Kako, whose real name was Francisco Bastar, was born in Puerto Rico in 1936. He worked as a dancer on the island before Turning instead to the timbales and other percussive instruments. Kako was a versatile and respected percussionist who played and recorded with artists such as Tito Puente, Azuquita, Menique and Jerry Williams. He died in July 1994 whilst serving a sentence in a Texas prison.