If you were a living, breathing human in 2018, chances are you heard “Te Boté” at the club or floating out of a passing car window. The song was ubiquitous this year, and its success was yet another sign of reggaeton’s pop domination. The remix to “Te Boté” was the most viewed YouTube video of the year, the most-Googled Spanish-language song, and appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 for 21 weeks straight.
Despite the success of a song like “Te Boté,” reggaeton is still very much maligned. Sure, it’s not for everyone, and those who aren’t followers often wish the mainstream music industry celebrated more genre diversity. But we all have that one rock superfan in our lives who refuses to listen to the genre because it’s “beneath them” and not “real music.” (tbh, a lot of these criticisms are rooted in coded racism and classism).
So you can only imagine how much fun the Internet had after Paul Banks, the lead vocalist of legendary indie rock band Interpol, decided he was a fan of “Te Boté.” On December 26, Banks posted a series of Instagram stories sharing his favorite songs of the year, and lo and behold – the Casper Mágico and Nio Garcia bop was among his picks. As expected, Twitter was shocked and quick to dole out plenty of memes.
Check out some of our favorites below, and imagine Paul belting “DE MI VIDA TE BOTE” at the top of his lungs.
Yo al enterarme que a Paul Banks le gusta el reggaetón.. ? pic.twitter.com/fnHmpYlzaA
— Luis Aguirre (@_luisaguirre30) December 28, 2018