Born again Panamanian reggae en español legend El General says Satan benefited from the success of the singer’s hits in the early 90s, including such fan favorites as “Muevelo” and “Tu Pum Pum.”
Edgardo Franco told the host of TV show Reporte Semanal that he was influenced by “malas compañías,” who preyed on his childhood dreams of becoming a singer, overwhelming his religious belief and convincing him to record the sexually suggestive party jams, which were seminal breakout hits in the early days of the reggaeton movement.
Such was El General’s battle with their content, he said, that he had to drink to get the devil’s word out. “The lyrics [of my songs] caused conflict with my conscience,” he said. “But I had some drinks and recorded them. Those songs played on all the radio stations. That was a trophy for Satan.”
Franco is now a devout Jehovah’s witness, who regularly travels to Panama to evangelize. He sent a shoutout to his fellow church members who brought him back into the fold. “You should never turn your back on Jehovah. You should be strong.”
Apologies to the “Rica y Apretadita” fans out there; if this is the first time you realized you’ve been swayed by the agents of darkness, I guess we’ll see you in hell.
Update, 5/3/2017, 1:20 p.m.: This post has been updated to reflect that El General was a reggae en español artist whose music was a precursor to the reggaeton movement, rather than a bonafide reggaeton artist himself.
[H/T El Nuevo Día]