Ovi (rapper)
Ovi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ovidio Crespo-Retureta |
| Also known as | "El Asere de aseres" "El orgullo de Cuba" |
| Born | February 7, 1996 Ciego de Ávila, Cuba |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | Rancho Humilde |
Ovidio Crespo Retureta (born February 7, 1996)[1], better known by his stage name, Ovi, is a Cuban rapper and singer of corrido, reggaetón and Latin trap.[2][3] He is part of the Rancho Humilde label and has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Natanael Cano, Junior H, and Snow Tha Product.[4]
Biography
[edit]Crespo was born in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. At an early age, he was interested in music, starting a musical group with his friends while in school. In Cuba, he studied at the University of Medical Sciences of Havana, but stopped due to financial problems. After leaving Cuba at the age of 20 to pursue opportunity, he later settled in the United States in Miami, Florida.[5][6][7] His arrival was met with financial struggles as he worked as a kitchen assistant. He suffered with substance abuse which he managed to recover from. Arriving from Arizona to Los Angeles, he met with the Rancho Humilde record label, which opened an opportunity for him to be part of it.[7][5][6] In 2024, Ovi was detained by ICE in Miami after a traffic confrontation with another driver.[8] He received a pardon from being deported back to Cuba after fighting the case.[9]
Career
[edit]In 2019, he released the singles "Se Me Dino" and "Bailen" under the record label Rancho Humilde, which he joined. After releasing the single, "Cuando Me Ve" with the Mexican singer Adriel Favela he began to gain notoriety.[2][3][10] Then a few months later, the premiere of "Yo ya lo enrolé" with Natanael Cano, became a success in several Latin American countries, especially in Mexico. In May of the same year, he released the single "Nadie como tú" with Carolina Ross, which reached millions of views on social media platforms YouTube. On March 19, 2020, the Mexican rapper Natanael Cano premiered in collaborationthe single "Pacas Verdes", gaining over 20 million views on YouTube in one month. The song caught the attention of the rapper Bad Bunny, who congratulated them for the initiative to include the corridos style.[3] Finally, on April 20, Ovi released his first studio album called "Amen" that includes collaborations with Gera MX, Junior H, and Natanael Cano.
A month later, he released the song “Vengo de nada”, with Natanael Cano, Alemán and Big Soto,[11] which made it to the Hot Latin Songs Billboard chart in the United States. In October he released the album "Buen viaje", which includes songs produced by Teejay, Young Hollywood, Krizous and Junior H.[12] The album makes references to the movie Scarface, the program Caso Cerrado and the song "Umbrella" by Rihanna.[13]
In December 2020, he published his third studio album, Las 3 Torres, with features from Natanael Cano and Junior H.[14]
Studio albums
[edit]- Amen (2020)
- Buen Viaje (2020)
- Retumban2 (2021)
- Asere de Aseres (2024)
Collaborative albums
[edit]- Las 3 Torres (with Natanael Cano and Junior H) (2020)
References
[edit]- ^ Cone, Allen (2024-09-19). "Cuban rapper Ovi arrested after road rage incident in Miami, Florida Highway Patrol says - CBS Miami". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ a b Mtz, Alejandro Cruz. "▷ Biografía de Ovi ◁ Edad, estatura, novia, cantante, de dónde es". www.laletrade.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ a b c "Biografía de Ovi". www.buenamusica.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ Staff, A. O. L. (2022-07-21). "Cuban rapper Ovi won't face domestic battery charge. Miami prosecutors drop case". www.aol.com. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ a b LOS40 (2020-10-05). "OVI, La sensación de la música regional urbana". LOS40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "OVI, la promesa cubana de la música que cruzó fronteras para cumplir sueños". es-us.noticias.yahoo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ a b "Ovi, el joven que vendió su casa en Cuba y cruzó fronteras para cumplir sus sueños en la música". CiberCuba (in Spanish). 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "Ovi is detained by ICE and could face a deportation order". CiberCuba. 2024-09-22. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "Ovi recounts how he avoided being deported to Cuba: his unique struggle and forgiveness". CiberCuba. 2025-04-17. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "OVI, la promesa cubana de la música que cruzó fronteras para cumplir sueños". Hola News. 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "Natanael Cano, Alemán, Ovi y Big Soto estrenan nueva colaboración". www.kebuena.com.mx. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "Ovi lanza su nuevo disco "Buen Viaje"". ReggaetonSinLimite. 2020-10-03. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ Redacción, La (2020-10-03). "Cantante cubano Ovi estrena su electrizante álbum "Buen Viaje"". Últimas Noticias de la República Dominicana (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "Natanael Cano, Junior H y OVI, nos traen su nuevo álbum: "Las 3 Torres"". Radio Hoy (in Spanish). 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2021-04-14.