He continued to explore urbano and hip hop music on his mixtape Avida Dollars (2018), which spawned the top twenty single "Llorando en la Limo".

Tangana continued to release standalone singles to commercial success such as "Bien Duro", "Booty" and "Nunca Estoy".

He focused on rap music and released a seven-track EP titled Él Es Crema (2005) and then two more (Madrid Files and Septiembre) in 2006.

[12] That year he released a work entitled "C. Tangana", which was generally well-received, attracted many new followers, and was adopted by Álvarez as his new stage name.

[citation needed] While playing music, he made a living working in a Pans and Company and in a Vodafone call center.

[16] In 2016, Tangana signed a record deal with Warner Chappell Music and started working regularly with friend and producer Alizzz.

[23] In January 2018, Tangana released the lead single of his debut mixtape as a signed artist: "Still Rapping" with Steve Lean.

In March he released the mixtape's second single "Llorando en la Limo", produced and featuring Alizzz, which peaked at number twelve on the chart and became another summer hit in Spain.

The mixtape, Avida Dollars, was released on digital platforms on April 20, 2018, presented with two sold-out shows at La Riviera in Madrid.

[30] The media coverage the situation received caused an increase in "Un Veneno" streams, making it reach the number two spot on the PROMUSICAE chart and be certified gold in Spain.

In January he collaborated with Brazilian rapper MC Bin Laden and once again with Alizzz on "Pa' Llamar Tu Atención".

In February he collaborated with Natti Natasha on his own track "Viene Y Va" and alongside Tainy and former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui on the Puerto Rican's "Nada", included in his album The Kids That Grew Up On Reggaeton (2020).

[36] The track sampled both "Cómo Quieres Que Te Quiera" by Rosario Flores and "Corazón Partío" by Alejandro Sanz.

In September, Tangana revealed to Forbes that his upcoming studio album would be very different from his previous releases and that it would be named El Madrileño.

Its music video included a scene of Tangana's own funeral and references to his past relationships with Rosalía and Berta Vázquez.

Internationally, "Tú Me Dejaste de Querer" debuted at number 31 on the Spotify Global chart, marking the first entry of Tangana on the list.

[44] The reissue La Sobremesa includes the song Te Venero which Tangana composed as an hommage to and recorded with the legendary Cuban singer Omara Portuondo.

[45] At the 36th Goya Awards ceremony 2022 in Valencia, Tangana presented this song in live TV as a duet with the young Catalan jazz musician Rita Payés.

[47] In July 2023, "Oliveira dos cen anos", a song composed by C. Tangana as an anthem for the 100th anniversary of Galician football club Celta de Vigo, was presented.

[48] His first contact with rap was through the Beastie Boys album Ill Communication (1994) and the movie Fear of a Black Hat, as he mentions in his song "Diez Años".

Among his influences, he has mentioned Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late (2015) and artists like Pharrell Williams or Kanye West, highlighting their ability and tendency to innovate and capture the attention of the public.