Our curiosity was piqued when Tory Lanez told Ebro in March that he was working on El Agua, a collaborative album featuring an all-star lineup of Latino artists. The wait is over for the first look at the release. Lanez has dropped “Pa Mi,” a breathless dancehall seduction track with a light touch and an Ozuna feature.
“Ozuna was naturally who fit the vibe best,” Lanez explained in a press release. On the track, the Barbadian-Curaçaoan rapper delivers several minutes of convincing Spanish-language verses before his guest comes in. The song culminates in a Lanez breakdown that combines Spanglish and a touch of Bajan Creole — a fair argument that if Drake is allowed to flirt with Spanish-language releases, Lanez is just as qualified.
In a press release about the single, the Toronto-raised rapper explained the motivation behind El Agua was to reach “Spanish and Latin fans.” The way he tells it, building out El Agua is an attempt to step up his universal appeal. “I want to be the biggest artist in the world, and I’m not letting anything stand in my way…not even language barriers.” Tory Lanez joins the ranks of many non-Latino artists who are releasing bilingual songs following the success of “Despacito.”