Yes. He is credited as a rapper, singer and songwriter, and he told Rolling Stone en Español that he first tried composing at 16 and has never needed a pen since: he builds the song in his head, keeps it there, and arrives at the studio already knowing almost everything he is going to record. The writing shows up on award ballots as well as on the records. He has taken the Winning Songs award four times at the ASCAP Latin Awards, for "Zum Zum" with Daddy Yankee and R.K.M & Ken-Y, the "Sigues Con Él" remix with Sech and Romeo Santos, "La Jumpa" with Bad Bunny and "ALV" with Grupo Frontera, and twice more at the BMI Latin Awards. None of that makes his records solo work. Reggaeton is built in rooms: the beats come from named producers such as DJ Nelson, DJ Luian, Chris Jedi and Dímelo Flow, and his biggest tracks are billed to three or four performers at once.
By the Numbers
10
Studio Albums
169
Tracks Credited
98%
Self-Written
22
Years Active
367
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 166 / 169 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 169 tracks: how many Arcángel wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Arcángel has a writing credit98%
22%
76%
2%
Sole author37tracks22%
Co-written129tracks76%
Outside writers3tracks2%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Arcángel's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 169 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)98%
Composer (music)98%
Producer0%
Performer100%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Arcángel's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 98%
90%
100%
94%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2008El Fenómeno
2013Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad
2015Los Favoritos
2018Ares
2019Historias de un Capricornio
2020Los Favoritos 2
2021Los Favoritos 2.5
2022Sr. Santos
2023Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad
2024Papi Arca
Early · 96% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
90%
2000s
El Fenómeno
99%
2010s
Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad, Los Favoritos +2 more
100%
2020s
Los Favoritos 2, Los Favoritos 2.5 +3 more
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Arcángel sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Arcángel
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Written by Noriega, Arcángel, Tainy, Norgie Noriega, Austin Agustín Santos, Marco Efraín Masís Fernández
Co-wrote
50 Sombras de Austin
Los Favoritos
Written by DJ Luian, Arcángel, Luian Malavé Nieves, Austin Agustín Santos
Co-wrote
Original
Ares
Written by Arcángel, Bad Bunny, EZ Made Da Beat, Prida, Austin Agustín Santos, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Ezequiel Rivera, Henry De La Prida
Co-wrote
Sigues Con Él
Historias de un Capricornio
Written by Arcángel, Sech, Dímelo Flow, Jvyboy, Keityn, OMI, Austin Agustín Santos, Carlos Isaías Morales Williams
Co-wrote
Tussi
Los Favoritos 2
Written by Jazz The Hitmen, Lelotronik, Justin Quiles, De La Ghetto, Eladio Carrión, Arcángel, Justin Rafael Quiles Rivera, Rafael Castillo Torres, Austin Agustín Santos
Co-wrote
Amantes y Amigos
Los Favoritos 2
Written by BK, Slow Mike, Dímelo Flow, Arcángel, Sech, Austin Agustín Santos, Carlos Isaías Morales Williams
Co-wrote
La Jumpa
Sr. Santos
Written by Arcángel, Bad Bunny, Austin Agustín Santos, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio
Co-wrote
JS4E
Sr. Santos
Written by Arcángel, Austin Agustín Santos
Wrote it
La Chamba
Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad
Written by Arcángel, Peso Pluma, Nicki Nicole, Tainy, Austin Agustín Santos, Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, Nicole Denise Cucco, Marcos Masis
Co-wrote
ALV
Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad
Written by Arcángel, Andy, BK, Dímelo Flow, Edgar Barrera, Jhon El Diver, Kemzo, Austin Agustín Santos, Jorge Valdés Vázquez, Carlos Humberto Domínguez
Co-wrote
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Discography 10 albums
The records credited to Arcángel & De la Ghetto belong to that duo rather than to him alone, so they are not listed here. Los Favoritos is co-billed with DJ Luian, who has no page of his own on the site, so it is listed on this page. The mixtapes, the two EPs and the compilation album sit outside the studio catalogue. The discography article contradicts itself on the total, giving 8 in its infobox while its table lists ten; the table carries the release dates and labels, so the table is what is built here.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 356. E EHXX · DL DJ Luian · DF Dímelo Flow · MK Mambo Kingz · RP Rafael Pina
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Arcángel writes on 166 of his 169 tracks, and three carry no credit for him at all. Inside that, 37 are his alone and 129 add outside names, and the solo credits cluster at the two ends of the run: eleven of the 21 tracks on El Fenómeno in 2008, five of the nine on Papi Arca in 2024. The middle of the catalogue goes the other way, with Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad and Los Favoritos 2 each showing all 18 tracks co-written. No outside writer anchors the whole thing. EHXX at 16 tracks and Rafael Pina at 15 lead a long tail of producers who each appear on a handful.
