Alex Rose's biography: the new rockstar of Puerto Rican trap

Alex Rose is the stage name of Alexis Javier Guzmán Cotto, a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who since 2016 has had the whole of Latin America vibrating with his take on trap and urban music. Born in 1993 in Río Grande, Puerto Rico, “El Nuevo Rockstar” —as he is known in the industry— has more than 3 billion views on YouTube thanks to tracks such as Toda Remix y Darte. His music plays in the streets of Lima, San Juan, Buenos Aires and every capital in Latin America. In this complete biography, updated to 2026, we tell you everything you need to know about this artist who started from scratch in a small Puerto Rican town.

Who is Alex Rose?

Alex Rose (real name: Alexis Javier Guzmán Cotto) is a Puerto Rican trap and urban music singer and songwriter, born in 1993 in Río Grande, Puerto Rico. He debuted in 2016 on the Los Oídos Fresh label and became one of the leading figures of the new generation of the urban genre. He is known for his fusion of trap, reggaeton and R&B, and for collaborating with artists of the stature of Rauw Alejandro, Myke Towers and Cazzu.

Alex rose today

Alex Rose's personal details

Early career

Alexis Guzmán grew up in Río Grande, a quiet town in the north-east of Puerto Rico, far from the glamour of the big music circuits. From an early age he showed a fascination with rhythm: his parents played salsa at home, and that was his first contact with music. Over time, reggaeton and trap caught his attention, and he began to imitate his favourite artists: Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin y Yandel, and especially Arcángel.

By 16 he was already writing his own lyrics. However, it was not until he was 21 that he made the most important decision of his life: leaving university and betting everything on music. Before singing, he worked as a songwriter in the shadows, writing songs for established artists such as Arcángel and Justin Quiles, without anyone knowing he was the real author.

In 2015 he began uploading his music to SoundCloud, a platform that let him win his first followers organically. He later travelled to Orlando, Florida, where he met Jx El Ingeniero, who would become his manager and a key piece of his rise. Through that connection he also met the singer J Álvarez, and signed a contract with Los Oídos Fresh, the label under which he would release his first official productions in 2016.

Alex Rose's professional career and achievements

Alex Rose's career took off meteorically in barely three years. These are the most important milestones of his musical path:

• 2016 – Official debut: He released Orgasmo, his first single on Los Oídos Fresh, followed by Maldad (with Jayma and Dalex), Ciego and Vete pa’l carajo. That same year he published Percocet, which went viral on social media and put him at #1 on the Latin and urban chart in Puerto Rico, also reaching number 19 on the Billboard Airplay.
• 2016 – First recognition: He was chosen as Outstanding Artist of the Year in Puerto Rico.
• 2017 – Consolidation: He published Mi intención, which swept SoundCloud and Spotify, and did a media tour across the island. He also released Loco Loquito (with Jory Boy), whose video passed 3 million views in a few days, and Te mojé and Karma, which together passed 5 million views.
• 2018 – The year of the massive breakthrough: He released Darte with Myke Towers (462 million views on YouTube), whose remix featured Bryant Myers, Ñengo Flow, Noriel, Miky Woodz, Juhn, Jhay Cortez and Casper (335 million views). That same year he published the generational anthem Toda Remix with Rauw Alejandro, Cazzu, Lenny Tavárez and Lyanno, passing 1.5 billion views and becoming one of the biggest hits of Latin trap of all time.
• 2019–2020: He released his EP Lost (November 2019) with tracks such as Jangueo with Rafa Pabón (+120 million views) and Disimulas with Lyanno and Omy de Oro. In 2020 he released Toque de Queda and the EP Yo Siempre Ando Con Los Oídos Fresh.
• 2021–2022: He collaborated with Rauw Alejandro on Me Fijé (125 million views), with CNCO on Pa Que Guaye, and released Melodrama, the first single from his debut album El Nuevo Rockstar on WK Records.
• 2023–2024: He published the album ENR (2022) and the EP Oversize (2023), keeping a constant presence on digital platforms with continuous singles.
• 2025: He released three consecutive EPs: Episode 1, Episode 2 y Season 1 (February 6, 2025), the last one with 8 tracks —including Estelar, She Outside, Mejor Que Antes y Pasa Tiempo— plus a collaboration with White Bear. He also published the singles Bika, La Frisa and INNECESARIO.
• 2026: So far this year he has already published the EP Bipolar and the singles Mia A Veces, ZION y Vänner, proving that his creative capacity never pauses. In September 2026 he released La Rosa, a six-song EP with which he reconnects with Latin R&B and the melodic trap of his beginnings, as Metro Puerto Rico reported. The project is the first fully independent production on his own label, Los Del Swaggy, and includes collaborations with Lyanno (Si Te Tuviera), De La Ghetto (Fueras) and the Spaniard Reality (And Ever). The artist himself explained that the EP seeks to “reconnect with the Alex Rose of 2018 and that nostalgia my fans like so much”, now with the freedom to choose what to release under his own record structure.

