A lot of unexpected events have taken place over the last year on Earth, and among them is the definitive rise of Latin trap. Established reggaeton and hip hop crossover artists have seen steady streams of trap hits, and a generation of emerging vocalists has blown apart expectations of where the once-controversial genre could arrive. Latin trap has long since reached the moment when it deserves its own Beats 1 show — and now we have one.
“Trap Kingz” debuts today, and the first six episodes of the bi-weekly, Spanish language show are being hosted by Bad Bunny, one of the artists currently redefining the scope of the genre. On the first show, the Puerto Rican vocalist presents his new single “Sensualidad” with Prince Royce and J Balvin, not to mention playing tracks by Noriel, Farruko, and Arcángel.
He also takes a few moments to get personal, including an autobiographic musing on his own troubles in school and why some artists get into music in the first place. “I would pick up a pencil and start banging it against chairs, notepads, and books,” el Conejo Malo says. “I always practiced. There’s a lot kids that make music and are desperately trying to be seen — to be heard. So I dedicated myself and practiced everyday until I felt I was ready to show the world my talent.”
Trap Kingz will air every other Friday at 12pm PST.