Quick Facts
First actArcángel & De la Ghetto, the underground reggaeton duo he formed in Puerto Rico, which split in 2007 without ever releasing a studio album
Label pathMachete for El Fenómeno in 2008, Pina from 2012, then Rimas from 2019 onward
First number oneSentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad debuted at number one on the US Top Latin Albums chart in 2013, his first top 10 studio album
Latin Grammy recordFive nominations at the Latin Grammy Awards and no wins, from Best Urban Song for "Sentimiento" with Vico C (2010) to Best Rap/Hip Hop Song for "THC" (2025)
Songwriting awardsWinning Songs awards at the ASCAP Latin Awards for "Zum Zum", "Sigues Con Él", "La Jumpa" and "ALV", and at the BMI Latin Awards for "Sigues Con Él" and "La Jumpa"
Standing in the genreOften described as one of the most influential artists in the Latin urban genre and one of the pioneers of Latin trap
Creative Fingerprint
He has been composing since he was 16 and works without writing anything down, holding a whole song in his head so that he walks into the studio already knowing almost every line he is about to record.
The Story
Arcángel is an American rapper and singer, born Austin Agustín Santos in New York City in 1985. He came up alongside De la Ghetto as a duo before going solo with El Fenómeno in 2008, and Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad took him to number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in 2013. Ten studio albums on, he is one of the writers other Latin urban artists cite most.
Awards & Recognition
Winning Songs at the ASCAP Latin Awards, won, for "Zum Zum" with Daddy Yankee and R.K.M & Ken-Y (2019)
Winning Songs at the ASCAP Latin Awards, won, for the "Sigues Con Él" remix with Sech and Romeo Santos (2021)
Winning Songs at the ASCAP Latin Awards, won, for "La Jumpa" with Bad Bunny (2024)
Winning Songs at the ASCAP Latin Awards, won, for "ALV" with Grupo Frontera (2025)
Winning Songs at the BMI Latin Awards, won, for "Sigues Con Él" with Sech (2022)
Winning Songs at the BMI Latin Awards, won, for "La Jumpa" with Bad Bunny (2024)
Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tu Música Urbano Awards, won (2020)
Lifetime Achievement Award at the Heat Latin Music Awards, won (2021)
Best Collaboration at the Heat Latin Music Awards, won, for "La Jumpa" with Bad Bunny (2023)
Dedication Award at the Tu Música Urbano Awards, won (2023)
Video of the Year at the Tu Música Urbano Awards, won, for "JS4E" (2023)
Best Urban Song at the Latin Grammy Awards, nominated, for "Sentimiento" with Vico C (2010)
Best Urban Music Album at the Latin Grammy Awards, nominated, for Los Favoritos 2.5 (2022)
Best Urban Fusion/Performance and Best Urban Song at the Latin Grammy Awards, nominated, for "La Jumpa" with Bad Bunny (2023)
Best Rap/Hip Hop Song at the Latin Grammy Awards, nominated, for "THC" (2025)
Latin Rhythm Albums Artist of the Year, Solo at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, nominated (2014)
Premio Lo Nuestro Urban Icon Award, honoree (2026)
Frequently Asked Questions Arcángel
Does Arcángel write his own songs?
