by: Leila Cobo
What was it like working with Wisin & Yandel?
When they sent the actual concept, I listened to it and the melodies completely fit me. It could be a song that I could do apart from them. So we're meeting on a ground that is completely comfortable for both of us. My duet with Justin Timberlake, for example-there is more compromise for me there. The content is similar to what you can see from 50 Cent, but the actual rap, style and cadence is different. But when I go into the song with Wisin & Yandel I didn't even have to make those cadence changes.
Had you deliberately gone after the Latin market before?
I've had huge success in Latin markets without intentionally reaching for that audience. And I'd like to maybe remix different things with different artists, and creatively, I'd like to do more stuff with Wisin & Yandel. I think hip-hop in general has changed dramatically based on artists reaching for other people. If you look at the artists out there, I think they're a reflection of what was rock'n'roll. In general, they're doing a style that isn't hip-hop. They're doing things that aren't traditional at all.
When they sent the actual concept, I listened to it and the melodies completely fit me. It could be a song that I could do apart from them. So we're meeting on a ground that is completely comfortable for both of us. My duet with Justin Timberlake, for example-there is more compromise for me there. The content is similar to what you can see from 50 Cent, but the actual rap, style and cadence is different. But when I go into the song with Wisin & Yandel I didn't even have to make those cadence changes.
Had you deliberately gone after the Latin market before?
I've had huge success in Latin markets without intentionally reaching for that audience. And I'd like to maybe remix different things with different artists, and creatively, I'd like to do more stuff with Wisin & Yandel. I think hip-hop in general has changed dramatically based on artists reaching for other people. If you look at the artists out there, I think they're a reflection of what was rock'n'roll. In general, they're doing a style that isn't hip-hop. They're doing things that aren't traditional at all.
Can collaborations hurt or cannibalize other product from the same artist?
Absolutely not. It allows you to write outside of whatever your album concept was. When I'm putting together my album conceptually, I develop this thing in my head and on paper of what I want it to feel like. Sometimes I need to do things several times to get it right. I feel a song is a piece of what they were putting together as part of the actual album. And if the album is sequenced properly, it could be something people consider a classic and you fall in love with every song. I think even the best albums we love would have been different if they had been sequenced different.
Absolutely not. It allows you to write outside of whatever your album concept was. When I'm putting together my album conceptually, I develop this thing in my head and on paper of what I want it to feel like. Sometimes I need to do things several times to get it right. I feel a song is a piece of what they were putting together as part of the actual album. And if the album is sequenced properly, it could be something people consider a classic and you fall in love with every song. I think even the best albums we love would have been different if they had been sequenced different.
Is there anything about your Latin America performances that stand out?
While I was performing in Medellín [Colombia] this girl near the front was so excited and she was so beautiful, and I thought, 'Oh, my God, I want to have kids. With her. Now.' And when the concert was over she was gone.
While I was performing in Medellín [Colombia] this girl near the front was so excited and she was so beautiful, and I thought, 'Oh, my God, I want to have kids. With her. Now.' And when the concert was over she was gone.
