But if you were to ask Eladio if he thinks he's the "king," he'd probably just tell you that he's Eladio, a rapper and a dad nowadays. That's him being humble, but much like his latest project, Don Kbrn, Eladio is just at the top of the game and having fun with it.
If you followed the initial trajectory of his career that included his Sauce Boyz projects that turned him into one of the biggest names to come out of the underground thanks to bangers like "Ele Uve," "No Te Deseo el Mal," and the instantly iconic "Kemba Walker," then you'd know that Eladio has already established himself as one of "the greats."
His powerful vocal delivery and ability to switch flows for reggaeton and trap feel like they have been perfected over the years, but on Don Kbrn, they're very evident. "I think the theme had a lot to do with it. Out of all my projects, this was the only one with a strong, cohesive theme, " he shares with New Times via Zoom. Carrion is in Charlotte, getting the final rehearsals done before the first show of his Don Kbrn World Tour, which will see him travel all across the U.S., Latin America, and Spain through 2026.
"With María, it was personal, it connected to my mom, old memories, VHS videos. Sauce Boyz was more of a concept project. But this one… it had to feel complete. The Japanese-inspired visuals, the music, everything had to fit perfectly together. Because of that, many amazing songs ended up being left out," the artist shares.
The tour is bigger than ever, with him taking the stage in various arenas, amphitheatres, and auditoriums. He brings a high-energy show that is sure to create a couple of mosh pits and chaos, as his track "Moshpit Muzik" alludes to.
"That's the one I made thinking about the live shows. Like, that's the track I know will go viral with all the mosh pit videos.
I’m actually planning to do a remix of it during the tour; it’ll drop on the Lost Files. I'm bringing DT (Danny Towers) on there, and I'm putting Ski Mask on it too. That's exclusive. But yeah, I'm a hundred percent doing a remix for this tour," Carrion shares.
The inclusion of Danny Towers isn't a random choice, considering that Eladio just produced Danny's first EP in Spanish, Sinners Club, which featured the likes of Midnvght, Hydra Hitz, NTG, Amenazzy, and Eladio himself. The project was a change of pace for Danny, who is known for being part of the South Florida explosion during the Soundcloud rap era, blowing up alongside Ski Mask the Slump God and XXXTentacion during their rise.
"Way back, before we even started singing in Spanish, we already had collabs together. I remember he showed me his project and said, 'Bro, this is my first song in Spanish, what do you think?' I told him, 'Let me help you get some features on that.' He already had most of the songs done," Carrion remembers. "I flew him out to Spain, and we worked on more tracks." Now, Danny is also the opener for Carrion on this tour, further solidifying the bond between the two artists."I sit on so much music. Even now, I'll go through my old emails and find 40 songs here, 30 songs there, stuff I completely forgot existed."
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Aside from the two projects he's already been involved in this year, Carrion has begun to tease the next chapter with the Archivos Eladio page, which he promotes on social media.
In Carrion's words, it's a time capsule back to the Limewire and Datpiff days. Back when getting some of the hottest tracks from your favorite MCs was as simple as pressing the download button. He's using the website as a platform to tease all the new music and old demos he's been sitting on and seeing what the fans respond to the most.
"Bro, I sit on so much music. Even now, I'll go through my old emails and find 40 songs here, 30 songs there, stuff I completely forgot existed. I'll drop them and put them on platforms later," he shares. "But what I really want is to give that old-school Limewire vibe, the feeling of stumbling on a random track, like back in Windows 98 days. It's nostalgic, and I want to bring that energy back for the fans."
So far, fans have been really excited for this booming trap song titled, "Ricky Bobby Preview Ref" in the files, claiming that it can be the next big hit of his career. "Just know, Ricky Bobby is coming. The remix is gonna be crazy. It's not even out yet, and it already has a remix lined up. It's a feature remix. That's probably gonna be the next trap song of the year."
Carrion is always looking into the future. Being the creative that he is, he's been able to carve out his own lane in Latin trap that has appealed to both Latinos and Anglo rap fans, thanks in part to his work with his idols 50 Cent and Lil Wayne.
"3MEN2 KBRN" was the project that saw Carrion bridge the worlds of Latin trap and American hip-hop culture, bringing acts like Lil Tjay and Luar La L on the same track. For fans, it was almost surreal watching the video of the "Mbappe" remix. The track was already a street favorite, but the video, that took place in the streets of Brickell, and inside Gekko with Future delivering an incredible verse was such an incredible highlight of the project.
On Don Kbrn, he brings the same energy throughout the project, but it's most evident on the standout song, "Branzino," which sees Carrion and rapper Big Sean sliding over a beat made by The Alchemist. "So with Alchemist, we cooked up the loop, the sample we used. I was at his studio, and he's got these walls just filled with vinyl, like three whole walls. Every day, he just goes through samples nonstop," Carrion remembers. "That day, he pulled out a Branzino sample. It was slower, but I was like, 'Nah, we gotta speed this up, make it more upbeat.' I wanted it to have that kind of energy, not as a direct reference, but the vibe of Kanye's 'Touch the Sky.'"
The track is another showcase of what can happen when worlds collide. As Latin music continues to grow and become a part of the mainstream, collaborations like this are sure to occur more often. Carrion has been on the forefront of this and has even teased a dancehall collaboration with Smokepurpp.
That lies in the future, of course, like the neon-soaked Tokyo that ultimately inspired Don Kbrn. With bars as sharp as the blades used by the Yakuza in his visuals.
Before returning to rehearsals, Carrion shares some last words with us: "This tour's the one I've been most excited for. It's my first time really singing on stage, and having my kids with me, little beds on the bus, it feels like a top-tier moment in my life."
As far of what's next Carrion teases "We've got projects lined up for 2026 and 2027 that are gonna show people another side of us, beyond just music."
Eladio Carrion. 8 p.m. Saturday, September 13, at Kaseya Center; 601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami; 786-777-1000; www.kaseyacenter.com. Tickets cost $57 to $137 via Ticketmaster.com.
