Bad Bunny’s superstardom is almost unprecedented, taking Latin trap and reggaeton to new heights. He has been the most streamed artist on Spotify for three years in a row. Within the past year, Bad Bunny has headlined Coachella and sold out two worldwide arena and stadium tours. Reggaeton and Latin pop music have been popular globally since the early 2000s, but Bad Bunny took the music to a larger scale.
Yesterday, Bad Bunny released his latest single, “Where She Goes,” along with the song’s music video featuring cameos from artists including Frank Ocean and Lil Uzi Vert. Bad Bunny has had many significant hits by himself but has an immaculate track record of collaborations, working with major superstars like Jennifer Lopez, Dua Lipa, and Cardi B. Bad Bunny has also collaborated with almost everyone from the reggaeton scene, including Sech, Anuel AA, and Ozuna.
An Eclectic Mix of Genres
He is known for his ability to fuse genres and make them his own, with each album sounding different from the last. His 2018 debut, X 100PRE, saw Bad Bunny honing in on his signature Latin trap and reggaeton sound while experimenting with pop, pop-punk, and dembow. His second album, 2020’s YHLQMDLG was Bad Bunny’s homage to classic 2000s reggaeton, building on his influences with his own unique sound. El Último Tour Del Mundo In 2020 saw Bad Bunny fusing his signature sound with rock and pop-punk. His fourth album, 2022’s Grammy-winning Un Verano Sin Ti was a tropical tribute to Puerto Rico, incorporating elements of reggae, mambo, EDM, and merengue. With a knack for collaboration and an ability to fuse genres, Bad Bunny has many impressive collaborations.
This is a list of Bad Bunny’s hottest must-hear collaborations. Because he has tried so many different styles of music and has worked with an eclectic mix of artists, making a list of the essential Bad Bunny collaborations is not an easy task. The songs, listed chronologically, draw from his catalog and primarily focus on his rap and hip hop songs. Of course, the list primarily includes his songs with reggaeton artists, of which he has a history of working with. Take a look at the list below.
“Sensualidad” With J Balvin & Prince Royce (2017)
Almost every Bad Bunny song is a hit, but some pieces are more underrated than others. An early song in his career, “Sensualidad,” is one of the best Bad Bunny collabs. J Balvin and Prince Royce join him over some production from DJ Luian and Mambo Kingz. Over the simple yet colorful production, the three artists bring their own unique voices and personalities to the track. Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Prince Royce each take turns singing their own version on the chorus, bringing dynamic melody changes to their verses.
The three also ad-lib during each other’s parts, exemplifying their chemistry. The song also features an entertaining outro with plenty of adlibs and shoutouts. “Sensualidad” is a perfect summer track and was an early track that showed the chemistry between Bad Bunny and J Balvin specifically, paving the way for their 2019 collab album, Oasis.
“MÍA” feat. Drake (2018)
“MÍA” was a significant moment for Reggaeton, seeing one of its biggest rising stars team up with one of pop music’s biggest stars. Drake has sung in Spanish before with Romeo Santos on “Odio” and sounds very comfortable in Spanish yet again on “MÍA.” Everything about the song is a guaranteed hit record, from the combined star power of Bad Bunny and Drake to the bright and lively reggaeton production. Bad Bunny has collaborated with many artists outside of the reggaeton scene, but “MÍA” with Drake is a collaboration that sounds the most organic.
“La Romana” feat. El Alfa (2018)
“La Romana” is one of Bad Bunny’s hardest bangers and one of his best collabs. The song begins with a dainty melody but drops into a knocking Latin trap song. Bad Bunny flows fastly over the beat, weaving in different melodies. The song then skips into a completely different beat with an ominous flute sound that perfectly sets up El Alfa to come in with a fiery dembow track. The song is actually fire as El Alfa repeats “fuego,” “fire,” and “caliente.” Bad Bunny sounds comfortable on El Alfa’s sound, rapping on the second beat. The song is a definitive highlight in both of their catalogs.
“La Santa” feat. Daddy Yankee (2020)
Bad Bunny and reggaeton legend Daddy Yankee have worked together a few times, but “La Santa” ranks atop their collabs by a long shot. The song has a classic reggaeton beat perfect for Bad Bunny’s infectious melodies and Daddy Yankee’s aggressive flow. The two play off each other nicely as Daddy Yankee adlibs Bad Bunny’s verses, and they trade lines on the pre-chorus.
“Safaera” feat. Jowell & Randy & Ñengo Flow (2020)
“Safaera” stands out as one of the best Bad Bunny collabs for many reasons. The song is a highlight on YHLQMDLG, and he recruits Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow for the song. “Safaera” is an homage to old mixes, resulting in an unpredictable reggaeton masterpiece. The song changes beat and tempo multiple times, keeping the listener engaged. Jowell & Randy build the song’s momentum until the chorus from Bad Bunny and Ñengo Flow.
Ñengo Flow’s verse weaves through different beats with a constant tempo before moving to a reggaeton flip of “Get Ur Freak On,” which gets sped up for Bad Bunny’s verse and slowed down for Jowell’s verse at the end. “Safaera” is an explosive song that goes through many exciting phases, almost like a reggaeton “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“Bad Con Nicky” feat. Nicky Jam (2020)
Bad Bunny’s 2020 collaboration with Nicky Jam shows that even his B-sides have plenty of gems. The first part of the song is a slow yet traditional duet between Bad Bunny and Nicky Jam. One of Bad Bunny’s cleanest beat switches comes toward the end of the song. The production turns into a fast reggaeton for Nicky Jam to showcase his raps before singing over the thumping instrumental.
“Dákiti” feat. Jhayco (2020)
Bad Bunny and Jhayco have a history that runs deep, initially hopping on remixes of each other’s songs. The two then joined forces for “DÁKITI,” one of the biggest songs for both careers so far. The song’s eerie and atmospheric sound is the perfect soundscape for the two to display their skills. They create catchy melodies on the song and provide unique takes on the same melody. “DÁKITI” is a fitting track for an album titled El Último Tour Del Mundo as the song sounds very apocalyptic. The song is one of the must-hear Bad Bunny collabs and ignited the chemistry for him and Jhayco to create more bangers like “Tarot.”
[via]