THE BIO
Alexander Laguna was born in Palmira, Colombia on March 18, 1983, the first of 3 children. When he was three years old, his family, which at the time included his sister and his single mother, relocated to Queens, New York. At the age of 10, he began taking piano and guitar lessons; making this the period of time in which he discovered his passion for music. Growing up Alex listened to all types of music which included everything from Salsa, to Rap. He was the kid who would sit at home and listen to the radio all day waiting for his song to come on just so he could record it off his old tape player. When he was 13 his family decided to move to Houston, Texas to progress in life. During his teenage years, he hustled on the streets, like many young men do now a day, to help his mother take care of the family. At the age of 18, Alex was influenced by his cousin Jay Nyce to begin rapping. He began calling Alex, Dutch because in Italy Dutche means royalty, and he compared it to Alex's rapping style. Along the way both men met a DJ by the name of Master Shadow who was trying to put together a Latin Hip Hop group. Dutch (as he was known from that point on) did not believe in himself. He didn't think he had the skills in English much less in Spanish. He quickly realized he could express himself better in Spanish than he thought. He soon became part of the group Maeztriya (meaning Skills), which in that period of time was one of the first if not THE FIRST LATIN HIP HOP/REGGAETON group in Houston, not long after they began to lead the now horse race in Houston's ever growing Latin/Hip Hop scene. Maeztriya opened for the hottest acts in the business at the time. After a year of "Pure Glory" the group broke up due to creative differences, subsequently, A-Dutch's career came to a sudden halt. He didn't know what his next move would be, but after a grueling thought process, he decided to turn to long time friend, Juan Bonilla who heads the management company P-Nut Management. He pitched the idea of teaming up to mark his territory in the music industry, although the actual transition was not as smooth as he thought it would be. A-Dutch ended up having to turn back to the streets, just in order to save money for studio time, which now days doesn't come cheap. It was a long and stressful waiting period, but all worth it in the end. A Dutch recorded a six song demo which he presented to P Nut. This ultimately showed P Nut his motivation, ambition and potential as a solo artist. This six song demo turned into a 17 song mix tape, which by the way, was the first mix tape to ever be dropped by a Latin hip hop artist in all Spanish, in Houston, Texas. "Asi Es La Cosa" was an underground success, selling over ten thousand copies in the Houston area alone. Not to mention, that this was all done from the trunk of his car and his web site A-DUTCH.COM. From there on, he dropped several other mix tapes including "Tumbao Callejero" and his most recent "F.R.E.S.H". A-Dutch continued to open shows for headlining artists such as; Tito Rojas, Akon, Baby Bash, Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderon, Hector el Father, Rakim y Ken-Y, Yomo, Polaco, Big Boy, Don Omar at the King of Kings Tour, Ivy Queen, Aventura, Optimo, Unique & Monchy y Alexandra. He is currently working on his album "A-Dutch.com" which is set to drop in November 2010. You can hear his single "Mi Bom Bon" at all of the hottest Latin spots in Houston. A-Dutch has also been known to have collaborated and organized many events in and around Houston. One being "Reggaeton Battle Houston 1" & "The Seven Wonders of Reggaeton." These events are set to help other local latin artists showcase their talents and support the Reggaeton/Spanish Hip Hop movement here in his hometown. From the streets to the stage, A-dutch has been more than just an artist trying to make it, hes been a driving influence to the younger generation as well. He supports many foundations such as the AIDS foundation, and is now featured in a nationwide Anti-Drunk Driving Campaign. Overall, A-dutch is not just your average Spanish rapper, he's a positive role model to all of Houston's Latino Communities.
