Ivy Queen

Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez (born March 4, 1972), known professionally as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, rapper, actress and record producer. She was born in Añasco, Puerto Rico, but later moved with her parents to New York City. She never graduated from high school, reaching eleventh grade in the United States and returning to Puerto Rico shortly after. In San Juan, she met record producer DJ Negro, who arranged for her to perform with a group called The Noise at a local club of the same name. There, she performed her first song "Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes" (We are Rappers, Not Delinquents). The Noise garnered attention due to their violent and explicitly sexual lyrics. Queen went solo in 1996, and released her debut studio album En Mi Imperio (In My Empire) which was quickly picked up by Sony Discos for distribution in 1997. She later released The Original Rude Girl, her second studio album for Sony label, which spawned the hit single "In the Zone". However, Ivy Queen did not rise to fame until she moved to an independent record label to release her third studio album, Diva in 2003. Queen's albums Diva, Flashback, and Sentimiento have all been awarded Gold and Platinum record status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her seventh studio album Drama Queen was released in 2010, and spawned a top ten single "La Vida es Así". It was followed by the Grammy Award-nominated Musa in 2012. Queen's recordings often include themes of female empowerment, infidelity, and relationships, and she is often referred to as the Queen of Reggaeton. Queen has also ventured into acting, has been involved with an anti-cancer charity, and has launched a doll modeled on her appearance. In February 2012, she made her acting debut in Eve Ensler's play The Vagina Monologues. Ivy Queen is one of the wealthiest reggaeton artists and had a net worth of $10 million in 2017.