the Art of Reinvention:
The Many Continuums of eLadiO CaRrióN
By: Thatiana Diaz
Photography: Carlos Jaramillo
Practice makes perfect for Eladio Carrión — and aiming for anything short of perfection is unacceptable. "It's an amazing feeling just knowing that you're getting better," the music artist tells Remezcla as we sit in a sun-drenched music studio in Los Angeles. "There's no amount of talent that can outdo someone that practices a lot." That mentality has prepared him for one of the most-promising years of his career yet — with a new album under his belt, 3MEN2 KBRN (released March 17), and two highly-anticipated sets at Coachella and The Governors Ball Music Festival. But his keenness to perfecting his craft started way before he began in music.
There's no amount of talent that can outdo someone that practices a loT.
Born in Kansas, Carrión grew up in a military family, which had him moving to different states as a kid, including Maryland, Hawaii, Alaska, and New York. Around the age of 11, his family returned to their home island of Puerto Rico — more specifically, Humacao, where his family then put down roots. And although Carrión finally found himself settled for the first time, he was always getting into something and working on something. And he always gave it his all.
It all began with swimming, which he trained competitively for — even qualifying for the Olympics. After 10 years in the sport, he eventually moved on from it after he found that it wasn’t providing the means or security needed for his future. Still, moving on from swimming wasn't easy for the rapper, who had dedicated the majority of his life to training up until that point. "Jumping out of something I was really good at, and well known in, to start up in something that I was barely known in... it was challenging, but I love a good challenge," he says.
That "something,” he casually mentions, is comedy. Like swimming, Carrión made his next quantum leap into success, instantly generating fans on the now-defunct short video platform Vine, starting in 2014. The star was amassing hundreds of thousands of reactions, with fans lining up to meet him at public events. He worked on his comedic craft by booking stand-up comedy shows, not realizing that by doing so, he was also developing his artistry as a future music star. His comedic journey led him to make parody song covers, to which he unexpectedly caught the attention of music artists for his unique and quickly-delivered lines. "Rappers hit me up saying, 'You should write for me,’ he recalls. At that moment, he was confronted with a choice, and everything seemed to fall into place for Carrión's most significant leap yet. "Everything I've done in the past just happened to me, but music, I decided to do that," he says.
He quickly transitioned from doing comedy bits to ghostwriting for reggaeton and trap artists in Puerto Rico, at just the time when the genres were exploding onto the U.S. music scene. And while he was finding success in that craft (per usual), he had bigger dreams of performing his own original work. So he put a timeline to his goal: Two years. "In music, you never know what happens. But I still felt it was impossible for me not to strive in music because I always told myself, 'You're going to make it. You're going to do it,’” he says.
Everything I've done in the past just happened to me, but music, I decided to do that
Although he was still doing comedy and posting Vines, the Puerto Rican rapper hit his goal when he released his first single, "2x2," in collaboration with Flowsito, in 2015. The following year, he jumped onto Chris Müller's "No Quiero Más Amigos Nuevos," solidifying his seamless ability to drop bar after bar with his signature baritone flow. Carrión's career as a performing artist began to pick up steam as he made his presence known in any space he could. "There was a time in my life that I didn't even sleep because I was afraid that someone was going to call me to pull up to the studio," he says. "I would go everywhere, even where I wasn't wanted, just looking for experience, looking for validation — but credible validation, not any type of validation."
He soon found that validation, not just from more prominent names in the industry, but also from the fans that he was gaining day by day. In an industry that pressures artists, especially within the Latin trap space, to veer from hard, no-bullshit lines to more auto-tuned, pop-lending beats and lyrics, Carrión isn't bending, mainly as he aims to create an authentic bridge between U.S. and Latin American music. "There have been a lot of songs that Latinos have done with American artists that the Latinos don't even care about. It's maybe not the right song or approach to it," he stresses. That's the mentality he brought to his latest work, 3MEN2 KBRN, an album featuring collaborations with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Future, Fivio Foreign, Lil Tjay, Quavo, and more.