Yes. He is credited as a rapper, singer and songwriter, and he told Rolling Stone en Español that he first tried composing at 16 and has never needed a pen since: he builds the song in his head, keeps it there, and arrives at the studio already knowing almost everything he is going to record. The writing shows up on award ballots as well as on the records. He has taken the Winning Songs award four times at the ASCAP Latin Awards, for "Zum Zum" with Daddy Yankee and R.K.M & Ken-Y, the "Sigues Con Él" remix with Sech and Romeo Santos, "La Jumpa" with Bad Bunny and "ALV" with Grupo Frontera, and twice more at the BMI Latin Awards. None of that makes his records solo work. Reggaeton is built in rooms: the beats come from named producers such as DJ Nelson, DJ Luian, Chris Jedi and Dímelo Flow, and his biggest tracks are billed to three or four performers at once.
How does Arcángel actually write a song?
In his head. He has said he took the memory he had as a child and trained it until he could compose without using his hands, storing the lyrics mentally instead of putting them on paper. By the time he books the studio the song is done and he only has to perform it. He dates the habit to age 16, when people he showed his writing to kept telling him it was good and he decided to do nothing else with his life.
Who produces Arcángel's music?
It changes by era. DJ Nelson produced "Chica Virtual" on the Flow la Discoteka 2 compilation that broke him as a solo act. DJ Luian is the longest running partner, credited on Los Favoritos and on most of the "Feliz Navidad" diss tracks. Chris Jedi produced "Ahora Dice" with Ozuna and J Balvin. Dímelo Flow handled most of the production on Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad, and Bizarrap built the 54th of his Music Sessions around him.
Who are his regular collaborators?
De la Ghetto comes first, going back to the duo they started in. Bad Bunny recurs across a decade, from "Original" on Ares to "La Jumpa" on Sr. Santos. Sech sang "Sigues Con Él" and "Amantes y Amigos". Myke Towers is on "Memoria Rota" and again on Sr. Santos. Ozuna, Daddy Yankee, Nicky Jam, Farruko and J Balvin all share credits with him.
How are writing credits shared on a reggaeton hit?
Widely, and his catalogue shows it plainly. The "Si Se Da" remix is billed to him with Myke Towers, Farruko, Sech and Zion. "La Ocasión" puts him alongside De la Ghetto, Anuel AA and Ozuna over a Mambo Kingz and DJ Luian production. "Ahora Dice" carries producer Chris Jedi's name first, with Arcángel, J Balvin and Ozuna featured. Even a single under his own name often has three or four other artists on the front of it.
Which of his own records does Arcángel rate highest?
It leaked. La Maravilla was announced in 2008 as his debut and cancelled once the tracks got onto the internet. One of them, "Pa' Que la Pases Bien", became a hit on Latin urban radio in the United States anyway, and half of El Fenómeno at the end of that year came from the same sessions. He now says the leak was one of the best things anyone ever did to him, because it let him fill arenas with songs no label had released.
Why is Arcángel called influential?
He is one of the names most often given as a founder of the Latin urban sound and a pioneer of Latin trap. Rolling Stone described him in 2023 as one of the most influential artists in the urban genre, and Billboard placed him that same year on its list of the 50 most essential rappers in Spanish.
What are the "Feliz Navidad" songs?
A run of tiraderas, or diss tracks, released around Christmas since 2007, most of them produced by DJ Luian. Farruko, Wisin and Tito El Bambino have each been named in at least one. He has said he only answers artists who came at him first, and that what the form is good for is technical: whoever writes the sharpest bars, makes the most sense and delivers them best.
Why did Arcángel & De la Ghetto never release an album?
A dispute with their label. The duo signed to Baby Records, and their recordings only ever surfaced on compilations or as internet leaks because the company would not put out a record of their own. He says he spent $150,000 producing an album called K-Libre that never reached the market. He left the company in December 2006 to start his own label, Flow Factory, and filed a lawsuit against Baby Records for $1,000,000 in 2007.
Arcángel