11. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
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