Tito El Bambino

If reggaeton is the sound of disaffected youth, Tito el Bambino may be the sound of youth getting re-affected. Something of an anomaly among reggaeton stars, Tito (born Efrain Fines Navares) frequently participates in campaigns against drugs, violence and guns, and he's worked with the Puerto Rican government to encourage kids to stay in school. He often cites the importance of his Christian faith in his life, and his lyrics are generally respectful toward women. But this Puerto Rican singer is no newcomer: he has been in the game since at least 1998, coming to prominence as one-half of the pioneering reggaeton duo Hector & Tito. His was the lighter and more romantic voice -- thin and reedy to some ears, boyish to others -- and in his solo career, this pop-leaning sensibility has stood him in good stead. Over the course of three solo releases -- 2006's Top of the Line, 2007's It's My Time and 2009's El Patron, Tito has crafted a sound that takes reggaeton as its starting point but detours through pop, tropical and dance music.