Tirone José González Orama (March 11, 1988 – January 19, 2015), better known by his stage name Canserbero,[4] was a Venezuelan rapper, singer and writer. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, he is considered to be one of the most significant and influential figures in the history of Latin and independent rap in Latin America.[5][6]
Starting in the early 2000s, Tirone released music through the internet and quickly became a prominent figure in the Venezuelan rap scene and Latin American hip-hop as a whole, often collaborating with fellow Venezuelan rappers, most notably Lil Supa. He was known for his sharp lyrical content, unique voice, and his ability to address complex subject matters with a raw and honest approach. His music often reflected his personal struggles, views in life, and social criticisms.
Tirone released two studio albums as a solo act, Vida (2010) and Muerte (2012), both considered to be part of a double album.[7] The albums would spawn several of his most popular songs such as "Pensando en ti", "Es épico", "C'est la mort", "Maquiavélico", among others.[8] He would also feature in several songs by artists from Latin America and Spain such as Mala Rodríguez, with whom he recorded a song entitled "Ella" (2013).[9]
On January 20, 2015, Tirone was found dead in front of a building in Maracay, Venezuela, reported to be a murder-suicide after murdering his friend and fellow musician, Carlos Molnar.[4][6] However, in December 2023, after years of speculation over the controversial details of the deaths, a second investigation resulted in Tirone's former manager Natalia Améstica confessing that Tirone had been murdered in a double-homicide and her crimes had been covered up with the help of her brother and bribed authorities.[10]
Career
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First years
At the age of eleven, Tirone began performing rap performances under the stage name of Canserbero[11][12][13][14] a jargon of Latinism cerbero dog (in Latin, canis cerberus) meaning "guardian",[13] an allusion to Cerberus of Greek mythology.
Early in his life, Tirone was mainly influenced by the dominant reggaeton genre in Latin America, but following the murder of his older half-brother, he would lean towards darker music genres such as 90's hip hop and Hard Rock. Such genres would influence the sound of his music, as heard in songs like "Es épico" and "En el Valle de las Sombras"..[8]
In 1999, he met Manuel Galvis, also known as Blackamikase, and the producer Afromak, pseudonym of Leonardo Díaz; they formed a band called Códigos de Barrio, influenced by Comando 57 and Supremacy Hip Hop Clan. Together, they composed several musical pieces, but due to their limited financial resources, they only recorded three songs. In the year 2000, when he was twelve years old, his older half-brother was murdered;16 from then on, he began to draw inspiration from critical musical genres such as hard rock and late 90s hip hop.
In 2003, he studied Computer Science and in class, he met Lil Supa, a member of Supremacy Hip Hop Clan, who invited him to record with Luis Muños; the artist joined a group under the pseudonym Basyco, an abbreviation of the terms "base and content". With the band, he performed songs of the conscious rap genre. Canserbero and Lil Supa released an album titled "Can+Zoo Índigos" on the internet. According to the media, the album "made a significant impact on the national and Latin American non-commercial rap scene". In 2008, the artist uploaded a mixtape called "Nuestra doctrina no es un dogma, es una guía para la acción" (Our doctrine is not a dogma, it is a guide for action) to the internet, compiling several of his previously recorded songs.
He worked as a claims analyst in a company in Maracay and also at the Experimental University Institute of Technology in La Victoria. He studied Law and Political Science at the Bicentenaria University of Aragua but decided to leave the program to focus on music.
Album Vida
In 2010, he released his debut solo studio album, "Vida" recorded and edited in Caracas, with his producer Kpú. This album, like the others, was recorded in a recording studio known as "El Techo" (The Roof). Due to its great reception by the public, he received the award for Best Hip Hop Artist at the Dixtorxión Awards in 2011, gaining recognition in other Spanish-speaking countries.
Album Muerte
In 2012, he released his second album, "Muerte," and the second part that completes the double album "Vida/Muerte." The album consists of fourteen songs written by him and is considered one of the most important albums in the history of Spanish rap. During that same year, he performed several concerts in Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. The following year, he released an album called "Apa y Can" with rapper Apache. The album includes songs like "Ready" and "Stop," a song that strongly criticizes Venezuelan police officers. From 2013 to 2014, he performed in various concerts in Latin American countries, including Chile and Argentina, as well as in Spain. In 2013, he participated as a vocalist in the song "Ella" by Mala Rodríguez, for the album "Bruja". Canserbero had several musical projects planned for 2015 and anticipated concerts in Latin American countries such as Panama.
