He is best known as Tego Calderón. To Reggaeton fans he is commonly known by the nickname "El Abayarde" which refers to an insect commonly found in Puerto Rico similar to a fire ant.The name is a reference to being bothersome and behaving improperly as a child[1]. He not only records hip hop music but also mambo, salsa (e.g. "Planté bandera" on his debut album, and "Llora, llora" and "Llámame" with Oscar D'León) in 2006, blues ("Mardi gras", on the 2006 album) and reggaetón. In addition, he has also made songs that are pure reggae, but sung in Spanish (e.g. "Chillin'" from the 2006 album The Underdog/El Subestimado).

He also believes that Jamaican dancehall reggae and hip hop along with Salsa are the roots of Reggaeton. His album El Abayarde made him a major Latin star. His lyrics speak of the struggles of the Puerto Rican people, involve topics of racism, inequalities, and ghettos in Puerto Rico, and have strong nationalist undertones.