SECONDS SINCE OUR LAST MENTIONING DRAKE: 0
[Video]
[5.43]
Alfred Soto: “Bad Bunny going Drake” was an inevitability that nevertheless should not have happened.
[4]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: A more succinct “Te Boté (Remix),” which is good for anyone who doesn’t have seven minutes to spare. You can hear the petulance resound in Bad Bunny’s wails, and the defeated insecurity is ever-present in the reverbed keys and slow shuffle of the reggaeton beat. A “Dreams and Nightmares“-like tonal shift finds Bad Bunny changing into an expectant party mode to forget his relationship troubles, and the changing utility of the plinking music box signals it well. The sequence may be unconvincing, but the hollowness that persists through this jubilant section has a welcome poignance.
[5]
Thomas Inskeep: You know what I don’t listen to Bad Bunny for, generally? Ballads. (“Amorfoda” excepted.) Guess what this is. And it’s a whiny-sounding ballad, at that.
[3]
Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Languid and beautiful for the exact amount of time (2:15) it takes me to get bored with that, at which point an air raid siren goes off and Bad Bunny shifts into gear, dancing around a kalimba-driven trap beat with aplomb. It’s the rare slow burn that doesn’t make me want to just skip to the fireworks.
[7]
Crystal Leww: Ah yes — the dichotomy of Bad Bunny, the sensitive boy and the turn up brat.
[7]
Ryo Miyauchi: Though Bad Bunny dresses “Solo de Mi” up in his own style as much as he can, it still feels like a break-up song inspired by Drake. The slowed-down dembow beat and a faint pad of pianos set up a “dancing on my own” effect — self-indulgence from heartbreak. Bad Bunny’s rap, meanwhile, grows vengeful as the verse progresses, with his melody and vocal cracks softening his pointed anger and making it sound like a sad-boy confessional. The track then breaks out of its emo shell and switches into a turn-up portion like his own “Sicko Mode,” removing all reason to believe this is any different from the break-up songs by the other self-obsessed playboys.
[6]
Ramzi Awn: You can hear the pain in Bad Bunny’s voice, and it’s no question he hit on something in “Solo de Mi,” the long, drawn-out notes emphasizing his sadness in their downward turn. You can also hear why he has collaborated with Drake: the clear penchant for melody and the shuffling beat make for a sensible addition to 2019. Had he taken it to the next level, “Solo do Mi” would sound less like a B-side from Take Care, and more like the future.
[6]