Born Aristides Eduardo Villalona Linares on December 26, 1987, in the city of Manhattan, NY, his parents’ separation led him back to his native Dominican Republic at the age of two, county where he continued to live during his formative years surrounded by a tight-knit supportive family. Known simply as “Ariel” to family and friends, he spent a placid childhood where his active persona led him to dabble in numerous athletic activities as well as discovering an innate talent for the arts. Drawing and piano lessons as well as participation in the school choir trained him at an early age, yet his initial plans were not set on pursuing a career in the spotlight.

Young and inexperienced but full of fire and ambition, in 2005, Ariel found himself in Atlanta in the presence of two young men with similar goals. Jojancci Paulino, conocido como Jay “el arquitecto” and Ramon Liranzo “Zon D’Leon” became his group mates, and trio Alma Letal was born. Due to the aggressiveness and fury with which he delivered his lines, Villalona quickly became known as “D’Predador”, or “Predator”. Starting with a bang with a performance in front of thirteen thousand attendees to the VivaFest festival, they continued to earn the respect and admiration of the local crowd, opening concerts for urban favorites like Aventura, Ivy Queen, Fulanito and Angel y Khriz, among others. A change in goals and clashing ideals led to the dismantling of Arma Letal in 2006, and El D’Predador commenced his solo career, along the way collaborating with Flako and Yamna of OM Productionz and Melo & Tek of Roqmon Music throughout 2007.

Looking for a fresh start and time to find himself as well as his own individual sound, Ariel headed back to Dominican Republic after a six year absence but continued to produce work with his contacts in Atlanta. Back home he began to experiment by taking lessons from renown voice coach Carolina Hernandez, and collaborating with local artists, among them Gabriel Reyes, known as “K.Shorty”, who introduced him to Shamir Ramses “El Perfecto Sin Defecto” of Rapta Party Studios, with whom he completed his first solo production, El D’Predador de los Estilos. Featured were local sensations including “Flako”, Jona “El Impredecible”, “K Shorty”, “Baudhy”, “T-Rier”, “Perfecto”, “D-Manfla & Amergrady”, among others, with production by Orlando De La Rosa “Alexflow”, “Bass Braker”, “Muci”, “Xnike” , “Kindel”, and Jonathan Herrera, engineer at Business Music .

Due to artistic prowess and masterful evolution in his craft, the name “E.Dii.Prodigio” was born, but a similarity to artist “El Prodigio” led it to be shortened to “E.Dii.Pro”, name by which his popularity grew and continues to be known. Frequently confused for a duo, this innovative artist’s ability to charm with his silky voice during a chorus as well as shame his competition with his fast paced rapping and lyrical proficiency proves with his talent and drive, there are no limits to what he can accomplish.

A love of music has been a part of Jonathan “Flako” Rivera and Jonathan “Jona” Mercados lives since an early age. Although both were raised in Puerto Rico, it was a mutual relocation to Atlanta, Georgia that led these two aspiring artists to fatefully cross paths. Separately pursuing careers in the music industry, their encounter in an Atlanta music studio opened up the idea of joining forces to conquer their dreams. Realizing their shared interests and the natural flow of their music together, both young talents decided they would set about to fight to achieve their goals as a duo. The drastic change in culture they both felt as they began to accustom to their life away from Puerto Rico united them, and that Caribbean flavor infused with a catchy urban beat became trademark in their music.

Genres such as Reggaeton, Latin Hip-Hop and the wide specter of Tropical rhythms native to the Caribbean influenced the high energy and distinct sound of their music. It was this diversity in sound which gained them notoriety in the local music scene and led them to perform in multiple venues in their area. The developing interest in their musical prowess by the Latin American market presented them with the opportunity to produce their first Spanish mixtape, titled “Controlando la Audiencia Vol. 1″.
The project consisted of Spanish lyrics with a blend of Reggaeton and Hip Hop beats. It was the high quality and variety of material showcased in this mixtape, however, which caught the attention of A&R’s, record labels, and producers in the American market as well. Jaded Records was intrigued and immediately set about to officially signing the duo. Developing ideas and working together in this new environment, they decided to incorporate Spanglish, the fusion of Spanish and English, into their debut album to be able to reach a wider audience of bicultural listeners, much like themselves.
Flako & Jona both bring to the table their unique abilities as educated aritists and personal affinity to create innovative music. This powerful combination has created a distinct sound that has caught the attention of both Hispanic and American audiences and continues to generate buzz as the anticipation for the release of their debut album grows.

This project has gained interest from artists and producers from different genres such as DJ Class, Miguel “Rico Law” from The Council, XO from C-4 Ntertainment, Déon Herring from Jaded Records.

With the release of their album, Flako y Jona expect to bridge the gap between Reggaeton, Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, and Dance. Flako y Jona’s debut album Pleasure will display the force of this lethal combination at its best.