Álvaro Díaz is one of Puerto Rican hip-hop’s big players, having broken through the hold that reggaeton has on the island and establishing that PR is still down for talented practitioners of rap en español. But that doesn’t mean that he’s not down to work with reggaeton’s finest, as he does on his latest release “Tortura China,” for which he enlisted the talents of legendary DR producers Luny Tunes.
It’s been a minute since we heard from Díaz — his last solo release was some months ago, a switch up in pace for the prolific rapper. He’s been busy in the studio. “Tortura China” is an addictive, dancehall-inflected rap game re-entry, the first track to be released from his upcoming San Juan Gran Prix EP.
Díaz is credited here as songwriter, having penned a narrative of who-cares-what-your-friends-think getaway seduction for Deborah Blues (a PR singer and regular collaborator) and emcee Sou$a. The song is an all-hands-on-deck production — in addition to Luny Tunes, Finesse Records’ MONVCO, and Valencia, Venezuela duo Lara Project earned credits for the alluring beat. Díaz is letting us know San Juan Gran Prix has horsepower. Look to the upcoming project to accelerate his career.