En Mi Imperio (English: In My Empire) is the debut album by Puerto Ricanreggaeton singer-songwriter Ivy Queen released on House of Music Records and distributed by Sony International Records on September 2, 1997. The album gained her the 1997 "People's Favorite Rap Singer" and "Artista '97" awards by Artista Magazine.
As of February 2004, the album has sold over 80,000 copies in the United States and over 100,000 copies in Puerto Rico It, however, has not been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album was released digitally for the first time on April 6, 2016.[1]
Background
When she was eighteen, Queen moved from Añasco, Puerto Rico to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she met rapper and producer DJ Negro. In 1995, she joined an all-male Puerto Rican group called The Noise, at the invitation of DJ Negro. The group became part of the emerging reggaeton scene.
DJ Negro began producing a series of CDs centered on The Noise. Queen made her first appearance on the fifth installment of the CD series on a track called "Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes". She became tired of the violent and sexual themes often used in reggaeton, and wished to write about a wider variety of subjects. DJ Negro convinced Queen to go solo, and in 1996 she began recording material for her debut studio album.[2]
Recording and production
Recording sessions for the album began in early 1996. The album was recorded at The Noise Studios and Centro De Bella Artes (Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center), both in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Production for En Mi Imperio was handled by Sergio George and DJ Nelson, the latter who also mixed, edited, and mastered the album. DJ Negro served as the executive producer for the album. Limite 21 performed orchestra for the album.
It features collaborations with Gran Omar on "Mi Vida Eres Tú", "Qué Locura", "Representan", Camaleón on "Novatos" and Notty Boy, Memo and Vale, also on "Representan". The remaining six tracks and interlude track are performed by Queen and all of the tracks were composed by her. The album's artwork was done by LionGrafik.[3] On the album's title, En Mi Imperio, (In My Empire), Queen makes a claim to cultural citizenship in the male dominated genre of reggaeton, according to Puerto Rican scholar Lorna Salaman.[4] A music video for "Pongan Atencion" was filmed in Spanish Harlem and was directed by Ozzie Forbes in 1997. It departs from Queen's usual appearances in music videos filmed within the island of Puerto Rico.[5]
Musical composition
"Como Mujer", ("As a Woman"), the album's lead single, was composed in minor key tonality and takes influences from Afro-Latin sources. Musically, the song features synthetic instrumentation and Puerto Rican roots while lyrically, the song features social or political themes.[6] On "Pongan Atención", Queen lyrically demands that she be heard on a local and national level. She sings, "Pongan atencion, pais, nacion, asociacion, que ya llego la queen", ("Pay attention, country, nation, association, the queen has arrived").[5]
An editor for Allmusic awarded the album three out of five stars. The album gained her the 1997 "People's Favorite Rap Singer" and "Artista '97" awards by Artista Magazine.[8]
As of February 2004, the album has sold over 80,000 copies in the United States,[9] and over 100,000 copies in Puerto Rico.[10] It, however, has not been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.[11] The album's two singles, "Como Mujer" and "Pongan Atencion" were certified Gold and Platinum due to excellent sales, according to the Lakeland Ledger.[12] In 2004, Queen revealed that she did not receive any profits from the album's sales due to her inexperience in the music business.[13]
Track listing
All songs produced by DJ Nelson, except where noted.
^Salaman, Lorna. "Girla, gata, o diva? Representacion de las mujeres en los videos de reggaeton de comienzos de siglo XXI en Puerto Rico". University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Retrieved June 28, 2014
^ abAyala, Hector. "Habla la reina del rap". (March 4, 1998). Dialogo. Retrieved June 28, 2014
