SOTD: Mi Mala Remix
When I was growing up reggaeton was a genre dominated by male voices such as Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, Don Omar, Calle 13, etc. With hits in the past year, including Becky G’s worldwide hit featuring Bad Bunny, Mayores , Karol G’s Ahora Me Llama, and Criminal, Natti Natasha’s collaboration with Ozuna, it’s clear that there has been a shift in the Urban Latin market, with female musicians rising in popularity.
Reggaeton is known for artists constantly collaborating , usually by featuring on remixes of each other’s songs. Back then reggaeton songs would shout out everyone that collaborated in the song, which is still happening now- just look at songs like Diles by Farruko, Bad Bunny and Ozuna, the song is led by three male artists and features two more male singers. Venezuelan musical duo Mau y Ricky, offer a twist on the traditional reggaeton trope, with Mi Mala their collaboration with Karol G, which features Leslie Grace, Becky G and Lali.
Photo Courtesy of Billboard
As Mau and Ricky shared in their Instagram, the remix showcases the start of the feminine revolution of the genre. In the song, the different styles of each of the ladies bring a unique flare to it. The production of the song starts with a little guitar, before its overtaken by a smooth trap beats infused with Latin sounds. One of my favorite things about the song is that it shows the linguistic diversity of the Spanish language, as Leslie Grace ( Dominican-American), Becky G (Mexican-American), Karol (Colombian) and Lali (Argentine), sing their verses with their respective accents and idioms.
Photo courtesy of Spotify
My favorite line of the song is Becky’s verse:
“Si los celos y la rabia contaminan
Nos bañamos con jabón y se nos quita
No hay invento, ni secreto, ni mentira
Que los dos comemos de otra cucharita
Y luego por la mañana
Estamos como si nada
No es tu asunto lo que yo haga por la calle “
The lines use very clever metaphors to describe jealousy, having multiple partners, and alluding to the main theme of the song, which is a relationship where both parties know they are bad for each other, but can’t fight the desire to be together. The song delivers in both production and lyrics, and I hope it gets due recognition.
If you are ready for women to dominate the Urban Latin scene in 2018, you can stream the song on Spotify, AppleMusic, and Tidal, as well as the music video on YouTube.
