It’s been years since the word Rihanna began to refer not just to the name of the chart-topping icon who dons couture sweats in the club. Now, Rihanna is also used as a common noun. Notable songs have underlined this grammatical expansion, like Yo Gotti’s devotional anthem with Young Thug, followed by its Fuego remix. A Rihanna is a remarkable woman in possession of many good qualities – someone you want to keep close.
But goddess worship is not the only reason why you should listen to this praiseful collaboration between Jesse Baéz and Indigo Jams, one of 2017’s best uses of descending falsetto bridges and panty-dropping seduction. The self-confident “Rihanna” is from an EP that showcases the convergence and artistic common ground of two R&B-en-espanglés crews: Mexico’s Finesse Records and Spain’s Broke Niños Make Pesos.
This is El Dorado, the nine-track EP released in full by Finesse and BNMP. It feels like a vindication of their corner of the genre. The dense stack of BNMP and Finesse talent on each song of El Dorado highlights the commonalities between the collectives. Where both labels are often seen in a solitary context in their respective countries’ R&B scenes, here their artistic kinship is evident.
The EP’s tracks feature up to three vocalists at a time, like the remix of BNMP’s Cruz Cafuné and producer Chocolock’s “922 & Heartbreak.” El Dorado‘s re-do throws Finesse voices Jesse Baéz and Santa Bandida into the mix, making a quartet of talent that is then joined by producer Kryone on the showcase track “Lunes.” Finesse’s Girl Ultra and BNMP’s Ellegas also come through on the dreamy “Déjame Fumar,” one of the moments which will no doubt serve to broaden the reach of both ascendent labels, each looking to establish their international context.