His carefree, seafaring approach works at its absolute best when Bad Bunny dives into the glowing waters of the alternative scene and brings the talent of indie luminaries such as Bomba Estereo (“Ojitos Lindos”), Buscabulla (“Andrea”), and The Marias (“Otro Atardecer”) to the masses. In interviews, Bad Bunny said he was thinking about visits he took to the coast of Puerto Rico as a kid, inspiration that informs some of the album’s Caribbean sounds and laidback spirit. Rather than feeding into speculation about the ever-expanding scale of the genre and what peak he’s out to conquer next, he chooses to lean back and have fun with a loose, leisurely set of 23 songs, his longest tracklist ever. So, on Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny decides to take the edge off. Yet every Bad Bunny project now comes with increasingly gigantic hopes and expectations, the anticipation often boiling on high, like a pressure cooker. He’s been the most-streamed artist on earth for two years in a row, and each of his full-length albums-his 2018 debut X100Pre, 2020’s YHLQMDLG, and last year’s El Último Tour Del Mundo-have broken up boring formulas by mixing up touches of old-school reggaeton, trap, pop-punk, rock, and electro-pop. Unfortunately, certain acts-driven by the popularity, profitability, and commercialization of Latin music-haven’t exactly helped the situation by churning out an endless cycle of albums, stuffed with mass-produced, factory-style tracks that have oversaturated the market and left the scene feeling uninspired.įrom the second he shot out of Puerto Rico, a former grocery bag boy turned full-fledged superstar, Bad Bunny has been the lovable weirdo who represents an expansive future for reggaeton. To naysayers, the music represents an annoyingly large bubble that’ll pop and fizzle out any day now, while fans and artists are hell-bent on proving that there’s limitless space for it to keep growing. Share your thoughts on Toronto Rising with us on social media.Įxactly how much bigger can reggaeton get? This is a perpetually grating question that’s followed the genre around as it’s skyrocketed to the very center of the mainstream over the last few years and become one of the most omnipresent sounds on the planet. It’s also a love letter to Hip-Hop and the city which he and Drake played an integral role in putting on the map. As well as inspire the next generation of producers who may be struggling to find their footing amid adversity. Toronto Rising serves as a backstory to the legacy 40 has built for himself. I’m here to play my part and to leave my impact. All the things in my life just kind of pointed me in one direction. I learned a lesson in the hospital, which was that as long as I had like one finger that still worked, no matter what the world took from me, I could play the keyboard and I could make music. When I was 21, I got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I’ve always considered myself a visitor in hip hop.
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“Up All Night” is the third single from Blue Water Road, following the ballad “Little Story” and lead single “Altar.” The record’s fourth single, “Everything,” was released last week.Ĥ0 is a notoriously private person, so this doc is a rare and unique look into his private life, featuring archival footage of his come-up including never-before-seen home videos of him discovering his love for the piano as a child and the early days of his legendary partnership with Drake. The track marked the singers’ second collaboration, following Kehlani’s appearance on Bieber’s “ Get Me” in 2020. While the album version of “Up All Night” features a guest verse from pop powerhouse Justin Bieber, the “Peaches” hitmaker is notably absent from the video - and his verse is cut from the clip altogether. “You’re telling someone, ‘I love you so much it keeps me awake at night.’” “It’s about having a healthily obsessed relationship,” Kehlani said of the song in a statement. “Easy as I want to/There’s just no one better/You think it’s calculated/Baby, I’m just not that clever, never.”
“You wonder why I love you/There was never pressure,” they sing. The R&B singer has called Blue Water Road “an emotional journey, a sexual journey, and a spiritual journey” - and these romantic, wistful sentiments drive the main narrative of “Up All Night.” Laying in a nondescript hotel room bed, Kehlani becomes consumed by thoughts of lust and passion.