''YHLQMDLG'' (acronym for "Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana", ; ) is the second solo studio album and third overall by Puerto Rican rapper and singer
Bad Bunny
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (; born March 10, 1994), better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Known as the " King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve m ...
. It was released on February 29, 2020, by Rimas Entertainment. The album's music style is heavily influenced by "old-school"
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
, and features guest appearances from
Daddy Yankee
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (; born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee (), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina". Dubbed the "Honorific ...
, Nesi, Yaviah,
Ñengo Flow
Edwin Rosa Vázquez Ortiz (born October 15, 1981), known professionally as Ñengo Flow, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. He was born in San Juan and grew up in Bayamón where he started in the music business. At the age of 14, Ortiz firs ...
,
Sech,
Mora
Mora may refer to:
People
* José Maria Mora (1847–1926), Cuban-American photographer, often credited as "Mora"
* Mora (singer) (born 1996), a Puerto Rican singer
* Mora (surname), a Spanish name (includes a list of people with the name)
Plac ...
,
Jowell & Randy
Jowell & Randy are a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo composed of Joel Muñoz Martínez (born March 3, 1982) and Randy Ortiz Acevedo (born July 16, 1983). The duo have been active since the early-2000s and have become one of the most popular acts in r ...
,
Anuel AA
Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago (born November 26, 1992), known professionally as Anuel AA, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Often called "The God of Latin trap" by himself and major Latin artists. His music often contains samples and interpola ...
,
Myke Towers
Michael Anthony Torres Monge (born January 15, 1994), known professionally as Myke Towers, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. He was recognized as New Artist of the Year by the ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards in 2021 and has been nominated ...
,
Kendo Kaponi
José Fernando Rivera Morales (born August 19, 1984), known professionally as Kendo Kaponi, is a Puerto Rican rapper, songwriter and producer.
Personal life
Kaponi was raised by his grandmother, as both of his parents were drug addicts who h ...
,
Arcángel
Austin Agustín Santos (born December 23, 1985), better known by his stage name Arcángel, is an American rapper and singer. He is often described as one of the most influential artists in the Latin urban genre, as well in Latin music overall, ...
,
Duki and Pablo Chill-E.
The album debuted at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200, becoming the highest-charting all-Spanish album ever on the chart at the time, until the release of his third album, ''
El Último Tour Del Mundo
''El Último Tour Del Mundo'' (; , stylized in all caps) is the third solo studio album (fourth overall) by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny. It was released on November 27, 2020, by Rimas Entertainment, only nine months after the releas ...
''. ''YHLQMDLG'' was the best selling Latin album in the United States of 2020, became
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
's most streamed album globally of 2020,
and won for
Best Latin Pop or Urban Album
The Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the Latin pop genre. Honors in ...
at the
63rd Annual Grammy Awards
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...
.
Background and singles
"
Vete
"Vete" () is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny. It was released on November 21, 2019, through Rimas Entertainment, as the lead single from his second solo studio album ''YHLQMDLG'' (2020).
Critical reception
Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo of '' ...
" was released as the lead single of the album on November 22, 2019. The album title was first mentioned during a sequence of the accompanying music video. The second single "
Ignorantes
"Ignorantes" () is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and Panamanian singer Sech (singer), Sech. It was released on February 13, 2020, through Rimas Entertainment. as the second single from Bad Bunny's second solo studio album ''YHLQMDLG'' ( ...
" with Panamanian singer
Sech came out on February 14, 2020. Bad Bunny announced the album on February 27, 2020, and stated that it would be released on
Leap Day 2020.
Composition
''YHLQMDLG'' is a primarily a
Latin trap
Latin trap is a subgenre of Latin hip hop music that originated in Puerto Rico. A direct descendant of southern hip hop and trap, and influenced by reggaeton, R&B and urbano music. it gained popularity after 2007, and has since spread throug ...
and
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
album that also incorporates elements of
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
,
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
,
hip-hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
,
R&B,
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
,
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
,
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
,
acoustic,
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic c ...
