( ) — The Argentine producer and DJ Bizarrap was chosen as one of the 10 leaders of the next generation by the magazine TIME.
This Tuesday, TIME unveiled their 2023 list of next generation leadersin which Bizarrap, the Brazilian journalist Rene Silva, the British actress Florence Pugh, the South Korean k-pop group NewJeans, among others, stand out.
The American magazine considered Bizarrap on the list for its meteoric rise to popularity in the music industry.
Bizarrap, whose real name is Gonzalo Julián Conde, has more than 7 billion views on YouTube and almost 42 million listeners every month on Spotify. These are monstrous figures in themselves, but they are even more so for two things that TIME highlights: first, the Argentine artist prefers to be in the background in his productions and give prominence to the singers with whom he appears; and, second, all of his success has been achieved without ever having released a studio album.
What Bizarrap usually publishes are singles called “BZRP Music Sessions”, which he does together with world-class artists from the -speaking world. The most recent session It was the one he did with Arcángel, “BZRP Music Sessions #54”, and it has more than 72 million views on YouTube.
Bizarrap scores a new hit with rapper Arcángel.
“The Argentine producer and DJ is usually seen in the background of his videos, with his back to the camera, with shadows covering his eyes, giving the floor —or, rather, the microphone— to the artists he invites to the popular YouTube music video series that started four years ago,” TIME said.
And he adds words from Bizarrap: “What I like the most is that people get to know my music.”
“His meteoric but unconventional rise signals a shift in the industry, proving that newcomers don’t have to follow a certain path to find their audience,” the magazine says.
Who is Bizarrap?
Before all the success and fame, 24-year-old Bizarrap was a guy studying marketing in college, working for Warner Music, and uploading videos to YouTube.
His career in music began with “crazy combos”, videos and mixes of cockfights in Argentina to which he added special effects.
He continued with the “remixes”, mixes of well-known songs, which can continue to be heard on YouTube and Spotify.
In 2018 the “BZRP Freestyle Sessions” arrived with different rappers and trappers whom he admired and others he met at cockfights.
In 2019, he dropped out of college and devoted himself entirely to his music. Since then, he has reached the top of the world charts, has been awarded various prizes and has filled stages in Europe and Latin America, according to his production company Dale Play Records.
Bizarrap rose to worldwide fame in 2020 with BZRP Music Sessions #36, alongside Argentine singer Nathy Peluso.
Other artists who have starred in the highly anticipated BZRP Music Sessions include Paulo Londra, Nicky Jam, Duki, Nicki Nicole, Villano Antillano, Residente and Shakira.
The BZRP Music Sessions are recognized for their distinctive style: the singer facing the microphone from different angles, and Bizarrap in the background, with his back to the camera, in front of his laptop and mixing desk.
With information from Carolina Vásquez.
