American-Mexican rapper Taboo, best known as a member of The Black Eyed Peas, released a rhythmic solo single entitled ‘Zumbao’.
The song was released just before the start of the 2014 football World Cup Brazil, and has now become one of the most played hits in Latin America.
The track was composed by the Ecuadorian singer-songwriter and winner of a Latin Grammy, Paulina Aguirre. Taboo pays homage to his Latin roots in ‘Zumbao’, where he mentions South American pop stars like El Chavo del Ocho, Juan Gabriel and Marco Antonio Solis. In his own words it’s a way of describing, through music, his childhood as a Latin growing up in California.
Jaime Luis Gómez, or Taboo, became tremendously popular in the 90s and early 2000s as part of The Black Eyed Peas. Today, his fame hasn’t waned and is among the 10 top-paid rappers in 2014, according to the ‘People with Money’ magazine – his profits are around $46 million. With the launch of this latest solo single, he’s cemented himself at the same level as the other members of the band, such as Fergie, Will.i.am and Apl.de.ap, who already have several works and collaborations on the market.
Having just turned 39 and father of 3 kids, Taboo stated that ‘Zumbao’ helped him get his feet back on the ground and escape a life led by drugs and alcohol. Some of the habits were destroying his personal and professional lives, and are covered in his biography, ‘Fallin’ Up: My Story’.
After collaborating with artists such as Sie7e, Mexican star Paulina Rubio in his hit ‘Hoy Me Toca a MI’, and the recent ‘Taboo Experience’ tour, in which the rapper toured the world’s best clubs, Taboo returns with ‘Zumbao’ while still shaping ‘Tabmagnetic’, which will presumably be his first full-length work.
