Brooklyn-bred boxer Edgar Berlanga Jr. is the latest athlete putting his music skills to the test, releasing his first-ever single “Baby Mama” last month. But with an upcoming showdown against Steven Butler at Madison Square Garden this Sunday (July 26), the Puerto Rican knockout artist insists his leap into the Latin market was more than a dream — it was destiny.
“Bro, I’m gifted,” says an animated Berlanga after previewing unreleased music off his cell phone during a Zoom call. “Music is second nature to me. I grew up around this. I grew up around the lights, the chains and the cameras. That’s me. I love being in front of cameras. I love music. The same feeling I get when I’m in the gym is the same feeling I get when I’m in the studio making music. I feel good.”
With cosigns from Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and Rick Ross, Berlanga’s latest anthem is a sugary earworm slated to soundtrack any summer function. Even in his debut visual, Berlanga never feels like he’s cosplaying a rapper. His sleek demeanor and steely bravado come naturally.
“It’s second nature to me. I had a big production team,” recalls Berlanga when reflecting on shooting the visual. “I flew a girl out from L.A. that was in a music video with Gunna and a couple of big artists. I used her, and she was like, ‘This is crazy. This is your first video shoot? It looks like you’ve been doing this s–t for years.’”
Before Berlanga Jr. can start thinking about platinum plaques and future Grammy speeches, however, his focus remains on Sunday’s clash with Butler, a fight he confidently predicts will end with him “catching a body.”
Billboard caught up with Berlanga Jr. ahead of his forthcoming bout to discuss his love for music, the making of “Baby Mama,” performing with Fat Joe and whether he’d rather win a Grammy or become boxing’s undisputed champion.
You said on Instagram, “Michael Jordan did it all. Deion Sanders didn’t limit himself to one sport.” You’ve already established yourself as one of boxing’s biggest names. How much confidence do you have that you can build that same credibility as a recording artist?
It’s gonna be good. S–t, I already have 1.2 million views on YouTube with my first song out. You seen Rick Ross bopping to it in the club, DJ Khaled co-signed me, Fat Joe co-signed it. Once you have the biggest in the game co-signing it, it’s legendary, you know? I’m talented in many areas, and definitely in music. I got a lot of love for it — and I got English music, too, but right now, I wanna focus on the Spanish market. I got another record that’s brewing right now. I’m just waiting to catch this dub real quick and drop the song, man. It’s better than “Baby Mama.” This one is gonna solidify me.
A lot of athletes have crossed over into music, but fans can be skeptical. What do you want people to understand about how seriously you’re approaching your music career?
My slogan is you can do anything. Don’t let the haters dictate your life and limit yourself to whatever they think you are, feel me? If you’re talented in many areas, man, go after it. I really wanna attack this music thing the right way. I’m a little upset because when I dropped` “Baby Mama,” I had to go to camp. So I had people calling me, asking for bookings in New York, Massachusetts, Miami, and LA. Fat Joe was like, “Listen bro. Put this dude through the ropes and you’re gonna see ‘Baby Mama’ go to another level you ain’t seen before.” I started laughing and said, “Aight. Say no more.”
What are some of the similarities between preparing for a championship fight and walking into the studio to record a song?
My producer and the guys that I have on my team for the music, they know I’m in my mode when I take my shirt off. I’ll come into the booth with my shirt on and once I start going, I start taking my shirt off and I start going. They’re like, “Ok. He locked in.” We just be going, but I use the same mindset when I’m boxing with music. I got that tunnel-vision. Once they come to the crib, I’m like, “I gotta go to the studio real quick” and I turn that switch on. I’m locked in. I got my team. I make sure my throat good — pause — and I’m good to go, man.
People don’t understand that this year that I had off — especially with my last fight — music revived me. It brought a different light out of me. My coach seen it. For some reason when I made “Baby Mama” and I saw how much traction it was getting… it was playing in the club, big different Latin artists were calling me and saying it was fire and their baby mamas already knew the lyrics. It definitely revamped me. It made me love boxing again. It made me more dedicated to the craft again. It put more pressure on me because now I know I’m in music and in boxing, so now I gotta be very disciplined because the lifestyles don’t match.
You’re Brooklyn-bred. What does fighting at Madison Square Garden mean to you at this stage of your career? Does this homecoming feel different?
You know my Knicks won the championship. That right there set the tone for me. I gotta go in there and catch a body for sure. I gotta go in there and make the crowd go crazy. This is me solidifying the summer for us. Once I catch a body in The Garden, we lit. Now the summer is on and popping. We gonna finish this summer strong. The Knicks just won. A month later, Edgar fighting at The Garden main event. He caught a body. It’s gonna be crazy.
You’ve built strong relationships with people like Fat Joe and DJ Khaled. What’s the best piece of advice they’ve given you about making the jump into music?
You know what Fat Joe told me? “Keep going. Don’t stop.” He said, “Fat Joe don’t lie. Fat Joe does not cap. If that s–t was trash, I would have told you, ‘Berlanga. Stick to boxing. But you got it. Keep going. F–k the haters, man. Don’t worry about them. Keep going.’”
He kept telling me that because I showed him all the records. He couldn’t believe it. He loved “Baby Mama.” When he performed, he handed me the mic out here in Orlando. When I performed, it was probably in front of 2000 people. I pulled up and they wanted me to perform “Baby Mama.” He was onstage doing “What’s Luv” and “Lean Back,” then he said, “Edgar Berlanga just dropped a new song called ‘Baby Mama.’” They played the song, he passed me the mic and I was like, “Oh!” It was crazy because everybody in the crowd knew the lyrics. I was like, “D–n. This is dope.”
If you had to choose one before your career is over, would you rather become an undisputed world champion or win a Grammy? Why?
Damn! I gotta go undisputed world champion. I’ve been boxing since I was seven years old — but s–t, a Grammy?! Winning a Grammy is legendary, too.
You can do both.
That’s what I’m on right now. I’m gonna try. I’m gonna try my best bro to really put that fire out there.
