Ivy Queen

Reggaeton star Flex wins 8 Billboard Latin Music Awards; Santana earns lifetime achievement. Panamanian reggaeton sensation Flex won eight awards, and Spanish pop singer Enrique Iglesias took home six at the Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday night.

Now comes the Queens-bred artist?s first full-length foray into the Latin American genre. The main reggaetón themes are present: girls (?Dímelo,? with Daddy Yankee), girls (?Tienes a Otra,? with Ivy Queen), and more girls (?Hablar de Amor,? with Frankie Negrón). ?Baila Conmigo,? a booming soon-to-be anthem, finds Don Omar, devoid of accent, impressively flowing in full English. But beyond the trite love tracks and N.O.R.E.?s broken Spanish (he spits mostly in English), Ya Tu Sabe breaks new concrete with its production. On the chock-full-of-blaring-horns ?Mentira,? SPK and DJ Blass?s jack of the late salsero Hèctor Lavoe is a breakthrough in a genre that has been slow to sample. And Monserrate?s street-hop beats, on ?Tráfico,? ground the danceable tune with uncharacteristic grit. With the right blend of sound, N.O.R.E.?s ready to embrace La Vida full-time. Do you want VIBE delivered to your home or office? CLICK HERE.

>Goes By the Name: DJ Kazzanova >Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico >Pro Stats: DJ Kazzanova started in Springfield, Ma. as a hip hop DJ on 90.7 FM WTCC, hosting and producing for a TV show called Street Vibes, and reporting for the 1990's Hits magazine?s Top 10 list. Kazzanova then became a part of the morning show El Can de la Mañana, and the reggaeton show called Planeta Reggae on WSPR in Springfield, Ma. Shortly after his success in Springfield, he began spinning everyday during the La Mega Mix del Medio Dia show in Hartford, CT. In 2001, DJ Kazzanova joined what has now become the #1 reggaeton radio station for New York City, La Kalle 105.9 FM. Known as Latino Mix at the time, Kazannova spearheaded their El Reggaeton Show, first on Tuesdays from 10pm to 12am, and then from 7pm to 9pm, competing with Hot 97's Funk Master Flex for the urban youth market. As his success and the public's demand grew, Latino Mix reinvented itself as La Kalle 105.9 FM. >Hustle: Currently DJ Kazzanova is work

Sure, reggaetón may be monotonous and there are those who feel the genre has reached its peak, but, tell that to 20,000+ screaming fans in attendance, both young and old, at a packed, sold-out Nassau Coliseum. The night began incredibly hectic, as arena officials kept most of the excited crowd waiting on line for a long amount of time (reason unknown) even as Puerto Rico?s Alexis Y Fido opened the event. Los Pitbulls ran through their hits ?Tiburon?, ?Eso Es? and their rendition of the wildly popular ?Mayor Que Yo?. As about another 10,000 people settled into their seats, N.O.R.E. took the stage with his reggaetón counterpart, Big Mato, and went through his hits including his verse on "Superthug", ?Nothin?, and his verse on the remix of ?Gasolina?. While performing his latest posse cut, ?Maz Maiz?, he brought out Nina Sky and the ?The Ghetto Vaquero?, Chingo Bling, who, with signature cowboy hat and boots, had the crowd on his side with his charismatic performance. Then, Mr. ?Hang Hang

N.O.R.E., a proud Puerto Rican himself, has traded much of his LeFrak City gutter rhymes to make music that?s apt for the Reggaeton movement. Now if he has it his way, N.O.R.E. Y La Familia, which features a cast of Reggaeton stars like Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, Ivy Queen and Luny Tunes, will hit stores just weeks before the Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 11. According to MTV.com, Omar and none other than a Spanish-speaking Diddy will appear on N.O.R.E?s first single, which has yet to be titled. Have a news tip? Email us. Read more vibe.com news headlines.