There was a time in my life that i didn't even sleep because i was afraid that someone was going to call me to pull up to the studiO
Although the featured rappers deliver their verses in English — with a word or line in Spanish here and there — Carrión sticks to Spanish, with his signature flow throughout the tracklist. Carrión was intentional about every artist featured; some songs were waiting for its collaborators for years. "I made sure that each person on the track sounded right," he says.
For example, "Si Salimos," featuring 50 Cent, was waiting for the Queens-born rapper for two years. "That track has been waiting for him,” he says.
Upon listening, it's evident that the song was made for 50 Cent in mind, with its fast tempo and driving, rhythmic beat — reminiscent of 50 Cent’s early work, like that of Get Rich or Die Tryin'. He even shares that “Gladiador,” which was featured in his previous album SEN2 KBRN, VOL. 2, and which is now remixed with Lil Wayne, was also created with Lil Wayne in mind the whole time. “Ever since I did it, that was for him,” Carrión shares. “I dropped it because I didn't have an intro for my last album. It was a perfect intro, but that song was always for him.” It’s easy to believe him as Lil Wayne’s seamless drop into the track didn’t feel out of place, nor did it require any ad-libs to make the rapper's presence known.
I feel i'm the best rapper in the world. That's me, but every rapper should feel the samE
As we discuss his Carrión’s album, he has a moment of disbelief and gratitude, spewing out, "I got a song with 50 and Wayne, like come on." But his self-assuredness returns when I ask where he gets the motivation to make his visions a reality. "I feel I'm the best rapper in the world. That's me, but every rapper should feel the same," he says, with zero hesitation.
But he's not relying on numbers to keep tabs on whether he's the best. He strictly depends on his confidence, intuition, and devotion to his art. "If you ask me right now, what [are my songs] doing, streaming-wise? I would never be able to tell you. I never check my numbers," he says. "With good music, numbers will come, people will follow, people will listen. So I'm never behind big numbers because big numbers don't always mean big success."
Finishing up our conversation, I had to bring up the subject of golf, the most recent undertaking in his many ambitions. The day before we met in Los Angeles, he was competing in a Pro-AM PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) competition in Puerto Rico. And he won. He responded with that steadfast confidence present throughout our entire conversation: “Oh, I'm amazing at golf.” And like every other pursuit of his life, the rapper knows how to put in the work to make sure he’s at the top. "I was really bad starting out. I had space to get better at this,” he says. “You keep on hitting until you get it right.”
Everything is practice: Comedy, swimming, school, music. Everything in life, it's just practice.
Stylist: Oscar Montes de Oca
Stylist Assistant: Chiandra Lee Maysonet
1st Photo Assistant: Saul Barrera
2nd Photo Assistant: Luis Jaramillo
Producer: Andrew Lee
Production Assistant: Jeremy Aquino
Videographer: German Torres
Hair & Makeup: Denise Bugarín-Escamilla
Director of Production/EP: Marianne Espinoza
Director of Talent Relations: Joel Moya
Creative Director: Alan López
Eladio Carrión
Cover
While he's one to reinvent himself, it's safe to say Carrión is sticking with music, his music, his way. "Music is the thing that has made me the happiest in my life," he says. "I love going to the studio and just getting better. When I make a song that I'm proud of or say, ‘Wow, I went off on this,’ I feel great for days." It's a feeling he's familiar with — one he's chasing in any continuum he leaps into: "Everything is practice: Comedy, swimming, school, music. Everything in life, it's just practice."
While he's one to reinvent himself, it's safe to say Carrión is sticking with music, his music, his way. "Music is the thing that has made me the happiest in my life," he says. "I love going to the studio and just getting better. When I make a song that I'm proud of or say, ‘Wow, I went off on this,’ I feel great for days." It's a feeling he's familiar with — one he's chasing in any continuum he leaps into: "Everything is practice: Comedy, swimming, school, music. Everything in life, it's just practice."
While he's one to reinvent himself, it's safe to say Carrión is sticking with music, his music, his way. "Music is the thing that has made me the happiest in my life," he says. "I love going to the studio and just getting better. When I make a song that I'm proud of or say, ‘Wow, I went off on this,’ I feel great for days." It's a feeling he's familiar with — one he's chasing in any continuum he leaps into: "Everything is practice: Comedy, swimming, school, music. Everything in life, it's just practice."
