( CNN ) -- All big ideas start small , and Calle 13 -- a wildly popular alternative urban band from Puerto Rico -- is no exception . Its members , Rene Perez , who goes by `` Residente , '' and Eduardo Cabra , `` Visitante , '' are stepbrothers . When their parents divorced , Cabra would visit Perez at his father 's house on 13th Street , or Calle 13 . He was required to identify himself to enter , as either a resident , `` residente '' or visitor , `` visitante , '' in Spanish . The names stuck . `` Later , it took on another meaning , with the question of whether immigrants are residents or visitors , '' said Perez , who along with Cabra , recently sat down to talk with CNN en EspaÃ±ol 's Claudia Palacios . `` But that was how it started . '' Neither brother could have imagined then what Calle 13 would become -- one of the most highly praised and talked-about groups to come out of Latin America in years . It has won more than 20 Grammys and moved beyond its reggaeton roots to include instruments and sounds from all over the region , winning critical and popular praise in the process . Though raunchy , the group 's lyrics are often hard-hitting on social issues , and Perez is particularly well-known for being outspoken about poverty , Puerto Rican independence and education . Asked how he views his career now , Perez said he 's matured and made some adjustments so that people can better hear and understand his message . `` I liked to use bad words , '' said Perez , who raps and writes the group 's lyrics . `` Because it seemed to me it gave a reality that 's missing in music . '' `` There are bad words in novels , in theater , in documentaries , at the movies . Why ca n't they exist in music ? '' `` The problem , '' he continued , `` was that people were concentrating on the bad words and losing the message . '' Though he 'll still swear on records if the song calls for it , Perez says he uses expletives less now in the hope that his music will be able to reach a wider audience . To that end , Perez , who went to school at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah , Georgia , said he plans to start writing lyrics in English and thinks he might live in New York one day . His words are paired with music and beats created by Cabra . Their younger sister , Ileana Cabra , known as `` PG-13 , '' also performs with Calle 13 sometimes . Cabra describes the group 's sound as a mix of many influences . Eclectic is a good word for it . In spite of the variety that 's out there , though , Cabra told CNNE 's Palacios that he thinks `` we 're going through a bad time , the worst time in music . '' `` Everything sounds the same on the radio , different producers doing the same work , '' he said . `` Look -- we 're not making the best music in the world . But what we are making is sincere , and I think that 's worth something . '' CNN 's Dana Ford contributed to this report .
Rene Perez and Eduardo Cabra , aka `` Residente '' and `` Visitante '' recall their names ' origin . Perez lived on 13th Street , or Calle 13 , as a boy . He says he 's matured as an artist and curses less on records now . His music is more upbeat than his earlier work but still has the same dark undertones that made him famous in Mexico City.