,
lo-fi
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
,
bachata
Bachata may refer to:
* Bachata (music), a musical genre which originated in the Dominican Republic
** Traditional bachata, a subgenre of bachata music
** Bachata (dance), a dance form
* Bachatón, a hybrid bachata/reggaeton music style
* "Bach ...
,
dembow
The dembow beat or dembow riddim is a musical rhythm best known for its use as the core percussion element in reggaeton music, having taken its name from the 1990 dancehall song " Dem Bow" by Shabba Ranks. The rhythm, first developed by Jamaican ...
, and
sandungueo
Sandungueo, also known as ''perreo'', is a style of dance and party music associated with reggaeton that emerged in the late 1980s in Puerto Rico. This style of dancing and music was created by DJ Blass, hence his Sandunguero Vol. 1 & 2 albums and ...
.''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' had described the album as an "old-school perreo, romantic reggaeton, and Latin trap with global appeal. It is a departure from Bad Bunny's Latin trap style showcased on his very beginnings and focuses more on fun, bouncy, and aggressive reggaeton beats, and lyrics. Bad Bunny's vision for the album was for it to bring back the “glory days” of reggaeton, drawing inspiration from it, like the song “
Safaera
"Safaera" (a Puerto Rican expression for "promiscuity, debauchery or substance abuse") is a song by Puerto Rican rappers Bad Bunny and Ñengo Flow, and Puerto Rican duo Jowell & Randy. It was released on February 29, 2020, as the 14th track of ...
”, which is a heavy, 00's-inspired, beat switching described as "reggaeton symphony", which features Puerto Rican duo
Jowell y Randy
Jowell & Randy are a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo composed of Joel Muñoz Martínez (born March 3, 1982) and Randy Ortiz Acevedo (born July 16, 1983). The duo have been active since the early-2000s and have become one of the most popular acts in r ...
and
Nengo Flow. The album also features Latin trap sounds, incorporating the widely known 808 drum patterns, and both fun and aggressive melodies, such as in “Si Veo A Tu Mama”, which samples the bossa-nova classic "
The Girl from Ipanema
"Garota de Ipanema" (), or "The Girl from Ipanema", is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim a ...
",
featuring a sweet, Nintendo-ish keyboard sound, while the song “25/8” is an example of the dark, hard-hitting melodies that some of the trap songs in the record share. Lyrically, Bad Bunny sings and raps about themes such as women, partying, heartbreak, and women's empowerment, an example of it is the song “
Yo Perreo Sola
"Yo Perreo Sola" ( English: "I Twerk Alone") is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny from his second studio album ''YHLQMDLG'' (2020), featuring uncredited vocals by Nesi. The song's music video features Bad Bunny performing in drag. It won ...
”, which talks about a girl whom Bad Bunny wants to dance with, but she refuses, because according to her, Bad Bunny also refused to dance with her in the past, so now he is the one who is "begging". In the last track of the album, “<3”, Bad Bunny thanks all his fans and a team of work for supporting and believing in him, while also expressing his desire to retire and live with no more stress, closing both the song and album with the title of the record.
Critical reception
''YHLQMDLG'' received widespread critical acclaim. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a
normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 88 based on five reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Writing for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Thom Jurek stated Bad Bunny "turns the notion of the cohesive urban statement into a sprawling 20-track mix of styles, production techniques, and completely accessible hooks in a work of peerless musical invention," and described ''YHLQMDLG'' as "a transformative fever dream of an album that accents freedom by breaking all the rules without writing new ones."
In ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'', Suzy Exposito gave ''YHLQMDLG'' 4.5 stars, writing that Bad Bunny "convenes a family reunion of his favorite rappers and reggaetoneros to produce a genre-promiscuous work of reggaeton a la marquesina."
For ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television.
History
''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...
'', Lucas Villa wrote that Bad Bunny "is emerging as a rarity in the game like the mythical
Mew. Benito is game-sharking a system that was once othering Latin music artists with his ''
perreo
Sandungueo, also known as ''perreo'', is a style of dance and party music associated with reggaeton that emerged in the late 1980s in Puerto Rico. This style of dancing and music was created by DJ Blass, hence his Sandunguero Vol. 1 & 2 albums and ...