Albums
In 2010, Canserbero released his debut solo studio album, "Vida" which was recorded and edited in Caracas. It received great acclaim and won him the Best Hip Hop Artist award at the Dixtorxión Awards. In 2012, he released his second album, "Muerte," which completes the double album "Vida/Muerte." It is considered one of the most important albums in the history of Spanish rap. In 2013, he collaborated with Mala Rodríguez on the song "Ella" for her album "Bruja". Canserbero had several musical projects planned for 2015, including concerts in Panama and other Latin American countries. [15]
Personal life
He was born on March 11, 1988, in the General Hospital of Lídice Dr. Jesús Yerena of the city of Caracas, as Tyrone José González Oramas. He was the son of José Rafael González Ollarves and Leticia Coromoto Oramas.[13] Later, his parents moved with him to Maracay. In 1997, his mother died and he was left under the care of his father.[11]
Murder
Discovery and first investigation
On 20 January 2015, Canserbero was found dead in front of his apartment building. The artist fell from the tenth floor of the Camino Real building in the Andrés Bello urbanization in Maracay. Initially, some of his close friends maintained that the artist stayed in the apartment of bassist Carlos Molnar, a friend and co-worker, since he had schizophrenia. Molnar was killed that same day by stabbing. On the other hand, the Ombudsman of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, in March of the same year, reopened the case, since there were other additional details that straighten some hypotheses of the "witnesses". The first hypothesis is based on the fact that the kitchen window was made of romanillas and all the glasses were previously removed, which causes intrigue, given the "presumed" psychotic state in which Canserbero was used at the time of launching. [Quote required] "Having taken the romanillas out of the window indicates method, not despair," says the defender, who relies on the sisters' testimony to indicate that the romanillas were not at the time of Canserbero's fall, "but someone put them back later", he said.
While depressed (although family members stated that he did not have any mental illness), he was asked by Carlos Molnar, bassist for Zion TPL, to stay with him.[16]
It was long alleged that Canserbero had stabbed Molnar to death and then jumped to his own death from the tenth floor of the building.[17] However, several members of his family expressed several doubts regarding the police investigation, culminating in the reopening of the case on 11 November 2023 by the Public Ministry of Venezuela.[18]
Second investigation and confession
On 26 December 2023, the case was confirmed by the Public Ministry to be a double homicide committed by Tirone's former manager Natalia Améstica and her brother Guillermo Améstica, following a filmed confession by both suspects.[19] According to Natalia, the murder reportedly stemmed from Tirone's wishes to no longer be managed by her, as well as the news that she would not be receiving payments from husband Carlos Molnar for the organization of a planned tour of Argentina and Chile.
On the night of 20 January 2015, both Tirone and Molnar were to be at Natalia Améstica's house to record videos for a concert in Panamá. Natalia then intentionally drugged both Tirone and Molnar with Alpram (alprazolam, also known as Xanax) by dissolving two 0.5 mg tablets in their tea. She then proceeded to stab Molnar three times in the neck (severing his jugular vein), back, and arm. According to Natalia, she worried Tirone had witnessed the fatal stabbing of Molnar, but he was heavily sedated from the effects of the Alpram and could only manage to fall asleep on their sofa.
By then unaware, Tirone was then stabbed by Natalia twice in the side. Distressed and not knowing what to do, Natalia called brother Guillermo Améstica for help staging the situation as a murder–suicide; he later arrived accompanied by four SEBIN officials, who were bribed $10,000 to disguise the murder. Guillermo then proceeded to stab Molnar a further four times; the body of Tirone was dragged to their kitchen, where it received multiple blows to the head with a pipe. The romanilla (lattice door) of their windows was then carefully removed, and the body of Tirone thrown out of the window to simulate a suicide. Natalia fled to Chile shortly after committing the murders.[20]
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