Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez (born March 4, 1972), known professionally as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. She is considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre, commonly referred to as the Queen of Reggaeton. Ivy Queen began her career as a member of the all-male collective The Noise in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There, she performed her first song "Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes" (We are Rappers, Not Delinquents). Ivy Queen went solo in 1996, and released her debut studio album En Mi Imperio (In My Empire) which was quickly picked up by Sony Discos for distribution in 1997. She later released The Original Rude Girl, her second studio album for Sony label, which spawned the hit single "In the Zone". However, Ivy Queen did not rise to fame until she moved to an independent record label to release her third studio album, Diva in 2003. Ivy Queen's albums Diva, Flashback, and Sentimiento have all been awarded Gold and Platinum record status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her seventh studio album Drama Queen was released in 2010, and spawned a top ten single "La Vida es Así". It was followed by the Grammy Award-nominated Musa in 2012. Ivy Queen's recordings often include themes of female empowerment, socio-political issues, infidelity, and relationships. Ivy Queen is one of the wealthiest reggaeton artists and had a net worth of $10 million in 2017. Ivy Queen is the host of the podcast “Loud”, a Spotify original podcast, where she talks about the history of reggaeton and features prominent Latin artists. The 10-episode podcast debuted August 4, 2021 on Spotify, with episodes released weekly on Wednesdays. Early life Ivy Queen was born in Añasco, Puerto Rico. When she was young, Queen's parents moved to New York, where she was raised. She did not finish high school, reaching eleventh grade in the mainland United States, and studied music at the New Jersey School of Performing Arts. Musical career 1995–99: The Noise, En Mi Imperio and The Original Rude Girl When she was 18, Ivy Queen moved to San Juan, where she met rapper and producer DJ Negro. In 1995, Queen joined an all-male Puerto Rican group called the Noise, at the invitation of DJ Negro. The group became part of the emerging reggaeton scene. DJ Negro began producing a series of CDs centered around the Noise.