Alex Rose's standout songs and projects

If you want to understand why Alex Rose is a reference in Latin trap, these are the essential works of his career:

• 🎵 Percocet (2016) – The single that launched him into the Puerto Rican urban market.
• 🎵 Loco Loquito (2017, with Jory Boy) – His first massive collaboration.
• 🎵 Darte (2018, with Myke Towers) – 462 million views. The track that crowned him “El Nuevo Rockstar”.
• 🎵 Darte Remix (2018, with Casper Magico and multiple artists) – 335 million views.
• 🎵 Toda Remix (2018, with Rauw Alejandro, Cazzu, Lenny Tavárez and Lyanno) – The hit of his career: +1.5 billion views. One of the most played Latin trap videos in YouTube history.
• 🎵 Jangueo (2019, with Rafa Pabón) – +120 million views on YouTube.
• 🎵 Me Fijé (2021, with Rauw Alejandro) – 125 million views.
• 🎵 Sigues Preguntando Remix (with Jory Boy, Myke Towers, Miky Woodz and J Álvarez) – 169 million views.
• 🎵 Melodrama (2022) – First preview of his debut album El Nuevo Rockstar.
• 🎵 Season 1 EP (2025) – His most personal project: 8 tracks mostly solo.
• 🎵 Bipolar EP (2026) – His most recent release, available on every platform.

If you are passionate about trap and Latin urban music, we also recommend getting to know the story of Faraón Love Shady, another figure in the genre who has gained ground across Latin America with his authentic style.

Alex Rose's personal life

Alex Rose is an artist who prefers to keep his private life far from the spotlight, something quite uncommon in the era of everything-on-social-media. He grew up in Río Grande, a quiet town in the north-east of Puerto Rico, and that upbringing gave him a calmer perspective than that of many artists who grew up in the noisiest circuits of the urban world.

One of the most striking facts he himself has shared in interviews is his passion for cooking: he describes himself as a top-level amateur chef and says that, if music had not worked out, he would have followed a career as a barber, a skill which, in his own words, “he is very good at”. Salsa was also his first contact with rhythm, since his parents played it constantly at home when he was a child, long before trap reached his ears.

As for his love life, Alex Rose has been deliberately tight-lipped. As of the publication date of this article (2026), the artist has not publicly confirmed any steady relationship. His followers in Lima, Peru, and across Latin America keep asking about his girlfriend, but the Puerto Rican prefers his music to speak for him on that front.

In my experience following the Latin trap scene since its early years, few artists manage to keep that balance between massive success and a discreet personal profile. Alex Rose is one of those exceptional cases: his music reveals everything, while his private life remains a well kept mystery. That, paradoxically, generates even more loyalty in his fanbase.

Alex Rose trivia

• 🎙️ He wrote for others before singing: Before launching himself as a solo artist, Alex Rose wrote songs for established artists such as Arcángel and Justin Quiles, working in the shadows without the public knowing he was the author.
• 🎙️ SoundCloud was his first showcase: In 2015, when indie streaming platforms were pioneer territory, Alex Rose was already uploading his own tracks and building his fanbase completely organically, with no label and no money involved.
• 🎙️ Salsa was his first school of rhythm: Despite mastering trap today, his first musical memories are of salsa, which his parents played at home when he was a child in Río Grande.
• 🎙️ Amateur chef: In several interviews he has revealed that cooking is one of his favourite hobbies. He considers himself a good cook and enjoys it as a way of disconnecting from the industry.
• 🎙️ His plan B was the barbershop: Alexis Guzmán says that, had he not devoted himself to music, he would have opened a barbershop. He claims to have a natural talent for that trade.
• 🎙️ Toda Remix passed 1.5 billion views: It is one of the most played Latin American urban music videos in YouTube history, on a par with old-school reggaeton classics.
• 🎙️ He prefers to release songs solo: In an interview with the EFE agency in February 2025, he said literally: “An artist is measured when he releases songs alone”, which is why on his EP Season 1 he included only one collaboration out of the 8 tracks.

Alex Rose today (2026)

At 33, Alex Rose is going through one of the most prolific creative moments of his career. In 2025 he released three consecutive EPs —Episode 1, Episode 2 y Season 1— in a format he himself described as an honest exploration of new sounds, moving away from the pressure of massive collaborations. In a statement to EFE in February 2025, he said he wants to keep “uniting countries and artists” with his collaborations, but that the public also needs to hear him alone to get to know the real Alex Rose.

In 2026, the pace of releases did not slow: the EP Bipolar and the singles Mia A Veces, ZION y Vänner are already available on every digital platform. In September he added the EP La Rosa, his first project on his own label Los Del Swaggy, with which he picks up the romantic, sensual sound that made him take off in 2018. His YouTube channel passes 3 billion accumulated views, establishing him as one of the Puerto Rican artists with the greatest digital impact of his whole generation.

The growth of Latin urban entertainment on digital platforms is undeniable. Figures such as Rodrigo Fernandini also show how Latin American talent keeps winning relevant space in the global entertainment industry.

Conclusion

Alex Rose is much more than “the guy from Toda Remix”. He is an artist who built his career from scratch: with no big godfathers at the start, no family capital, and with his talent for songwriting and his determination not to give up when university was too much for him as his only assets. From Río Grande, Puerto Rico, to 3 billion views on YouTube, his story is a manual of persistence and authenticity in the most competitive music industry in the world.

With new releases in 2026 and a loyal fanbase across Latin America —from San Juan to Lima, Peru—, Alex Rose shows that his career has just entered its most mature and experimental stage. Without doubt, one of the urban artists to follow very closely this year.

Sources consulted

• Wikipedia: Álex Rose - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
• Infobae (EFE): El puertorriqueño Alex Rose: “Un artista se mide cuando lanza canciones solo”
• Metro Puerto Rico: Alex Rose reconecta con sus raíces musicales en el EP ‘La Rosa’