Emilio Estefan joins P-Diddy's "Bad Boy Latino"

Plans to take reggaeton music to another level

Written by the staff of Hispanicsurf.com

August 30, 2005 -- Sean "Puffy" Combs has recruited one of the most prominent figures in Latin music to join his new "Bad Boy Latino" record label.

Grammy Award winner and famed producer, Emilio Estefan will be working with Combs to recruit new Latino talent to sign onto the new label.

Diddy first divulged his plans for at the Latin Billboard Awards in April, when he announced that Miami rapper Pitbull would be one of the new label's artists.

"The Latino market in the U.S. is such a beautiful, diverse, and powerful market and I am blessed to have a partner like Emilio," Diddy said in a statement. "He is an amazing example of how creativity, combined with hard work and a belief in one's self, can spark an entire cultural movement."

Estefan, who's been married to former Miami Sound Machine front-woman Gloria Estefan since 1978, has won two Grammys and three Latin Grammys as a producer, songwriter and musician.

He has worked with many of Latin music's most popular crossover artists, including heavyweights such as J.Lo, Shakira and Ricky Martin.

"The goal of this venture is to not only discover new talent but to exploit this music in ways that will promote the technological evolution of how consumers buy their music today and in the future," Estefan said in a statement.

Combs seems to have an added interest in Reggaeton music, which originates from Puerto Rico, and has taken the music industry by storm with its thumping beats and Spanish raps.

''It's gonna focus on Latin artists and the fusion of what I do marketing-wise . . . to embrace the movement and take it to the next level,'' Combs said. The producer said his label, with offices in Miami and New York, will be about half Latin rap artists, as well as Latin soul and tropical music.