Raul Acosta, better known in the music industry as "El Presidente del Merengue," was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on September 8, 1971. Born into a musical family, at the age of seven, he and his older brothers Iván and Rafael, in addition to local neighborhood kids, started a pre-adolescent music group called "Los Sobrinos Del Rey". This was the Dominican version of the Jackson 5. With this early experience, Raul was able to develop his musical talent as well as his stage presence.