NG²

NG2 is a Puerto Rican salsa duo composed of vocalists Norberto Vélez and Gerardo Rivas, the son of former El Gran Combo singer, Jerry Rivas. Before joining forces to create NG2, Vélez immersed himself in traditional Puerto Rican music by joining the Orquesta Trompeta de Trovadores at age 17 under the guidance of Elías Lopés. His journey in music led him to Victor Manuelle's orchestra, where he would meet Rivas, who began as a musical entrepreneur with his band Gerardito y Los Rockolos and later studied percussion at the Escuela Libre de Musica. Like Vélez, Rivas joined Victor Manuelle's orchestra as a percussionist. With Victor Manuelle as one of their earliest champions, the duo decided to venture out and form NG2. Their studio debut, Comienzos, blended traditional salsa rhythms with a fresh, modern twist. Released in 2004, the album featured hits like "Algo Imposible" and "Quitémonos la Ropa," which soared to number 2 on Billboard's Latin Tropical Airplay charts that same year. Following the success of their debut, NG2 released Al Fin two years later, showing a maturation in their sound and a more significant imprint of their artistic direction through hit singles such as "Como Amigo No" and "No Me Perdones." Over the following years, the pair continued honing on their upbeat salsa sound on releases like Con Todas las de Ganar (2008), Al Borde de la Locura (2012), and Elementos (2014) while also experimenting with other genres such as the 2018 double LP Homenaje a México Vol. 1 & 2. In 2019, NG2 released the album Conceptos and recorded a collaborative Christmas album with Edwin Colon Zayas titled Mi Primera Navidad.