Currently, Maikel Delacalle, is one of the Spanish rappers with the highest number of views on his video clips and songs, accumulating millions of listens on music platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music.
Widely known for incorporating elements from R&B, hip hop and dancehall into his music, throughout his career he has worked with many producers and some of the most famous artists of the DEL MOMENTO urban genre.
Where does the story of Maikel Delacalle begin?
The artist's story begins in 1994, in the Tenerife neighborhood of San Isidro.
Mikel Cabello Negrín is the real name of Maikel Delacalle. His mother always wanted to name him Maikel, but at that time she could only give him a Spanish name and they finally gave him that name of Basque origin. The nickname “De la Calle” was given to him by his grandmother Juana. He grew up with her when his mother died at the age of seven.
In an interview with "The Objective", Maikel himself summarizes his story like this: "Maikel Delacalle is a kid who lived a somewhat different life. I lost my mother when I was seven years old, I took many paths that I shouldn't have taken. “I entered a juvenile center and as soon as I left I began to dedicate myself to music.”
How has your music evolved throughout your career?
The beginnings of Maikel Delacalle's music are located in the freestyle. Later, he discovered that he needed to write as a means to express what he felt and began to compose, which marked a turning point in his career.
Maikel Delacalle says that composing songs helped him at a time when he had difficulties expressing himself. One of the songs that the artist is most fond of is Why did it happen to me?, a song dedicated to his mother.
Maikel Delacalle's rise to fame arose with the publication of his Spanish version of the song "Or nah", a trap song with an original base by Ty Dolla $ign in 2016. To this day it is still his most visited video in Youtube.
His first work published in 2018, Calle y Fe, has accumulated millions of views on his YouTube channel. He has carried out numerous collaborations with artists of the stature of Justin Quiles, Kevin Roldán and Rels B.
His audience highlights the fact that the artist does not denigrate women or use sexist resources in the lyrics of his songs, a value that Maikel defends and attributes to his mother's education.
Maikel Delacalle's time at the Juvenile Center.
Maikel Delacalle's story has not been a bed of roses, at the age of 17 he was placed in a juvenile center. His perspective was to spend the next two years there, however, he left after six months, exactly, at 5 months and 3 weeks.
According to himself, his time at the juvenile center marked a before and after in his life. He became aware of the people he had by his side and those who mattered and it led him to make the decision to devote himself to his music career.
The artist summarizes his time in the minors' scepter like this: "The truth is that I was always on the street with problems, with fights, with movements... and I would have continued like this because I had no other choice."
Do you want to know all the details about how a juvenile center works and work in one of them? Consult all the details of our Postgraduate Degree in Intervention with Minors here.
