Rapper Alan "Dharius" Maldonado is best known as a frontline MC in the Mexican hip-hop group Cartel de Santa. Beginning at age nine, Dharius involved himself with several local hip-hop acts. He joined Cartel de Santa next to MC Babo, Rowan Rabia, and DJ Augustine in 1996. Despite establishing themselves as a live presence -- and later, through early and savvy use of the internet -- it took until 2003 for the group to sign to RCA and issue their self-titled debut album. By the time they released Volume II in 2004, they had become one of the most successful hip-hop acts in Mexican music history. The group moved over to Sony, and issued several more studio albums -- each more successful than the last. After their smash double-live offering Me Atizo Macizo Tour 2012 was released, Dharius announced he was leaving Cartel de Santa to pursue a solo career. His debut offering, Directo Hasta Arriba, was issued in December of 2014 and featured guest appearances by Revel Day, Alkhol, Billy Kent, and Sick Jacken of Pyscho Realm. ~ Thom Jurek