Zion & Lennox was a Puerto Rican music duo from Carolina, Puerto Rico. In 2004, Zion & Lennox released their first studio album titled Motivando a la Yal under White Lion Records. After their first album, Zion & Lennox decided to start their own label, Baby Records Inc. The duo is made up of Félix Ortiz (Zion) and Gabriel Pizarro (Lennox). Zion & Lennox are considered to be the pioneers of romantic reggaeton.
Personal lives
Félix Ortiz Torres and Gabriel Pizarro were born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. They met in 1992, while living in the same neighborhood and having common interests in reggaeton.[1] Their common taste for music quickly became a serious passion and a reason to work together and thoroughly in the reggaeton genre, once Lennox's brother, whose nickname was Mackie, invited them to officially sing a theme in 2001, though they had already been a duo since 2000.[2]
While Zion & Lennox developed a deep interest in the new genre during that time, their focus was distinct from the most typical themes within the underground scene. They gave reggaeton what they currently refer to as "the commercial touch", that is, less explicit and graphic lyrics.[2]
Since then they had been very popular within the underground scene, until they came to have their first great opportunity in the 2003 compilation album Desafío by the producers Luny Tunes together with Noriega.[3]
Both have relatives who are prominent singers in the reggaeton genre. Zion is the second cousin of chorus singer Jory Boy, who was part of the Nova & Jory duo,[4] while Lennox is the brother of Luis Pizarro, better known as Mackie Ranks, of the former reggaeton duo Yaga y Mackie.
Career
They have been in the music business for a long time. They had minor hits such as "Baila Conmigo" for the 2003 compilation album "Desafío" and "Me Pones Tensión" for the album The Noise: La Biografía. These hits, along with others in the near future and increased radio play gave them more recognition. This gave them the chance to appear in major reggaeton albums such as Luny Tunes' Mas Flow (2003) and Mas Flow 2 (2005), Blin Blin vol.1 (2003-4), Contra la Corriente (2004), and Cazadores, Primera Búsqueda (2005).
In May 2004, they released their first solo album, Motivando a la Yal. With the reggaeton genre becoming a worldwide phenomenon, Zion and Lennox's popularity increased. Motivando a la Yal: Special Edition was released a year later. The special edition had new songs along with remixed songs of the previous edition, such as "Don't Stop", "Bachatéalo", a remix to the song "Bandida", and a hip-hop remix of "Yo Voy" with Miri Ben-Ari, Fatman Scoop, and Pitbull entitled "Jump & Spread Out (DJ Precise and Cheeky Starr Version)".
Both Zion and Lennox are very active with solo songs. Zion has been more notable with songs like "Yo Voy a Llegar" for reggaeton producer DJ Nelson's compilation album Flow la Discoteka, "Alócate" released on Luny Tunes's album Mas Flow 2.5, and "Con Ella Me Quedaré" released in the fifth installment of the Álex Gárgolas series, entitled Gargolas: The Next Generation. He also has turned up a new hit, "Que Pasara", for DJ Nelson's Flow la Discoteka 2. Zion has released a solo album entitled The Perfect Melody on June 5, 2007, with appearances by artists such as Akon and Play-N-Skillz. "The Way She Moves" is the lead single from the album and features Akon. Lennox has been working on songs on his own album, but has also been very active in bringing new artist to his label "Toma Enterprise". The label is set to release an album named Los Mero Meros.
After three years of building their fan base and positive reputation with guest spots and compilation records, Zion & Lennox released their first full-length record, Motivando a la Yal. The record featured the work of producers Luny Tunes, Noriega, Nely el Arma Secreta, and Eliel, some of the most visible the style had to offer. Thanks to the record's success as it hit the charts with force, Zion & Lennox toured all over the Americas, performing before large and appreciative audiences. Soon industry demand and personal pressure caused Zion & Lennox to go in different directions. Boldly boasting to be one of the greatest singers ever to hail not only from Puerto Rico but all of Latin America, Ortiz started his own record label, Baby Records, for whom he is the flagship act and CEO. Lennox continues to make guest appearances and collaborate with important genre artists. Starting February 2008, Zion y Lennox engaged on a "reunited" tour promising a follow-up album In early 2010, they joined and signed a contract with Pina Records appearing on the compilation album Golpe de Estado (2010).[5] In 2014, Zion and Lennox left Pina Records due to tensions financial allegations with Raphy Pina. In 2016, they started working on their 4th album, Motivan2, under their new record label, Warner Music Latina, to which they signed an exclusive deal in December 2015. Their 4th album, Motivan2, was released in September 16, 2016 which featured collaborations with Nicky Jam, J Balvin, Farruko, Daddy Yankee, Maluma & Don Omar. The music video for "Otra Vez", a song on that album featuring J Balvin, has received over 1.0 billion views on YouTube as of July 2020[update].[6]
