He is one of the great figures of this musical genre, with popular songs such as “Me Haces Falta Tú" on Soy el Mismo, “Lluvia" on Sigo Atrevido, “Mía" on Invasión de la Privacidad y “Tú me quemas" on Atrevido y diferente.

[3] Santiago's career took off in 1986 in Puerto Rico and the rest of Latin America as a soloist, forming his own band, and recording songs including: "Tú me quemas" ("You Burn Me"), "Qué Locura Enamorarme de Ti" ("What Madness To Fall in Love With You"), "Me Fallaste" ("You Failed Me"), Antidoto y Veneno ("Antidote and Venom"), "Tu Me Haces Falta" ("I Miss You"), his best known hit "Lluvia" ("Rain", not to be confused with Menudo's hit of the same name), and many others.

His fame eventually spread to Europe and the United States, making him one of the most popular salsa singers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He also recorded for the TH, EMI Latin, and Polygram labels, including the well regarded production inspired by the music of Rafael Hernández, entitled Enamorado.

He was joined on that album by other stars in the Latin music scene, Víctor Manuelle, Huey Dunbar and Elvis Crespo.