Puerto Rican urban artist Eddie Dee was born Eddie Alexander Ávila Ortiz on April 26, 1977, in the district of Río Piedras. He began writing his own material at the age of 10 and made his official debut in the early 1990s with a series of performances on television shows. Eddie & The Ghetto Crew, his studio debut, appeared in 1993. He had his big breakthrough in 1997 with the single "Señor Oficial," featured on DJ Adam's Mad Jam compilation album The Comeback. The track was a smashing success, reaching Number 1 on the local charts and winning Eddie Dee the Puerto Rican Rap and Reggae Award for Best Lyrics shortly after its release. His next studio album, El Terrorista de la Lírica, came out in 2000 and featured contributions by Tego Calderón, Cultura Profética, and a posthumous appearance by salsa legend Frankie Ruiz. In 2004, Eddie Dee returned with the chart-topping album Los 12 Discípulos, a star-studded affair that featured cameos by reggaeton luminaries such as Daddy Yankee, Ivy Queen, Tego Calderón, Voltio, Vico C, Zion, Lennox, Nicky Jam, Johnny Prez, Gallego, and Wiso G. The compilation spawned the hits "Quítate Tú Pa' Ponerme Yo" and "Si No Cuidas Tu Mujer," and was hailed by critics as an instant classic. That year, he also co-authored Daddy Yankee's international hit single "Gasolina," credited with breaking reggaeton into the mainstream. Eddie Dee's output waned after the release of the 2007 mixtape The Final Countdown and his efforts were primarily focused on writing songs for other artists. El Diario, his highly awaited third studio album, has been postponed indefinitely since its announcement back in 2005.
