Latin

All the hits that reached No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs every summer season (June, July, & August) since 2013.

De La Ghetto has entered his new career era with the release of GZ — his first studio album in three years and the first released independently under his label Latin Nation Entertainment, distributed by The Orchard.
Home to 12 tracks, including the previously released single “My Love” with Quevedo, GZ (short for his alter ego De La Geezy) navigates sultry and bold R&B sounds, inspired by the genre’s street vibe in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. The set also embraces a few hard-hitting reggaeton tracks as heard in the Myke Towers-assisted “Me Dijeron,” which samples Mario Winans’ “I Don’t Wanna Know,” and unapologetic trap as heard in “Ya Lo Sabes” with Arcangel, Nesi and Villano Antillano.

“The creative process was a little bit different because we weren’t going to do this album. We just wanted to drop singles, but my manager put the pressure on me,” De La Ghetto tells Billboard. “The vibe was different because this is the first album I’ve dropped as an independent artist, so there was more motivation. I didn’t have a crazy deadline, there was no pressure, I just flowed and was having fun with the album.”

The artist’s last album was the star-studded Los Chulitos, released in 2020 before parting ways with Warner Music Latina.

Unlike Los Chulitos, on which he teamed up with acts such as Nicky Jam, Rauw Alejandro and Manuel Turizo, De La Ghetto reeled in a new wave of trap and reggaeton stars from La Isla del Encanto (RaiNao, Dei V, Lyanno, and others) — all of whom remind him of himself when he was a rising urban artist in the early 2000s. 

“Sometimes the old-school producers, as great as they are, are drained from doing a lot of work. I wanted to bring that new energy, that new sound from Puerto Rico to the world — I wanted to use the people from my island without taking credit away from the artists in Colombia, Argentina and the Dominican Republic,” he explains. “When I work with new artists, I let them take control. When we’re in the studio, I let them lead and show me what they want to hear from the new De La Ghetto. At times I even find myself, finding new ways of rapping and new melodies, because this is always changing. Music is moving really fast.”

After personally selecting his collaborators and following a creative span of nine months, GZ was created.

“That’s why I took sometime after ‘Los Chulitos’ to release a new album because I was by myself, I was independent, and I was trying to find that passion of mine to create music,” he says. “What’s the point of releasing an album without feeling? I couldn’t just drop an album with no purpose. It’s not in my DNA.” 

Stream and listen to the GZ album below:

New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

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Becky G and Gabito Ballesteros, “La Nena” (Kemosabe Records/RCA Records)

Becky G has teamed up with Mexican newcomer Gabito Ballesteros to release “La Nena” (the girl), the latest single from her upcoming regional Mexican album. Her new corrido navigates from trumpets to strings, resulting in an enticing rhythm complemented by the harmonizing voices of Becky and Gabito to create a new female anthem. Co-written and co-produced by Edgar Barrera and Ballesteros, the lyrics in “La Nena” tell the story of an empowered woman who chooses to continue dancing through life despite having her heart broken “She dances alone, but if she only knew how beautiful she looks single,” goes the chorus. — INGRID FAJARDO

Shakira and Manuel Turizo, “Copa Vacía” (Ace Entertainment)

In their first collaborative effort, Colombian artists Shakira and Manuel Turizo present an infectious song about unrequited love, in which they sing about not getting enough affection from their loved ones. “Drop your phone, use your hands with me,” Shakira sings, while Turizo replies “I’m looking in the streets who can fill this emptiness I feel”. The pop-reggaeton banger, which will make you dance for sure, comes with a movie-like music video co-directed by Shakira and Jaume de Laiguana in which the pop star plays an abandoned mermaid and Turizo a prince coming to the rescue. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

Peso Pluma x Grupo Frontera, “TULUM” (Double P Records)

Two of Música Mexicana’s hottest acts, Peso Pluma and Grupo Frontera, have united on “TULUM” — one of three tracks on Peso’s Génesis deluxe album. Produced by Edgar Barrera, the collab finds “La Doble P” steering away from his signature corridos bélicos sound and dipping his toes into Frontera’s very catchy norteño-cumbia fusions. “TULUM,” cleverly referenced at the beginning of the song as “a lot of vacations in Tulum but I know your heart doesn’t go ‘tulum, tulum,” narrates the story of a man who’s after a girl who’s in a relationship where she’s not desired. “Tell him you have another man/if you want to tell him my name/that the food gets cold when no one eats it,” goes the chorus. In the vibrant music video, Peso and Frontera are enjoying the summer days in a backyard fiesta. — JESSICA ROIZ

DannyLux ft. Pablo Hurtado, “ZAFIRO” (Warner Music Latina/VPS Music)

Mexican-American crooner DannyLux has delivered his most eclectic song yet. In “Zafiro,” a collaboration with Pablo Hurtado (of the Mexican band Camila), the sierreño artist incorporates orchestra, complex requinto lines and an epic rock guitar solo by Hurtado. Although it may sound like a bit too much, DannyLux doesn’t exactly fuse all genres at the same time, instead, he allows all three to shine giving them their own moment throughout the song — and that’s why it works. “This song has so many emotions put into it, it talks about being in love with a person that truly did hurt you, and every time you look into their eyes it reminds you of that,” DannyLux said about “Zafiro,” on which he sings with such passion, “those sapphire eyes, they shine and they lie.” The genre-defying track is the latest single from his upcoming album, set to drop this summer. — GRISELDA FLORES

De La Ghetto and Myke Towers, “No Quiero Saber” (Latin Nation Entertainment)

“Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente,” or “out of sight, out of mind,” is the vibe of De La Ghetto and Myke Towers’ “Me Dijeron,” an R&B/hip-hop number with an arresting reggaeton thump. The throwback track, from DLG’s latest album GZ, is also a wonderful Spanish rendition of 2004’s “I Don’t Want to Know” by Mario Winans, a Bad Boy Entertainment classic. Together, the Puerto Rican pair interplay poetic rhymes about vulnerability and denial — a refreshing take from música urbana’s usual boastful banter. It underlines the painful feeling of infidelity but is delivered with conviction and confidence. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Pablo Alborán, “Somos Dos” (Disney Enterprises/Pixar)

Pablo Alborán gives his personal touch and a heartfelt interpretation to “Somos dos”, the Spanish version of “Steal the Show” by Lauv, which is the main theme of the Disney/Pixar film Elemental. “We are two, no one else matters. If there is love, the rest will come,” says part of the lyrics in Spanish followed by a contagious melody. The romantic pop song sets the scene for the love story of Candela (Ember) and Nilo (Wade), the protagonists of the story, who live in Element City along with residents of Water, Fire, Air and Earth. “Happy to have adapted and sung the original song from the movie ELEMENTAL for @disneyspain !! Thank you for wanting to count on me!! I want to be Nilooo!!! On July 14 Only in theaters!!!!!!” shared the Spanish singer on his social media. The beautiful music video shows various scenes from the film and Alborán in various settings that symbolize the four elements. — LUISA CALLE

Check out more editor’s picks in the weekly playlist below!