(FORTUNE Small Business) – The Latin hip-hop sound called reggaeton has hit U.S. charts with a vengeance, thanks in large part to El Cartel Records, a small label in Puerto Rico. El Cartel struck platinum this year with a smash hit called "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee, reggaeton's biggest star. "Gasolina" has spent much of 2005 on the Billboard Top 100 chart.

There's a twist, though--Daddy Yankee is also the founder of El Cartel, which he runs under his given name, Raymond Ayala. At 28, Ayala has been a fixture in the Latin music scene for the past 15 years. He launched El Cartel in his teens and has since released six albums of his music, as well as collaborations with other aspiring reggaeton artists.

Reggaeton blends salsa rhythms with the sexy flow of Jamaican dancehall tunes and the aggressive attitude of hip-hop. Ayala's Spanish lyrics run the gamut from hedonistic club chants to calls for political change. The success of his latest album, Barrio Fino, proves American kids are listening. He's not satisfied with musical success alone. "I'm an entrepreneur," Ayala says. "I'm going to be dropping a clothing line, I'm gonna have more artists on El Cartel. I'm gonna be on the same level as hip-hop artists." --JADA GOMEZ-LACAYO