1. 'Mia' by Bad Bunny (ft. Drake)
It was teased in May by DJ Nelson, released in October, and this mega track from Bad Bunny - recently crowned the most streamed Latino artist on Apple Music - alongside music behemoth, Drake, is still murdering airwaves across the globe. The Canadian rapper telling that unnamed woman "you're mine" (in Spanish no less) is surely why "Mia" has been received so well. But the truth is, it's the two verses from Bad Bunny and his distinctive baritone that really makes the song.
2 'Pasado y Presente' by Ozuna
Though the beat is more bass-heavy and the lyrics not as overt, it's without question that "Pasado y Presente" (Past and Present) is a reggaetón track from the genre's dembow origins. Vocally Ozuna and Anuel AA on a track of this kind together is a match made in audio heaven, and for the ladies that are paying attention to the words, it's also typically just on the safe side of lyrically provocative.
3. 'Ella Quiere Beber' [Remix] by Anuel AA (ft. Romeo Santos)
The story is a well-told one, a woman wronged by her man who decides to f-orget it all and just let loose, in the club. The original track "She Wants to Drink" on Anuel's album "Real Hasta la Muerte" released on the day he left a Miami prison in July, could stand alone, but the addition of Romeo Santo's smooth vocals make this a real banger.
4. 'Adictiva' by Daddy Yankee x Anuel AA
"Adictiva" (Addictive) is all about the infectiousness of another Chris Jeday/Gaby Music beat (they produced 4 of the tracks in this top '10'). If you know anything about reggaetón, you know it's unquestionable the woman who is the subject of most songs, and she is the addiction that Daddy Yankee and Anuel can simply not kick on this track.
5. 'Veneno' by Anitta
If you can find me an artist that controls her visuals better than Anitta... well, that's just not going to happen. The video for her song "Veneno", the third song she has release in Spanish despite her Brasilian roots is another memorable one. Taken from her 3 song EP "Solo", "Poison" is a slow bass-heavy track, coming at just over two and a half minutes. In which she explains quite simply, if you're good to her, she'll be the best you ever had, but if you are not, she'll kill you from the inside, like, poison.
T-6. 'Superarte' by Farina (ft. Miky Woods)
The chorus on Farina's Superarte "Get Over You" has to be one of the most infectious hooks on a track this year. Not just for the vocals, but for the content. I can imagine more than a few people singing "ya yo, logré superarte" at the radio. Yet another Medellin native (Karol G, J Balvin), Farina demonstrates on this track the ear that has kept her in music for almost 15 years now teaming with well-established boricua rapper Miky Woods. The pair simply state for the record, to that person who tries to come back into their life, "I'm already over you".
T-6. 'Culpables' by Karol G x Anuel AA
A tie at 6 with Superate, she was a proponent of the #FreeAnuel movement during his stint in prison, so it was inevitable that his release from prison would see Anuel AA collaborate with Karol G, and with this track she brings her very specific flavour to the party. Known for playing the female power role to any male counterpart, "Guilty" is a track where both artists play the position of being with someone who's already in a relationship.
7. Asesina [Remix] by Brytiago (ft. Darell, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna & Anuel AA)
In reggaetón there are few rules, but the one you can almost always rely on is, if there's a remix for a track and it includes by name reggaetóneros, it's probably going to be hotter than the sun. In Brytiago's remix for his track "Murderess" you have another such case. Each artist speaks of that woman so beautiful and cold hearted that she assassinates men. Each in turn claims, they won't be her next victim.
8. 'Tócamelo' by Alaya (ft. Zion & Lennox)
"Tócamelo" (Touch Me) is the latest track from 25 year-old Venezuelan Alaya who was signed to Warner's Latin label a couple of years back, and features boricua OGs Zion and Lennox. Over a typical reggaetón/dembow 4-beat cadence Alaya is inviting her man to touch, and she knows exactly how to paint that picture.
9. 'Loco' by Casper Magico & Pusho
"Loco" is a great example of why Latin music is the biggest growing genre of music right now, such is the ease of the artists taking a premise and flipping it on it's head. There are no rules for success and no predictable formulas. Casper Magico and Pusho are singing about something we all know happens in life but where often the male is placed in the protagonist role - a woman who is leading them on, disappearing out of their lives only to return, basically driving them "Crazy".
T-10 'Te Guste' by Jennifer Lopez x Bad Bunny
It would be fair to say that the idea a Jennifer Lopez track could make this top 10 would have been a fantasy even 12 months ago. But just like the rest of music, she too has embraced the power and momentum of reggaetón, and teaming up with one of its biggest stars was a no-brainer. The pair sing an up-tempo ballad to each other about just what they'll do to each other in private. I'm sure that video shoot was an absolute chore for 24 year-old Bad Bunny!
T-10 Desde El Corazón by Bad Bunny
Such is the lyrical skill of Bad Bunny (and the production skills of Tainy) that what he can do with a single verse in just over 2 minutes some other artists in this game can't do on an entire album. "From The Heart" is an ode to his roots in Puerto Rico, his home town of San Juan, the basketball team he follows, his mother, and impressively many of his peers in reggaetón, over a head nod inducing beat.
