¡Dale Play! 2020

For all of this year’s woes, one unequivocally positive bright spot was reggaetón. After 2019 united traperos and Latin pop artists alike under the glorious rhythmic dembow, 2020 promised to fulfill all of our perreo hopes and dreams. Yet even as nightclubs and hookah bars shuttered worldwide, leaving listeners without communal spaces to fully indulge their bodies and feed their souls, the music kept coming. One of three Bad Bunny albums released this year, YHLQMDLG was an inclusive and socially conscious love letter to reggaetón. Its signature single “Safaera” with veterans Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow brought together generations in a genuine and gratifying way. Whether raw and explicit or polished and romantic, the genre reigned in all of its forms. And practically every one of its contemporary giants participated with singles and albums, including established figures like Anuel AA, Sech, and Ozuna as well as dazzling upstarts such as Rauw Alejandro, Myke Towers, and Jay Wheeler. As a product of this shining moment in music, English-language artists increasingly found themselves collaborating with Latin stars. Dua Lipa joined J Balvin and Bad Bunny for the Tainy-produced smash “UN DIA (ONE DAY),” while the self-described bichota KAROL G herself appeared prominently on Brooklyn drill rapper Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album. Making a trilingual trifecta, Anitta teamed up with Cardi B and Myke Towers for the hypnotic hit “Me Gusta.” Many hitmakers embraced the culture by singing or rapping in Spanish, as The Weeknd did on Maluma’s surprising “Hawái” remix and Sia did with Ozuna and Doja Cat on “Del Mar.” With reggaetón reigning as the definitive global sound of pop music, who could blame them?