Biography
From Guayama to the global charts
Guayama roots and the birth of Plan B
Orlando Javier Valle Vega was born on February 19, 1979, in Guayama, on Puerto Rico's southern coast, and grew up as reggaeton was moving from underground mixes toward commercial release. In 1999 he formed Plan B with his cousin Maldy, and the duo — both singers and producers — built a shared identity around romantic, party-ready urbano. Their first album, El Mundo del Plan B, arrived in 2002 with guest appearances by Daddy Yankee, Great Kilo, Guelo Star, Rey Pirin and Speedy, establishing the voices that would soundtrack Puerto Rican dance floors for the next decade.
Even while Plan B worked, Corleone kept his own hand in the scene, serving as an executive producer on the 2005 compilation El Draft 2005 and taking guest verses for other reggaeton acts. One of those features, “A Que No Te Atreves” with Tito El Bambino, topped Billboard's Latin Rhythm Airplay chart in 2014 and logged five weeks at No. 1 — an early signal of the guest appearances that would later define his solo profile. Between studio albums, he and Maldy also issued mixtapes and compilation volumes that kept Plan B in circulation.
Plan B's classic hit run
Plan B's commercial peak arrived in stages. Across El Mundo del Plan B, House of Pleasure and Love & Sex, the pair stacked singles that became reggaeton standards: “Si No Le Contesto,” “Es un Secreto,” “Por Que Te Demoras,” “Choca,” “Mi Vecinita” and the slow-burn “Fanática Sensual,” which reached No. 3 on Hot Latin Songs in 2015. Corleone's high, nasal tone sat at the center of those records and became the duo's calling card.
The run brought recognition beyond the charts: at the 2016 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Plan B was named Latin Rhythm Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group. The cousins released three studio albums plus mixtapes and compilations before the duo's active period closed in 2018, leaving a catalog that playlisters and younger artists still draw on. For Corleone, the end of Plan B proved less a finale than a change of format.
Reinvention as a featured voice
Freed from the duo, Corleone spent 2019 reintroducing himself. His appearance on Rauw Alejandro's “El Efecto” reached a younger audience, and remix features such as “Hola (remix)” and “105°F (remix)” kept his voice in rotation. In 2021, “Desesperados,” another collaboration with Rauw Alejandro, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Latin Airplay chart; Sony Music Latin reports that the single is certified nine-times platinum by the RIAA and drew two Latin Grammy nominations.
Guest spots on “Una Locura,” the Chris Jedi, Anuel AA and Ñengo Flow collaboration “La Llevo al Cielo,” and Maluma's “Nos Comemos Vivos” followed, as did work with Don Omar: “Podemos repetirlo,” from the Forever King album, topped Latin Rhythm Airplay in September 2023. Corleone has described a strict selection process, telling Billboard in 2023 that he declines songs in which he cannot picture himself. That control, he said, is part of why other artists keep asking him to guest.
Me Porto Bonito and a global breakthrough
The defining collaboration of Corleone's career arrived in May 2022: “Me Porto Bonito,” with Bad Bunny, from Un Verano Sin Ti. The track gave him his first No. 1 as a credited solo act on Hot Latin Songs and Latin Streaming Songs on the chart dated May 28, 2022, then logged 20 weeks atop Hot Latin Songs and climbed to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sony Music Latin also notes that it was the first fully Spanish-language song to top Billboard's Streaming Songs chart in that chart's nine-year history.
As a co-writer of the song, Corleone earned a nomination for Album of the Year at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for Un Verano Sin Ti — his first Grammy nomination. Sony Music Latin adds that “Me Porto Bonito” appeared on year-end lists from Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, TIME and Apple Music, while the recording collected nominations at the American Music Awards, the MTV EMAs and Premios Juventud. The collaboration converted a veteran voice into a globally recognized one without changing his subject matter: parties, romance and the dance floor.
Sony Music Latin and the road to SOLO
Corleone signed with Sony Music Latin in May 2023. Alex Gallardo, president of Sony Music U.S. Latin, said at the announcement that Corleone had proven himself a leader in his genre through his style and powerful collaborations. The deal ushered in solo singles “Un Cigarrillo,” which became his first No. 1 as a solo act on Billboard's Latin Airplay chart, and “Hora de salir,” both drawn from an album he had been assembling, in pieces, since 2018.
