Elián Ángel Valenzuela — known to the world as L-Gante — is Argentina's most iconic modern music export and the pioneer of Cumbia 420. When he brought his show to Auckland, New Zealand, La Familia Smile was there to film every moment — and Santiago, founder of La Familia Smile, got to shake hands with a legend.

L-Gante's story is one of the most extraordinary in Latin music today. Born in 2000 in General Rodríguez, a working-class suburb on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, he recorded his earliest tracks on government-issued laptops — the same ones distributed to students across Argentina. What came out of those sessions was something nobody had heard before: Cumbia 420, a fusion of traditional cumbia villera and modern reggaeton that would go on to conquer Argentina and reach every corner of the Latin world.

He is more than an artist. He is a cultural ambassador for a generation of young Argentines from the villas — proof that where you come from does not limit where you can go, and that the most authentic music always finds its audience, no matter where it starts.

The Pioneer of Cumbia 420

Cumbia 420 did not exist before L-Gante. He created it — blending the raw, street-level energy of cumbia villera with the rhythm and production of modern reggaeton, and delivering it with a voice and a presence that felt completely new. The genre spread from the suburbs of Buenos Aires to every playlist, every party, and every corner of Latin America in a matter of months.

His 2020 track "L-Gante RKT" was the spark. His 2021 collaboration with Bizarrap on Music Sessions Vol. 38 was the explosion — one of the most-watched Bizarrap sessions ever released, confirming L-Gante as a global phenomenon. From there, the trajectory has only gone upward.

La Familia Smile x L-Gante

When L-Gante brought his show to Auckland, New Zealand, La Familia Smile was on the ground to document the full experience. For the Latin community in New Zealand — and for La Familia Smile — it was a landmark moment. One of Argentina's biggest modern stars, performing on the other side of the world, in a city that was ready and waiting.

The collaboration produced both a full after movie of the Auckland show and a special moment that captures the spirit of what La Familia Smile is all about — Santiago, the founder of La Familia Smile, meeting L-Gante in person and shaking hands with one of the artists on the platform's bucket list. A moment that says everything about what this journey has been building toward.

After Movie — Auckland, New Zealand

The full after movie of L-Gante's show in Auckland — filmed and produced by La Familia Smile. This is what it looked like when Argentina's Cumbia 420 pioneer hit New Zealand.

La Familia Smile x L-Gante

Behind every show La Familia Smile covers, there is a team that lives and breathes this culture. This moment captures exactly what it means to be in the room when it matters — close to the music, close to the artists, and fully committed to documenting what is happening in the Latin scene across the world.

The Music — Official Videos

The tracks that built Cumbia 420 and took L-Gante from the suburbs of Buenos Aires to the world stage.

Follow L-Gante