Moments in Timelessness

Sr. Santos II Sueños de Grandeza Album ∙ Latin ∙ 2025 Arcángel Throughout his decades-long career, Arcángel has remained a force to reckon with in both reggaetón and hip-hop spaces, often at the same time. Yet his pivotal role in the 2010s Latin trap movement as both scene elder and savvy hitmaker kept him part of a contemporary vanguard otherwise populated by younger, hungrier talents. By the time  SR. SANTOS  dropped in 2022, his stature as a trapero was widely acknowledged and appreciated across generations of listeners. Arriving just a few years later, this robust rap-centric sequel leaves little argument against his being a Spanish-language rap G.O.A.T. contender. After laying waste on the graphic intro “Apocalipsis,” he proceeds to prove his endurance on the mic has in no way lessened. Commercial cuts like “5 Pa Las 12” with singer Maria Becerra and the emotional “Mi Peor Momento” mix with the more rugged and ruthless fare of “ABC,” “Don Francisco,” and “Sin Embargo.” Wi...

Papi Arca Album ∙ Latin ∙ 2024 Arcángel Considering how prevalent Arcángel has been in reggaetón and Latin trap in recent years, his relative silence on the new-music front in 2024 felt odd. Beyond a scant few features, the vanguard rapper seemed on hiatus, all but certain to break his streak of dropping yearly solo projects that began with 2018’s  Ares . Thankfully, the surprise release of  Papi Arca  in the final weeks of December maintains his admirable release record. The nine-track effort demonstrates his signature style over several musical modes—spitting toughened rhymes with that unmistakable rasp on opener “La Franquicia” and ending as a romantic reggaetonero for “Besitos Pa’ Esas Nalgas.” Between those bookends, he keeps things mostly collaborative, subtly interpolating a J. Cole smash with Eladio Carrión on the R&B-driven “BFF” and recounting sexual conquests alongside Sech on the rugged “La Varita.” Still, a veteran of his caliber doesn’t require guests to...

SR. SANTOS ALBUM ∙ URBANO LATINO ∙ 2022 Arcángel Bad Bunny and other collaborators join Arca for his fifth LP.