Also featuring: a daring interpolation of Sebastian the crab…
[Video]
[5.89]
Michael Hong: Latin music’s collaborative nature in its peak form, the posse cut, is good when it allows each artist to work the beat on their own terms, rather than boxing them into a style to match another artist. Thankfully, “China” is good. Each artist’s verse is a flex, the palpable chemistry between them elevates the track even more, and the re-interpretation of Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me” never feels like nostalgic clickbait but a fresh adaptation worthy of the club. The vocal-less spaces, although necessary to give the track room to breathe, feel a little bit extraneous. But who cares about any of that when “China” is this damn fun?
[8]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: Posse cuts in Latin trap are a dime a dozen, but “China” is one of the few this year that warrants its runtime and long feature list. The beat is colorful and propulsive, and everyone knows how to ride it well. Ozuna’s softer vocalizing leads into Anuel AA’s more brash AutoTune-drenched yelping, and this sequencing revs up the song’s energetic spirit. Even better are Daddy Yankee’s impassioned, versatile vocals leading into Karol G’s clean singing, and while J Balvin sounds a bit nondescript, it doesn’t matter much by the time he appears. “China” may sample Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me,” but this song is fixated on the act of infidelity. More specifically, it’s concerned with transmitting the seductive nature of the dance floor–if you were subjected to a song this vibrant, could you resist sharing a dance with anyone?
[7]
Kylo Nocom: “Everyone is Here!” and it sure is a lot to take in! In true Smash Bros. fashion, I would like to present a tier list: Daddy Yankee is probably S-tier, Anuel AA gets two thumbs up, and everybody else receives small trophies because you all did really well! Hooray!
[6]
Alfred Soto: The Flemish approach to painting applies to much Latin pop, so the number of credited names bothers me less than the Shaggy interpolation or the anonymity: five names, not one distinctive?
[4]
Crystal Leww: Too many names attached to this, a Shaggy “It Wasn’t Me” interpolation, and the song is inexplicably called “China” — this shouldn’t work, right? Right?
[8]
Wayne Weizhen Zhang: After listening on repeat while looking at the translated lyrics, watching the music video, asking several Spanish-speaking friends for direct help translating, thinking this might be about hooking up with a Chinese girl or visiting a Chinese city, I finally discovered the track is called “China” because according to Anuel, “the original rhythm had strong Chinese elements, hence the name of the song.” But Beijing is so starved for reggaeton, I’ll still happily dance to this if it comes on at a club in Sanlitun.
[5]
Joshua Lu: It’s rare for a song with this many contributors to sound this seamless, but the lack of any particular dud verses comes at the cost of any particular standouts. Tainy’s production is an effective glue for the varied vocalists, so much so that I wish he got a credit in the artist list too.
[5]
Ian Mathers: If you can’t make them higher quality, at least make your middling posse cuts a little shorter! I can’t believe I have to say this again, but Shaggy deserves better.
[4]
Iain Mew: Beyond the implied Spartacus-style “it wasn’t me — or me — or me — or me…,” I love that they have put together just enough new song that the way the jigsaw pieces of Rikrok fit into it is never predictable or obvious. Even when not everyone excels at stamping their own identity on the track, there’s a fun that doesn’t stop.
[6]