Coming off their surprise hip-hop protest anthem with iLe, comes what could possibly be the most awaited reggaeton junte we’ve seen in urbano in years – a perreo collaboration between Residente and Bad Bunny. “Bellacoso” is the first single from René Perez Joglar’s (better known as Residente) upcoming yet-to-be-titled sophomore album. “This is the first reggaeton that I’m doing since a long time ago. It’s not because I don’t like reggaeton, but because I like a lot of different types of music and I never wanted to be part of a wave. I wanted to become an artist myself, by my own achievements,” Residente tells Remezcla. “Bellacoso” brings back memories of early Calle 13 with nonstop bar spitting, dwelling debaucherously in lyrics that are catchy, fun and foot-thumping.
Both artists bring more than their share of rhymes to the table. The song was developed using the frequencies of their brain waves. “Everything is part of a concept. I’m working with scientists on this project,” shares Residente, “I’m working with the brain, and working with everything that’s inside my brain.” René explains how by using the frequencies captured by the rapper’s brain waves, they were able to develop the base of the song, which they later added additional melodic elements to the beat to produce not only “Bellacoso” but the rest of the songs on the album. For Residente, there needs to be a connection in collaboration. “I have to feel vibe before I collaborate with anyone…” he explains about the work with Benito, “…he’s a cool kid and we have things in common.”
“I started to look for a concept that it can be a conceptual album and I can write about whatever I want,” Residente says about his inspiration to explore what the human brain can encode. “That’s why I’m doing it about everything that I have in my head. It’s more of a way of expressing myself freely, being honest, and having a complete concept. In general, it’s part of the creative process, and trying to do something different and new every time that I make an album. It has to be fun for me, otherwise I was not going to do it. I don’t do this shit because I want to be top 10. I’m not looking for that,” he adds.
The video features a widely-inclusive cast comprising of Afro-Latinas, people from the LGBTQI community, and even an extended shot of Benito singing next to a woman with unshaven armpits. It was directed by cinematographer Gregory Ohrel, and takes place in Puerto Rico. It follows “los gallos del nido” (Residente and Bad Bunny) throughout the beaches and streets of Puerto Rico, accompanied by the wide-array of dancers, throughout an almost psychedelic and pulsating experience that even Puerto Rican boxing champion Tito Trinidad takes part of.
Watch the video here: