The Puerto Rican actress and singer is celebrating her 54th birthday today (July 24) and to commemorate the special day, Billboard compiled a list with some of J.Lo’s noteworthy collaborations with reggaetón artists.
Before she joined forces with Latin acts, Lopez teamed up with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Ja Rule — with whom she earned her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001 with “I’m Real.” Their second collaborative effort, “Ain’t It Funny,” hit No. 1 that same year, where it spent six weeks. In 2003, her collaboration with LL Cool J, “All I Have,” also hit No. 1 on the all-genre chart, spending four weeks on top.
By this time, Lopez had already joined forces with Latin acts such as Marc Anthony, Pitbull, and Fat Joe. But it wasn’t until 2012 that the New York-born star stepped into the reggaetón realm, with “Follow the Leader,” in collab with Wisin y Yandel. The track hit No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs in May 2012, spending two weeks at the top.
Most notably, Lopez teamed up with Colombian artist Maluma in 2020, for a two-part release: “Pa’ Ti” and “Lonely.” The bilingual project formed part of the Marry Me movie soundtrack, which co-starred both artists.
“I love singing in Spanish,” Lopez told Billboard in a 2020 cover story interview. “Honestly, I think I sing better in Spanish than I even do in English. That’s a big part of who I am. I’m always working on a Spanish album. I never finish it. But you don’t want to put anything out until you feel that it’s the right thing at the right time. I’ve been working on some songs on the album for three years, [and these two new ones], we did them and we put them right out.”
Below, revisit the birthday girl’s memorable reggaetón collaborations:
Wisin y Yandel
Eleven years ago, Wisin y Yandel recruited Jennifer Lopez on “Follow the Leader.” Rather than it being a hard-hitting reggaetón song, the track is a party-starting electronic jam with bilingual lyrics about being a leader and not a follower. “Follow the Leader” hit No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs in May 2012, where it spent two weeks.
Additionally, Lopez later collaborated with both Wisin and Yandel on their respective solo careers. With the former, she dropped “Amor, Amor, Amor” in 2017. She then joined the latter on Abraham Mateo’s “Se Acabó el Amor” in 2018.
Wisin
In 2014, Lopez teamed up with Wisin for a third collaboration called “Adrenalina,” featuring Ricky Martin. The ultra-Boricua track formed part of Wisin’s second solo studio album, El Regreso del Sobreviviente. The track fuses feel-good dance and pop rhythms backed by sensual lyrics. “Adrenalina” hit no. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart that same year.
Gente de Zona
In 2017, Lopez reeled in Cuban duo Gente de Zona (following their massive success on Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando”) for the catchy “Ni Tú Ni Yo.” The Cubaton-influenced bop, which fuses reggaetón music with traditional Cuban rhythms, narrates the story of a love so strong that neither person has control of their feelings. The track hit Top 20 on Hot Latin Songs that same year.
Bad Bunny
The following year, Lopez teamed up with a then-rising Bad Bunny on “Te Guste.” Meshing Lopez’s sensuality with Bunny’s distinct trap sound, the track is just that: a sensual trap jam. In its flirtatious lyrics, the artists go back and forth about liking each other, but no one making the first move. The song reached No. 12 on Hot Latin Songs chart in 2018.
Maluma
Produced by Jon Leone and Édgar Barrera and co-written by Lopez and Maluma, the 2020 singles “Pa’ Ti” and “Lonely” have infectious downtempo reggaetón and trap melodies, highlighting J.Lo and Maluma’s vocal chemistry. The two connecting music videos, directed by Jessy Terrero, tell the story of a couple who has a forbidden relationship. The respective clips include both artists dancing atop a building (“Pa’ Ti”) and some fierce chair choreography by Lopez (“Lonely”).
Rauw Alejandro
Soon after Lopez and Alex Rodriguez called off their engagement in early 2021, the artist teamed up with Rauw Alejandro in “Cambia El Paso,” a midtempo dance track about moving on. “The song is about change and not being afraid to take the step,” she previously said on SiriusXM’s Pitbull’s Globalization. “Like, just take the step, advance, do what you need to do. If something’s not feeling right, whatever it is in your life, like, just make that move and dance.”
