@Bryan Ortiz

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After such a tremendous year for Latin pop and música urbana, among other Spanish-language genre styles, trying to narrow the past 12 months down to just two songs seems an almost impossible task. Yet if one wanted to sum up 2019, Daddy Yankee’s “Con Calma” and Bad Bunny’s “Callaita” would do the trick. On the former, the veteran reggaetonero reimagined Snow’s 1992 smash “Informer” and turned it into a fresh signature hit, adding yet another classic to his already robust discography. Not only did the song top Apple Music’s Latin charts, but it prompted a bilingual remix featuring none other than Katy Perry. As for “Callaita,” the Tainy-produced single marked El Conejo Malo’s proper return, not even six months after dropping his full-length debut X 100PRE. One of the most-streamed songs of the year, the nostalgic cut seized the summer and still refuses to let go.

Rauw Alejandro finds strength in vulnerability. Whereas earlier reggaetoneros had built their reps on braggadocio and amorous conquests, Alejandro flips the script, bringing out narcotic, enraptured love songs that pull in a broad range of fans. Born in San Juan, he grew up in both the mainland US and Puerto Rico before making a name for himself as an inventive and athletic dancer. That gave Alejandro a built-in network when he started dropping hits like 2017’s “Toda,” showcasing both his lovelorn tenor and future-forward production. His 2019 EP <i>Trap Cake, Vol. 1</i> drew trap in an ambient and emotional direction that was more in line with cloud rap. Such early versatility set the stage for Alejandro’s ascent to mainstream stardom in the 2020s—including “PANTIES Y BRASIERES,” his spirited 2023 collaboration with reggaetón originator Daddy Yankee, and 2024’s pining ballad “Déjame Entrar.” Their generational exchange feels like a crowning glory for one of modern urbano’s most singular voices.

Since the mid-2000s, Tainy has established himself as a go-to producer for the biggest reggaetón acts. He flashes the signature Latin thump on J Balvin’s “No Es Justo” and “Reggaeton,” but sets his productions apart with a distinctly natural Auto-Tune inflection. He’s not shy about futuristic effects on tracks with Bad Bunny and Arcángel, and shows the world his flair on Cardi B’s mega-hit “I Like It.”

For all of this year’s woes, one unequivocally positive bright spot was reggaetón. After 2019 united traperos and Latin pop artists alike under the glorious rhythmic dembow, 2020 promised to fulfill all of our perreo hopes and dreams. Yet even as nightclubs and hookah bars shuttered worldwide, leaving listeners without communal spaces to fully indulge their bodies and feed their souls, the music kept coming. One of three Bad Bunny albums released this year, YHLQMDLG was an inclusive and socially conscious love letter to reggaetón. Its signature single “Safaera” with veterans Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow brought together generations in a genuine and gratifying way. Whether raw and explicit or polished and romantic, the genre reigned in all of its forms. And practically every one of its contemporary giants participated with singles and albums, including established figures like Anuel AA, Sech, and Ozuna as well as dazzling upstarts such as Rauw Alejandro, Myke Towers, and Jay Wheeler. As a product of this shining moment in music, English-language artists increasingly found themselves collaborating with Latin stars. Dua Lipa joined J Balvin and Bad Bunny for the Tainy-produced smash “UN DIA (ONE DAY),” while the self-described bichota KAROL G herself appeared prominently on Brooklyn drill rapper Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album. Making a trilingual trifecta, Anitta teamed up with Cardi B and Myke Towers for the hypnotic hit “Me Gusta.” Many hitmakers embraced the culture by singing or rapping in Spanish, as The Weeknd did on Maluma’s surprising “Hawái” remix and Sia did with Ozuna and Doja Cat on “Del Mar.” With reggaetón reigning as the definitive global sound of pop music, who could blame them?

When Rauw Alejandro’s “Todo De Ti” first dropped back in May, it marked a considerable shift from the preceding reggaetón singles from his generally well-received 2020 full-length Afrodisíaco. Yet those who engaged with that album beyond the gratifying superstar collabs with Anuel AA and J Balvin could tell that the Puerto Rican singer’s ambitions were bigger than any one genre. Even still, the dancehall-meets-house hybrid “Química” and the deep synthwave cut “Algo Mágico” hardly predicted the broadly appealing funky pop of “Todo De Ti.” As evidenced by its global chart successes, the response to the track was so enormous that it transformed him into a swaggering R&B sensation capable of filling arenas and conjuring amorous rapture among his fans. Even before that unmistakably life-changing moment, Alejandro’s year had begun on a fast-tracked path to big things. Selena Gomez tapped him for “Baila Conmigo,” the slow-paced second single off of her highly anticipated Spanish-language EP Revelación. That track emerged in late January and proved an instantaneous charting hit, which no doubt aided his next single “2/Catorce” with Mr. Naisgai. The Afrodisíaco follow-up VICE VERSA arrived just over a month after “Todo De Ti” premiered, introducing singles “Cúrame” and “Sexo Virtual.” Over the course of 2021, Alejandro proved the most in-demand Latin artist, appearing on new singles and album cuts with everyone from Jennifer Lopez and Chris Brown to Maluma and Zion & Lennox, all the while continuing to collaborate with his fellow R&B reggaetonero peers like Dalex, Alex Rose, and Sech. That ubiquity, coupled with his reliable hitmaking, raised the bar for Latin music stardom this year—and likely for years to come.