Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago, born November 26, 1992, in Carolina, Puerto Rico, records as Anuel AA. His father worked as an A&R vice president at Sony Music's Puerto Rican division, and Gazmey began uploading songs online as a teenager. Rick Ross signed him to the Latin arm of Maybach Music Group, and the 2016 mixtape Real Hasta la Muerte established him inside the emerging Latin trap scene. He was arrested on federal firearms charges that year and sentenced to 30 months, recording vocals from prison and finishing his debut album while incarcerated. Real Hasta la Muerte arrived on July 17, 2018, the day he walked free, and topped the Top Latin Albums chart. He has since released Emmanuel, Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren and the joint album Los Dioses with Ozuna, writing consistently about street life, incarceration and his own myth.