'' takeover of pop."
Matthew Ismael Ruiz in ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'' deemed the album "outstanding" and described it as "a big party record that pushes boundaries and pays homage to reggaetón's past and future, all made by a swaggering star with absolutely nothing to prove."
Accolades
Commercial performance
''YHLQMDLG'' debuted at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200 dated March 14, 2020, earning 179,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s, including 35,000 pure album sales in its first week. It earned 201.4 million on-demand streams in the country, achieving the biggest streaming week ever for a Latin album, surpassing the record set by
Ozuna
Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado (; born March 13, 1992), known simply by his surname Ozuna, is a Puerto Rican singer, born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico to a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother. Five of his studio albums have topped ...
's ''
Aura
Aura most commonly refers to:
* Aura (paranormal), a purported field of luminous multi-colored radiation around a person or object
* Aura (symptom), a symptom experienced before a migraine or seizure
* Halo (religious iconography), glory, or aure ...
'' (2018, 53.2 million streams). It became the highest-charting all-Spanish album to ever appear on the chart at the time—before he broke his own record with ''
El Último Tour Del Mundo
''El Último Tour Del Mundo'' (; , stylized in all caps) is the third solo studio album (fourth overall) by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny. It was released on November 27, 2020, by Rimas Entertainment, only nine months after the releas ...
''s release in November, which debuted atop the chart. Previous record-holders for an all-Spanish-language albums were
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...
's ''
Fijación Oral, Vol. 1
''Fijación Oral, Vol. 1'' (English: ''Oral Fixation, Vol. 1'', ) is the sixth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira. It was released on 3 June 2005 by Epic Records. After attaining international success in 2001 with her fifth stu ...
'' (2005) and
Maná
Maná () is a Mexican pop rock band formed in 1981. Originally called Sombrero Verde, the current lineup of members is vocalist-guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González (musician), Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan ...
's ''
Amar es Combatir
''Amar Es Combatir'' (English: "To Love Is To Fight") is the seventh studio album released by the Mexico, Mexican pop rock band Maná. The album, which was released on August 22, 2006, became the band's first release in four years.
On February 1 ...
'' (2006), both at number four, while two mostly-Spanish albums have reached number one,
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...
's ''
Dreaming of You'' (1995) and
Il Divo
Il Divo (; ) are a multinational classical crossover vocal group. Formed in the United Kingdom in 2003, it is a male quartet that was created and then promoted by British media magnate Simon Cowell for Syco Music, a record label that he had ...
's ''
Ancora
''Ancora'' is the third studio album released by classical crossover vocal group Il Divo. The album was released in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe on 7 November 2005, excluding the United States and Latin America. The album was ...
'' (2006).
In its second week, the album dropped to number three on the chart, earning an additional 111,000 units. In its third week, the album remained at number three on the chart, earning 69,000 more units. In its fourth week, the album fell to number four on the chart, with 51,000 units. YHLGMLG was the best selling Latin Album of 2020 in the United States with 1,444,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s. In 2021 and 2022, it was the second best selling latin album with 755,000 and 802,000 units moved respectively. As of April 2024, the album has shifted 2 million album-equivalent units worldwide.
Bad Bunny charted all 20 album tracks on the US
Hot Latin Songs
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin music, Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart ranki ...
ranking dated March 14, setting several records: most concurrently charting titles in the top 10 (8), in the top 20 (18) and in the top 25 (20). With eight top 10 songs on the chart, Bad Bunny outdid himself as he previously held the record for the most simultaneous top 10s, with six (September 2019). With 18 songs in the top 20, he surpassed
J Balvin
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer. He is one of the best-selling Latin artists, with 35 million records sold worldwide. Balvin was born in Medellín. At age 17, he moved to th ...
's nine-song mark (February 2020). Both Bad Bunny and Ozuna have placed 20 songs simultaneously on the chart. Bad Bunny brought his total career entries on the chart to a record 83, surpassing
Daddy Yankee
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (; born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee (), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina". Dubbed the "Honorific ...
's 74 entries.
