Calderón arrives in the U.S. today for a string of in-store autograph signings, kicking off tonight, August 30th, at the Virgin Megastore in New York’s Times Square.  Tego then continues on to appearances in Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, and Orlando.

Calderón is slated to perform at the star-studded NFL Opening Kickoff 2006 concert on Miami’s South Beach on Thursday, September 7th.  Two songs from Tego’s performance will be televised on Telemundo.  

'Los Maté,' the first single from THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO, jumped nearly 30 spots to hit #17 with a bullet on this week’s Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, and the track has hit #1 in Latin Rhythmic airplay in the U.S.  The song’s companion video made its worldwide premiere last Thursday on Univision.com. In addition, a full album listening party went live on the AOL Latino Musica homepage yesterday and will run through next Tuesday. 

Released on Calderón’s own Atlantic-distributed Jiggiri Records, THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO is already being hailed as a landmark in the Latin hip-hop and reggaetón movement.  When Calderón inked a worldwide deal with Atlantic last year, he became the first artist in the Latin hip-hop field to ink a global pact with a major label.

Calderón describes his new album as “a musical journey through the Afro-Caribbean culture.”  It showcases poetry from the heart and is a unique fusion of elements taken from traditional bomba puertorriqueña, Jamaican reggae, blues, Cuban rumba, and New York salsa.  The diversity of styles that Tego brings together is reflected in the wide array of musical instruments on the album. Calderón brings to his palate the music of percussion and brass to create a vivid soundscape that recalls the classic rhythms of the legendary salsa greats.

THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO contains 22 tracks plus one bonus track and features collaborations with such artists as Buju Banton, Eddie Dee & Voltio, Yandel, Chyno Nyno, Don Omar, and legendary salsa singer Oscar D’León.  The album also features the work of producers DJ Nelson, Danny Fornaris, DJ Nesty, Naldo, DJ Joe, Echo & Diesel, Cookee, Major League, Salaam Remi, Erick Figueroa, Daniel Cruz & Eduardo Lobo, and Troyton Rami.  All the songs on the album were co-written by Calderón, with the exception of “Chango Blanco,” written by Luis López Cabán.  Featured in the album is a special booklet with bilingual track-by-track commentary by award-winning Puerto Rican author and professor Mayra Santos-Febres.

Calderón describes his Atlantic debut as 'a musical journey through the Afro-Caribbean culture.' It showcases poetry from the heart and is a unique fusion of elements taken from traditional bomba puertorriqueña, Jamaican reggae, blues, Cuban rumba, and New York salsa.'

The diversity of musical styles that Tego brings together on THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO is reflected in the wide array of musical instruments on the album. Avoiding the overuse of computer-generated tracks, Calderón brings to his palate the music of percussion and brass to create a vivid soundscape that recalls the classic rhythms of the legendary salsa greats.

THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO contains 22 tracks plus one bonus track and features collaborations with such artists as Buju Banton, Eddie Dee & Voltio, Yandel, Chyno Nyno, Don Omar, and legendary salsa singer Oscar D'León. The album also features the work of producers DJ Nelson, Danny Fornaris, DJ Nesty, Naldo, DJ Joe, Echo & Diesel, Cookee, Major League, Salaam Remi, Erick Figueroa, Daniel Cruz & Eduardo Lobo, and Troyton Rami. All the songs on the album were co-written by Calderón. Featured in the album is a special booklet with bilingual track-by-track commentary by award-winning Puerto Rican author and professor Mayra Santos-Febres.

Announcing Tego's signing to Atlantic in the spring of 2005, Atlantic Chairman/CEO Craig Kallman commented: 'With the continuing creative and commercial explosion of new Latin music in the U.S., I am thrilled that one of its signature artists, the brilliant Tego Calderón, has joined the Atlantic family. The reggaetón and Latin hip-hop movements are rapidly merging into the mainstream of American music and media, and Tego's innovative style, street credibility, and charismatic presence have already made him a cultural icon, placing him at the leading edge of the vibrant new urban-driven Latin scene. The signing of Tego is a proud moment in Atlantic history, signaling our enthusiasm and our long-term belief in this boundary-crossing music.'

For more information on Tego Calderon, please visit www.tegocalderon.com and www.myspace.com/tegocalderon.  To enjoy the worldwide premiere of Tego Calderon's video for the track 'Los Maté,' please visit www.univision.com and use the uniclave (keyword) Reggaetón.

The 11-year war was largely perpetuated by genocidal rebels and primarily funded through the illegal trading of conflict or 'blood' diamonds. Wall, Raekwon and Calderon will hear first-hand accounts of the atrocities suffered during this time and the role that diamonds played as they visit mining communities and meet with local musicians, government officials and children.  Produced by Article 19 Films in association with VH1 and the United Nations Development Program, 'Bling: A Planet Rock,' will capture hip-hop's reaction to the human violations, bring global awareness to this issue, and educate Americans about how they can play a role in eradicating the smuggling of blood diamonds.

Tego’s mash-up at Heineken's AmsterJam alongside other music icons marks his reaffirmation as the father of reggaeton. Busy preparing for his next album THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO due out on Jiggiri/Atlantic Records in August, is already giving a lot to talk about among music critics and industry alike that have review the production. This new production is slated to include a magnificent journey through the Afro-Caribbean musical scene which masterfully brings together reggae, dance Hall, salsa, bomba, rumba, and the deep south feeling of the blues. The Underdog will feature guest appearances of Buju Banton, Don Omar, Eddie Dee, and the legendary salsa singer Oscar de Leon, among others.

Heineken's AmsterJam will take place Saturday, August 19th on New York's Randall's Island. Heineken’s sold-out, day-long festival last year featured mash-ups and solo sets by super-stars in rock, hip hop and Latin music in on-the-spot collaborations including: the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg, 311 and Wyclef Jean, Garbage and Peaches and Fat Joe and Hector El Bambino. Funk legend Bootsy Collins was the festival's curator. The second stage featured Gogol Bordello, The Brought Low, Antibalas, Grand Master Flash and more.

That's not the last you'll hear from Tego this summer. His new album THE UNDERDOG is scheduled to hit stores on August 29th! Head over to TegoCalderon.com for the latest!

Tego, who is in the process of putting the finishing touches on his new production The Underdog / El Subestimado, took a break from his busy schedule to create a remix of  'Bureo', one of the tracks in his forthcoming record. The recording, which now features a baseball theme, will be launched on Sunday, May 7 during the live broadcast of the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies game. As part of the agreement with ESPN, Tego’s recording will become the jingle for the weekly Sunday program throughout the entire baseball season.

Domingo de Grandes Ligas is broadcasted live from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in ESPN and ESPN2.

El Abayarde is currently in New York finalizing The Underdog, which will subsequently be masterized. The new production is scheduled to be released during the Summer 2006. Furthermore, Tego is expected to return to Puerto Rico soon to finalize the strategies for his upcoming release with his marketing team. 'We are very focused and are preparing to launch a record that will make history,' Tego concluded.

Currently Tego is putting the finishing touches on his much-anticipated new album THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO hittin' shelves soon!