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Flashback Fridays

01/13/2012 By 1 Comment

If you thought only rappers aired their beef out on tracks, think again. The feud between the two Tito’s was an epic one, but one birthed out of respect and a fierce competitive spirit that brought out the best in both Mambo Kings, laying the foundation to what was to become the Golden Age of Salsa in the 70′s. I’m referring to Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez “El Inolvidable.” Today we’ll focus on the latter, Pablo “Tito” Rodriguez.



Mr. Rodriguez was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico on January 4th 1923 to a Dominican father and Cuban mother. A vocalist, bandleader, composer, and record producer, he was equally as talented as an uptempo sonero as well as a crooner. Some would call him the Latino Frank Sinatra, worthy of membership into the famous Rat Pack.

The feud between “El Inolvidable” and “El Rey de Los Timbales” began when both were featured artists at the famed Palladium Ballroom in New York City, both wanting top billing. This beef was reflected in a few of Rodriguez’ recordings, one of which is my song of the week. My favorite line of the song in which Rodriguez takes a jab at Puente is “Creistes que podias, pero conmigo no puedes, no!” “You thought you could, but you can’t with me, no!” Basically, he’s telling Puente that he can’t compete even though he thought he could. Was he right? That’s up to you to decide. Personally, I think there were no winners. It was an intense rivalry that probably went overboard on a few occasions, but both will be remembered as two of the three original Mambo Kings (the third being Machito) and pioneers of what was to become a musical revolution and the birth of salsa. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Entertainment, Music
About Nelson O Figueroa

The son of Puerto Rican-born parents, Nelson was born in Brooklyn and raised in the Far Rockaway section of Queens, New York. Growing up, music was a major factor his upbringing, with his mother coming from a very musically diverse family and his father introducing him to other types of music such as classic rock. He learned to appreciate all types of music although I tend to drift primarily towards salsa.

Other than music, Nelson likes to spend time with friends and family. He’s also a bit of a sports freak , you can find him cheering for his New York teams: the Mets and the Giants. You might also catch him at a nearby handball court on occasion during the summer.

Nelson has been involved with Being Latino in many supportive roles beginning in 2010 with the fundraiser for Haiti. His ability to engage others in conversation with humor and an open mind made him the ideal candidate for the role of Facebook Engagement Manager; while his love and knowledge of music makes him the perfect fit for the magazine series, Flashback Friday.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

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  1. Johnny Pacheco - El Maestro says:
    05/25/2012 at 10:00 am

    [...] La Fania era begins NOW! It’s late 1963 and history was in the making when Pacheco, along with Jerry Masucci created Fania Records of which Pacheco was CEO, producer, and creative director. It was through his genius and leadership that La Fania became the powerhouse that it was. Signing greats like Celia, Hector, Cheo, Monguito, Barreto and many more artists who would go on to become legends in the Latin music industry as well as overall pop culture icons such as Tito Puente. [...]

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