Bad Bunny also placed 11 album tracks simultaneously on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, the most for any Latin artist performing only in Spanish.
''YHLQMDLG'' became
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
's most streamed album globally of 2020, with 3.3 billion streams during the year.
In Spain, the album debuted at number one on the charts. It was the most popular and most streamed album of 2020 in Spain.
Awards and nominations
Track listing
Sample credits
* "
Si Veo a Tu Mamá
"Si Veo a Tu Mamá" (English: "If I See Your Mother") is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny from his third studio album ''YHLQMDLG'' (2020). It was released on March 2, 2020, as the fourth single from the album. The song was solely written by ...
" contains interpolations from "
The Girl from Ipanema
"Garota de Ipanema" (), or "The Girl from Ipanema", is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim a ...
", written by
Antônio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered as one of the great exponents of Brazilian ...
,
Vinícius de Moraes
Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed "O Poetinha" ("The Little Poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrig ...
and Norman Gimbel, performed by Stan Getz and João Gilberto.
* "
La Santa
''La Santa'' is a secret society within the Ndrangheta'', a criminal organisation in Calabria (Italy). The name probably derives from the shortening of '' mamma santissima''.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods''pp. 114-16/ref> In mafia slang, the expres ...
" contains interpolations from "
Aquí Está Tu Caldo
"Aquí Está Tu Caldo" is a song by Puerto Rican reggaeton singer-songwriter Daddy Yankee from the 2004 compilation album '' La Trayectoria''. The song was produced by Luny Tunes.Vete
"Vete" () is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny. It was released on November 21, 2019, through Rimas Entertainment, as the lead single from his second solo studio album ''YHLQMDLG'' (2020).
Critical reception
Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo of '' ...
" contains interpolations from "Si Te Vas", written by Cesar Batista-Escalera, performed by Kartiel.
* "
Ignorantes
"Ignorantes" () is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and Panamanian singer Sech (singer), Sech. It was released on February 13, 2020, through Rimas Entertainment. as the second single from Bad Bunny's second solo studio album ''YHLQMDLG'' ( ...
" contains interpolations from "No Sé Si Fue", written and performed by Arcángel and
Zion
Zion (; ) is a placename in the Tanakh, often used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole.
The name is found in 2 Samuel (), one of the books of the Tanakh dated to approximately the mid-6th century BCE. It o ...
.
* "
Safaera
"Safaera" (a Puerto Rican expression for "promiscuity, debauchery or substance abuse") is a song by Puerto Rican rappers Bad Bunny and Ñengo Flow, and Puerto Rican duo Jowell & Randy. It was released on February 29, 2020, as the 14th track of ...
" contains samples from "
Get Ur Freak On
"Get Ur Freak On" is a song by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. It was written and produced by Elliott and Timbaland for her third studio album '' Miss E... So Addictive'' (2001). Based on heavy bhangra elements, a popular music an ...
", performed by
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
, "
Could You Be Loved
"Could You Be Loved" is a song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released in 1980 as the first single from their twelfth and last album, ''Uprising'' and is also included on their greatest-hits album ''Legend'' (1984). T ...
", performed by
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...
, "El Tiburón", performed by
and an opening line from
Cosculluela
José Fernando Cosculluela Suárez (born October 15, 1980) is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2018, he was caught up in a controversy after fellow rapper Anuel AA released a diss track.
Early life and education
Cosculluela ...
's "Pa' La Pared".
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
*
2020 in Latin music
*
List of best-selling Latin albums
Latin music has an ambiguous meaning in the music industry due to differing definitions of the term "Latin". For example, the Latin music market in the United States defines Latin music as any release that is mostly sung in Spanish, regardless ...
*
List of number-one ''Billboard'' Latin Albums from the 2020s
*
List of number-one ''Billboard'' Latin Rhythm Albums of 2021
*
List of number-one ''Billboard'' Latin Rhythm Albums of 2022
References
{{Authority control
2020 albums
Bad Bunny albums
Albums produced by Tainy
Reggaeton albums
Latin trap albums
Latin pop albums by Puerto Rican artists
Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album