SOLO, his debut studio album as a solo artist, arrived in September 2024 on Cero and Sony Music Latin. Its 18 tracks held to his reggaeton core while stretching into cumbia on “Lo Caro y Lo Bueno” and electronics on the closing “Himalaya.” Guests included Peso Pluma, DJ Snake, Rauw Alejandro, Jowell & Randy, Bryant Myers, Jay Wheeler and Tainy. Telling Rolling Stone that he gathered songs and features across the 2018–2024 stretch, Corleone said the album reached platinum in its first week in the United States.
Chart longevity and recent recognition
Feature work kept producing chart-toppers into the mid-2020s. “Polvo de Tu Vida,” with J Balvin, rose to No. 1 on Billboard's Latin Rhythm Airplay chart dated October 12, 2024 — Corleone's sixth leader on that survey — and the climb gave J Balvin his record 36th chart-topper. In June 2025, Premios Tu Música Urbano presented him with the Premio Dedicatoria, a career tribute hosted by producer Molusco.
As of September 2026, Corleone is nominated for Best Reggaeton Performance at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards for “Choque,” with Bad Gyal, ahead of the November 12, 2026 ceremony in Las Vegas. He continues to record and perform under Sony Music Latin, describing an unhurried, quality-first method — a working style that carried one of reggaeton's most identifiable voices from Guayama into the genre's streaming era.
Selected moments
Career highlights
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Forms Plan B with cousin Maldy
Valle Vega, performing as Chencho, joins his cousin Maldy to form Plan B in Guayama, Puerto Rico, beginning a reggaeton partnership that runs until 2018.
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Plan B debuts with El Mundo del Plan B
The duo's first album features Daddy Yankee and other reggaeton artists and establishes Chencho's voice as one of the genre's signature tones.
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House of Pleasure era begins
Plan B's second studio album opens a run of standards including “Si No Le Contesto” and “Es un Secreto,” which remain reggaeton fixtures.
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A Que No Te Atreves spends five weeks at No. 1
Tito El Bambino's “A Que No Te Atreves,” featuring Chencho, rules Billboard's Latin Rhythm Airplay chart for five weeks; Plan B releases its final album, Love & Sex.
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El Efecto reopens the solo pathway
His featured appearance on Rauw Alejandro's “El Efecto” reintroduces Chencho outside Plan B and opens a string of high-profile collaborations.
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Desesperados hits No. 1 on Latin Airplay
The Rauw Alejandro collaboration tops Billboard's Latin Airplay chart; Sony Music Latin says it is certified nine-times platinum by the RIAA and earned two Latin Grammy nominations.
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Me Porto Bonito leads Hot Latin Songs
With Bad Bunny, the Un Verano Sin Ti track gives Chencho his first Hot Latin Songs No. 1 with a solo credit; he also earns a Grammy Album of the Year nomination as a songwriter.
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Signs with Sony Music Latin
Chencho signs with Sony Music Latin in May 2023 and previews his solo era with the singles “Un Cigarrillo” and “Hora de salir.”
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Debut solo album SOLO arrives
The 18-song set, released in September on Cero and Sony Music Latin, features Peso Pluma, DJ Snake, Rauw Alejandro, Jowell & Randy, Bryant Myers, Jay Wheeler and Tainy.
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Premio Dedicatoria career tribute
Premios Tu Música Urbano presents Chencho with its Premio Dedicatoria in June 2025, honoring more than two decades of hits from Plan B to his solo work.
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Latin Grammy nomination for Choque
“Choque,” with Bad Gyal, is nominated for Best Reggaeton Performance at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards, with the ceremony set for November 12, 2026.
Recognition
Awards and nominations
Chencho Corleone's awards record is anchored by songwriting recognition on records he has co-written or featured on, including an Album of the Year nomination at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards as a songwriter on Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti.
He received the Premio Dedicatoria career tribute from Puerto Rico's Premios Tu Música Urbano in June 2025, and as of September 2026 he holds a pending nomination for Best Reggaeton Performance at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards for “Choque” with Bad Gyal.
- Grammy nominations
- 1
- Listed award wins
- 1
| Year | Award | Category | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Grammy Awards | Album of the YearNominee | Un Verano Sin Ti |
| 2025 | Premios Tu Música Urbano | Premio DedicatoriaWinner | |
| 2026 | Latin Grammy Awards | Best Reggaeton PerformanceNominee | Choque (with Bad Gyal) |