In the late '80s, former schoolteacher and basketball player Ricardo Arjona moved to Mexico City from his native Guatemala in search of a recording contract. Unfortunately, his '85 debut album, Déjame Decir Que Te Amo, flopped when his Polydor label insisted on marketing the protest singer as a balladeer. Things turned around in '92 when he made a name for himself by independently releasing the controversial Jesús, Verbo No Sustantivo. Since then, he's consistently delivered hit albums without compromising his distinctive, socially conscious style.