Anuel AA Bio
Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago, known professionally as Anuel AA, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer widely associated with the rise of Latin trap. Raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he began recording music at fourteen and posted it online from 2010. His career faced significant challenges when he was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to 30 months in prison for illegal firearm possession, during which he recorded his debut album. Released on the day of his 2018 release, Real Hasta la Muerte established him commercially and marked the beginning of his successful career in the Latin music industry.
Early Life and Background
Anuel AA grew up in Carolina, Puerto Rico, where he was exposed to music from an early age through his father, José Gazmey, who worked in the Puerto Rican division of Sony Music Entertainment’s A&R department. His father worked in the studio with salsa artists such as Héctor Lavoe and Fania All-Stars, which inspired Anuel’s interest in the recording industry despite his lack of personal affinity for salsa music. As a child of mixed race—his father is Afro-Puerto Rican and his mother is White Puerto Rican—Anuel has stated that he experienced racism during his childhood.
Anuel idolized rapper Tupac Shakur while growing up, particularly emulating his style of dress and emphasis on jewelry. He also developed a close friendship with fellow Puerto Rican rapper Casper Mágico, who would later collaborate with him on the track “Te Boté.” His upbringing in the projects profoundly influenced his music, with Anuel describing it as “my soul speaking, literally. It’s spiritual. It has a lot of feelings, a lot of pain. It’s my experiences growing up en la calle in the streets.”
Path to Music
Anuel AA began recording music at age fourteen and started posting it online at eighteen in 2010. His early music garnered millions of streams and views, eventually catching the attention of American rapper Rick Ross, who signed him to the Latin division of Maybach Music Group. His 2016 mixtape Real Hasta la Muerte received positive reviews from critics and helped him land a guest feature on Ozuna’s 2017 album Odisea.
Despite this early success, Anuel’s career took an unexpected turn when he was arrested in April 2016 for illegal firearm possession. His arrest led to a 30-month prison sentence, which put his burgeoning career on hold. While incarcerated, he continued to release tracks by recording his voice over the phone, and his genre of music surged in popularity during his absence. This period in prison would later become a significant part of his artistic narrative and musical identity.
Anuel AA Career
Early Career (2010-2018)
Anuel AA’s early career was marked by consistent recording and online presence, which helped him build a following before his imprisonment. His mixtape Real Hasta la Muerte, released in February 2016, showcased his emerging style and helped establish his presence in the Latin music scene. The mixtape’s success led to collaborations and features, including a guest spot on Ozuna’s album Odisea in 2017.
The period leading up to his imprisonment and subsequent release from prison in 2018 was challenging but transformative. While incarcerated, Anuel recorded much of his debut album by phone during his mandatory stay at a Miami halfway house. This unique approach to music creation demonstrated his dedication to his craft even under difficult circumstances and set the stage for his major breakthrough following his release.
Breakthrough (2018-2020)
Anuel AA’s breakthrough came on July 17, 2018, with the release of his debut album Real Hasta la Muerte, which dropped on the same day as his release from prison. The album was both a critical and commercial success, peaking at number 42 on the Billboard 200 and topping the US Top Latin Albums chart. Rolling Stone included it on their list of Best Latin Albums of 2018, noting that the artist “demonstrates impressive pop instincts” and “looking toward Latin pop’s mainstream.”
Following his release, Anuel achieved significant commercial success with multiple chart-topping singles and collaborations. In August 2018, he appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 with his collaboration with 6ix9ine on “Bebe.” In the six months following his album release, he contributed vocals to eleven Billboard Hot Latin Songs-charting singles. His collaboration with Karol G on “Secreto” in early 2019 reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the US Hot Latin Songs charts, confirming their relationship in the music video.
Notable Works and Milestones
Anuel AA’s signature work includes the 2019 global hit “China,” a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna, and J Balvin that debuted at number two on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. His second studio album Emmanuel, released in May 2020, featured an impressive 22 tracks with collaborations from Bad Bunny, Enrique Iglesias, Travis Barker, Tego Calderón, Karol G, Lil Wayne, and others. The album’s title, which means “God with us,” reflected Anuel’s personal growth and perspective at that stage of his career.
Anuel AA Family
Anuel AA is the son of José Gazmey, who served as vice president of the Puerto Rican division of Sony Music Entertainment’s A&R department. Anuel has four children: son Pablo Anuel and daughters Gianella, Cattleya (born in 2023 to his ex-wife Yailin La Más Viral), and a daughter born in 2025 with his current partner Laury Saavedra. His family relationships have occasionally influenced his music and public statements, particularly during periods of personal transition and reflection.
Throughout his career, Anuel has navigated various romantic relationships that have garnered public attention. He was in a relationship with Colombian singer Karol G from 2018 to 2021, followed by a brief marriage to Dominican rapper Yailin La Más Viral in 2022-2023. As of 2023, he has been in a relationship with Venezuelan Laury Saavedra, with whom he welcomed his fourth child in 2025. His personal life has occasionally overlapped with his professional endeavors, particularly in his music and public persona.
Personal Life
Anuel AA’s personal life has been marked by both successes and controversies that have occasionally impacted his career. He has been open about his experiences with racism as a mixed-race individual and has described how his upbringing in the projects influenced his music. During his time in prison, Anuel has stated that he began reading the Bible for the first time and realized that “his talent and blessings came from God.”
Despite his “bad guy image” in the music industry, Anuel has shown different facets of his personality through his music and public statements. Relationship-themed songs such as “Culpables” and “Secreto” represent “a softening of his hardened trapero persona,” according to critics. His use of the word “bebecita” (“baby girl”) in songs and on social media has become associated with both the reggaeton genre and his relationship with Karol G, eventually becoming part of the broader Latin music lexicon.