Reggaeton has long since ceased to be considered just urban music, rather it is the current idea of pop, at least here in Latin America. One of its top representatives is Colombian Maluma, who has an extensive and award-winning career, despite his youth. A few days ago, to celebrate her 27th birthday (on January 28), she released the album # 7DJ (7 days in Jamaica).
Available on all digital platforms, composed of seven songs and with an approximate duration of 23 minutes. The concept of this work begins to show itself as that of a person who is partying while reggae, dance hall and some reggaeton play through the speakers.
This begins to take more shape with Tonika, song in which he collaborates with Ziggy Marley, son of the legendary Jamaican artist Bob Marley, then as his rhymes and choruses advance, he arrives Love, in which the Jamaican Charly Black also participates.
Decaying a little more in tempo, it arrives Chocolate and by this time we begin to notice that among themselves, the songs have a common thread that means that before finishing one, the next is starting.
Jamaica’s water brings something more characteristic of Maluma; a solid rhythm drawn by the sequences, since previously we had guitars marking the beat, interesting –but modest– arrangements of wind sections.
Breakfast-Art begins to mark a line that divides # 7DJ in two: an interesting fusion of Caribbean rhythms and songs that could be heard in a timeless way and a closing with reggaeton songs a little more monotonous; as The bubble, which has the sound aesthetics of a single from the nineties, a time when reggaeton was not yet recognized and was an innovative proposal, but that aforementioned aesthetic did not age well, speaking from technical production terms, in which it could be considered that lacks a bit of low frequencies and maybe elements that are commonly used today, like synthesizers and more.
To end, Dangerous He asks the DJ: Put reggaeton, don’t put something else. Just to remind us that at the beginning of 2021, that is what the world wants. Within the entire stage of the pandemic and various things that occur everywhere, the world only asks for songs to move and dance.
The attempt – or the chance – of a concept album by artists of genres such as trap or reggaeton is not usually common (with exceptions such as Bad Bunny and J Balvin, who have succeeded on some occasions) and should be considered more often.
Many followers of music still think that reggaeton is not culture, that it is something that was said many years ago, but this has changed. You have to give more credit to these genres and their exponents, although you should always keep working and looking for what lies beyond, not being left alone with the simplest recipe for success. (OR)
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