For Ryan Castro, the roar of 47,000 people at Medellín’s Estadio Atanasio Girardot on April 25 was more than just a sold-out crowd—it was a sonic mirror of the city that shaped him. Clad in a striking bright yellow suit with “icy bling” catching the stadium lights, the Colombian superstar delivered a five-hour marathon that blurred the lines between a concert and a civic celebration.
The event served as a high-voltage homecoming, strategically positioned between a high-profile appearance during Karol G’s headlining set at Coachella and the May 7 release of Omerta, a collaborative album with Medellín icon J Balvin. While the scale of the production was global, Castro’s focus remained intensely local. He viewed the night not as a personal victory, but as a tribute to the neighborhoods that fostered his ambition.
“I’m not putting on a Ryan Castro concert, but I’m putting on a concert for the people from the barrio [hood] and people that are fighting for their dreams,” Castro told SPIN from backstage. “It’s a party for the city that raised me and has supported me since the beginning of my career.”
From the City Bus to the Global Stage
Long before he was commanding stadiums, Castro’s “stage” was the interior of Medellín’s public transit system. At 17, he began singing on city buses, a grueling apprenticeship that earned him the moniker “El Cantante del Ghetto” (The Singer of the Ghetto). This period was less about fame and more about survival and perception; Castro recalls the necessity of projecting his voice over the chaos of traffic and the noise of commuters.
More importantly, he sought to challenge the social stigmas associated with street performance. In his view, singing on the bus was a way to prove that talent could emerge from the margins without being tied to the negative stereotypes often projected onto the city’s impoverished areas. “I learned a lot from that stage in my life that I still apply to my concerts today,” he noted, adding that the mental fortitude required to capture a bus full of strangers is far more demanding than performing for a cheering stadium.
This grit paved the way for his integration into the elite circle of Colombian reggaeton. As Medellín evolved into a global hub for the genre, Castro found common ground with the city’s biggest exports. His ascent was marked by a series of strategic and organic collaborations that validated his place in the “new era” of the sound.
| Year/Date | Milestone | Key Collaboration/Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Breakthrough Hit | Collaborated with Feid on “Monastery” |
| 2022 | Global Exposure | Performed “Nivel de Perreo” with J Balvin at MTV VMAs |
| April 25 | Homecoming | Sold out Estadio Atanasio Girardot (47,000 fans) |
| May 7 | Major Release | Dropped collaborative album Omerta with J Balvin |
The Curaçao Connection and the Dancehall Pivot
While reggaeton is the heartbeat of Medellín, Castro’s musical DNA is uniquely Caribbean. As a teenager, he spent several years living in Curaçao with his mother, an experience that fundamentally altered his rhythmic approach and linguistic style. This period introduced him to the sounds of Panamanian reggae and Jamaican dancehall, influencing his early performances of artists like Kafu Banton and Baroni One Time.
This heritage is most evident in his use of Papiamento, the creole language of Curaçao. His signature call-out, “Awoo!”, is a traditional greeting from the island, and his hit “Sanka”—performed during his Coachella set—uses Papiamento slang for “ass.” By weaving these elements into his albums Sendé and Hopi Sendé, Castro has positioned himself as a bridge between the Colombian interior and the Caribbean coast.
During his homecoming show, this cross-continental influence came full circle when dancehall legends Shaggy and Sean Paul joined him on stage for a remix of Kybba’s “Ba Ba Lousy.” For Castro, these collaborations are a vehicle for cultural diplomacy. “I want to put more of Curaçao on the map,” he explained, expressing pride in seeing fans learn Papiamento lyrics and embrace a culture often overlooked in the mainstream Latin music explosion.
Omerta: A Brotherhood in Music
The current chapter of Castro’s career is defined by his partnership with J Balvin. The collaborative album, Omerta, is a rare occurrence in Balvin’s discography; the only other artist to share a full joint LP with him was Bad Bunny in 2019. The title, borrowed from the Italian code of silence and honor, serves as a metaphor for the brotherhood between the two artists.
Musically, the project is a fusion of their contrasting environments. Castro brings the island-influenced Caribbean flow, while Balvin contributes the polished, cosmopolitan energy of his current New York lifestyle. Tracks like the club-oriented “Tonto,” featuring DJ Snake, and the atmospheric “Pal Agua” showcase a sophisticated blending of reggaeton and dancehall that avoids the clichés of the genre.
The ambition of Omerta extends beyond the music. The duo produced a short film for the project featuring Sofía Vergara, one of Colombia’s most successful global exports. Working alongside Vergara has sparked a new interest for Castro: acting. While he remains focused on “crossing borders” through music, the experience with Vergara has provided a blueprint for potential future ventures in film.
As Ryan Castro continues to navigate the transition from “The Singer of the Ghetto” to a global headliner, his trajectory remains anchored in the community that first heard him on the city buses. With the release of Omerta and a growing footprint in the U.S. Market, the next phase of his career will likely see him balancing his role as a Medellín representative with his aspirations as a multi-disciplinary entertainer.
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