Bizarrap and Residente have joined forces for a hard-hitting music session, which dropped Thursday (Feb. 3) after teasing their collab earlier this week.
The Argentine producer had been tight-lipped about the artist he’d collaborate with next for one of his coveted sessions; some have featured other artists including Anuel AA, Nicky Jam, Nathy Peluso, Cazzu and Sno Tha Product, to name a few. But the pair revealed they were working together via a photo of their signature black hats.
In his nearly 10-minute rap session — which is divided into three chapters — the Puerto Rican artist doesn’t hold back his bluntness, taking aim at managers who take credit for songwriting and J Balvin, among other topics.
In the first chapter, Capítulo Uno: En Un Lugar de la Mancha, the Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning artist says he feels uneasy as he watches over the urban genre, comparing himself to a crocodile who creeps out of the Nile River. “You and I are not the same,” he raps. “I don’t believe in the digital streaming platform stars, in your billboards that are made out of cake whipped cream or your Dolce & Gabbana stories on Instagram. I only believe in my level and the ink of my pen that runs across paper. I do this to have fun, to have fun, to have fun.”
Residente hones in on songwriting in chapter two, titled Capítulo Dos: Mis Armas Son Mis Letras, in which he criticizes managers who take credit for songwriting and songs that are less than two minutes but feature 20 songwriters. “You can’t be the leader, champion of champions, if someone else wrote all your f—ing songs,” he declares. “And they’re not embarrassed, which is what’s embarrassing … you can’t buy respect with talent, one thing is to be an artist and another is to be famous.”
The last and third chapter takes a turn. Capítulo Tres: El Caballero de los Espejos is aimed at Balvin, whom he’s had beef with since November, when the Colombian artist took to Twitter to call for a boycott of the Latin Grammys in response to what he perceived as a lack of urban representation in the nominations. Residente spits cringe-worthy rhymes about the chart-topping artist calling him a “coward” and “racist.” “He’s so insecure that he has to be announcing on Instagram how much money he makes,” Residente raps.
Billboard reached out to J Balvin’s camp for comment but did not hear back at press time.