Whether it’s rap, reggaeton or tropical-alternative-urban, the team of stepbrothers known as René Pérez, “Residente” and Eduardo Cabra, “Visitante,” bring their flow to a whole new level by unveiling a superior form of music with the release of their second album, Residente o Visitante.  Already known for their astute lyrics and shocking expressions, for getting in your face, and for putting forward a certain style of social criticism, they project their sense of humor - the key factor that has injected them into the very vein of the urban world of music.“Everything we do should drive people to have discussions,” says René, whose clever rhetoric is widely known for proclaiming booming, brimming lines. “The kind that has a positive edge, so people can talk about whatever they want.”

Calle 13 is the new force showing its impact by putting dem bow to the test. They have redefined quality by raising the bar through their projection of powerful lyrics and original musical proposals in what we now know as the alternative urban sound. 

They became known as Residente and Visitante while growing up inTrujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Being stepbrothers living in separate homes, Visitante would visit his dad weekly and every time he entered the residential complex, he was announced as the “visitor.” Since René actually lived there, he was described as the “resident,” and when they had friends with them, they were “the guys behind us.” So, the instrumentalists were baptized “Los de Atras...vienen conmigo.”  The group of old friends who have been working creatively for years, include percussionists Hector ‘Coco’ Barez and Andrés ‘Kino’ Cruz, drummer Ismael Cancel, bass player Jonathan ‘Bote’ Gonzalez, guitar player Mark Rivera, Edgar Abraham on the clarinet, Arturo Verges on trombone and Cheito Quiñonez playing the trumpet.

“They are family to us,” Residente says of the musician buddies who’ve supported them from the very beginning. He invites over Visitante to chime in about the guys: “We’ve known each other for years. We’ve made lots of music together, it’s very well defined, and we have traveled and shared important moments together.” That important sense of family have also driven collaborations with their 17-year-old sister Ileana, a.k.a PG-13. She sings potent melodies and reaches high notes, as she has been known to do in many of the hits on their first record, and they are currently working on developing an album for her.

Although Calle 13’s first album became notorious for its lyrics and was basically characterized for its racy remarks, Residente, with his intense voice, continues to rap non-conformist, double-timed Spanish rhymes. Visitante verbally interjects between stanzas to the beat of Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Latin American folk arrangements and electronic beats that he composes and programs.

“One of the things you’ll see in this second record is that sometimes the music shows more strength,” says Visitante as he sits on a couch to take a break between garment changes. “Although the lyrics are powerful, they have evolved; my brother’s interpretation has matured and he is getting into the role––his performance has really improved."

You can say they definitely keep their bases covered while contributing with various artists from other genres. Not only can we now find their remix for Maná’s “Labios Compartidos,” but equally as impressive is their recent collaboration with Alejandro Sanz  in “La Peleíta,” where we can sample Residente’s style of saying things sin pelos en la lengua as he softly complements Sanz’s hymn to courtship by sofly rapping “Mujer yo voy a ser franco/ si tu no me lo das yo te lo arranco” over Juanes’ guitar solo. “He [Sanz] called us, and we met him at his house in Miami. He’s a great guy,” says Residente who admits that they recorded his voice with a cheap microphone in a hotel room.

In Residente o Visitante, they feature a star-studded list of collaborators such as two time Oscar-award winner Gustavo Santaolalla, La Mala Rodriguez, Tego Calderón, Vicentico, Orishas, Toy Kenobi, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, and a variety of guest musicians from different Hispanic countries that conspire to bring to life a variety of tendencies ranging from Cumbia, to Tango, to Soul, to South American folklore. 

Gustavo Santaolalla “has a great vibe,” says Visitante, who worked with the Argentine producer and his sidekick, Anibal Kelpel in “Tango del Pecado.” “I made the music, and I sent him the original idea, and he developed it a little and then he sent it back to me. It was exciting for me to work with him because I’ve been listening to him since the days of Maldita Vecindad and Bersuit, and I admire him because he makes awesome sounds.

As the new generation of outspoken musical revolutionaries, they have been known for criticizing the FBI and the U.S. government in the past; and in the new album, Calle 13 places a subtle emphasis on the immigration issue in the song, “Me Voy Pa’l Norte.”

“I don’t know if there are revolutionary bands where I come from,” says Residente. “But there are people who think like I do, and the thing is that there aren’t too many people that have the guts to say things, so it really motivates me. Not that I’m going to become more political now. It just comes out genuinely.

Even now, they’re smack in the middle of spotlight once again after being nominated in the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, though this hasn’t made them too fabulous for their own good. Calle 13 isn’t conceited or overproduced. Far from it, they’re down to earth, jovial and modest.

“It’s cool [to win a Grammy] because the industry recognizes you,” says Visitante. “But it’s not more important than the recognition that people give you. See, it’s not more important than applause. But it’s awesome, ’cause you realize that people in the industry who are musicians admire your work. And it’s good because it stimulates competition. It’s more selective, and just to be nominated is an honor."

Their latest work comes after much criticism made by Latin urban music’s crème de la crème at last year’s Latin Grammy Awards, when Calle 13 took home three awards, including Best Urban Album for their self titled debut. After their sweeping victory, some of reggaeton’s hard-hitters like Ivy Queen, spoke out in disappointment. She diplomatically wished the duo “luck” with their next album, but expressed her frustration with the way the awards were distributed. Unscathed, Residente and Visitante survived the gauntlet, and have moved on without looking back. “My brother is rapping, but I think what’s got everyone confused is the music,” Visitante says emphatically as he’s reminded of the incident. “My brother is talking about the inefficient [artists] of reggaeton. He doesn’t talk about the ones who do it well. Reggaeton has its defined scheme, it has its own style just like we have our own, and it’s not our place to compete with them at all.”

So it’s hard not to agree that something about their music reaches out from the speakers, some criticize it, some dance to it, and it’s not unusual to see the occasional indie-rock snob slaving to their beat, or an elitist pop-groover singing along to a mad rhyme. Clearly, Residente and Visitante operate on a level that ignores classification, limitations and exclusion; but their music can be better understood through their passion for keeping it real, and this could easily be the kinetic drive behind their recordings.

“We don’t want to break away from anything,” says Visitante shaking his head. “We’re just flowing,” he says.  “[Other artists] have their vibe and we have our own, and to tell the truth, we have been influenced differently.”