The Beginning

Dropping lovesick rhymes and velvety melodic hooks with ease, Colombian crooner/rapper Kevin Roldan is something like the Drake of reggaeton, ditching the rugged club bangers for irresistibly smooth tropical pop. On The Beginning, Roldan goes global, fusing reggaeton with the woozy, synth-driven sound of Southern hip-hop (“Tu Cuerpo”) and the waist-winding bounce of classic reggae and dancehall (“Contigo”). But even when he’s flowing over bass-heavy beats, Roldan is still out to seduce you, laying down steamy slow jams like “Me Matas.”