The wait is over! The long-awaited Drake and Bad Bunny collaboration “Gently” is finally out today (Oct. 6). “Gently” is part of the Canadian rapper’s newest album, For All the Dogs.
The track opens with a slow, bass-heavy beat, with the Canadian rapper singing in Spanglish. “I’ve been El Chico for cincuenta años,” he declares at one point. Just before the one-minute mark, the slower beat gives way to a faster-paced dembow, and Drake begins to drop his verses with a Caribbean flair. It doesn’t take long before we hear a Spanish-speaking woman ask, “¿Usted se cree que quiero que me invierta mi dinero en la 42 donde la gente está bailando dembow?”
That’s when Bad Bunny joins the dembow track, and the bass intensifies. Throughout the song, there are multiple references to the Dominican Republic, a place that has been a source of inspiration for both artists. Bad Bunny’s hit “Tití Me Preguntó” earned a Latin Grammy for “Best Urban” last year, making it the first dembow song ever to receive a Grammy award. “I dedicate this Grammy to the Dominican Republic,” he posted on Twitter, recognizing dembow’s Dominican origins.
Dominican Drake is a long-existing fan persona on the internet. Drake has been known to be a fan of the Carribbean island and the culture and has woven references to it into his music videos and fashion choices.
The new song was officially confirmed during Drake’s Los Angeles concert on Aug. 13. Drake took advantage of the Puerto Rican icon’s presence to announce their second collaboration. “I want to tell y’all something ’cause y’all are L.A., and we love you,” he told the crowd at the time. “It’s been like six years since me and Benito did a song. So, we got a song coming for y’all on my album.”
“Gently” marks the second time the two emblematic rappers have collaborated together. In 2018, the duo released “MIA,” part of Benito’s debut album X 100PRE.
Besides this new single, Bad Bunny has released a bilingual rap collaboration, “K-POP,” with Travis Scott and The Weeknd. As far as singles go, the Latine superstar recently dropped “UN PREVIEW” and “WHERE SHE GOES.” It’s still unclear if he’ll continue to release more music in 2023.
Listen to “Gently” below:
