'El Father' Finds the Father, Wraps his Rap Career

Before you read this item, reggaeton fans, remember: what's the use of gaining the world if you lose your soul?

Hector Delgado, a pioneering practitioner of the Latin rap genre reggaeton, announced yesterday that he's devoting himself and his musical career to God. "My way now is to serve Christ in spirit and truth," says Delgado, who is known as "El Father."

Reggaeton, a once arcane, Caribbean-influenced and particularly salacious form of rap, has taken the world by storm recently, and Delgado remains one of its bigger stars. But his transformation may not be the body blow fans may fear. Is there a better sign that a musical genre has matured in its success than a star who finds Jesus?

Fans of "El Father" (but not the other Father) might take heart, too, that Delgado is still contractually required to tour his current album, "Final Judgment," though he says the CD will include Christian messages among its hotter cuts.