Karol G has had an unrepeatable year. The ‘Tomorrow will be nice’ tour, four Bernabéus sold out, the song of the summer in Spain with ‘Si Hasta Te Hubiera Conocido’… It’s a shame that the streak has ended with ‘+57’, a song that demonstrates the great crisis of creativity within reggaetón and, to a point, the fatigue of the public.
What should have been an anthem of Colombian reggaeton alongside its great exponents (Feid, Maluma, J Balvin, Blessd, Ryan Castro, DFZM and Ovy On The Drums) quickly became a controversy around its tricky content. This is what Rolling Stone in Spanish said in its viral review: “It is very serious that, at this point in the conversation about narcoculture and rape culture, topics such as the sexualization of minors continue to be freely touched on in songs.”
The comment refers to a part of the lyrics in which Feid and Maluma sing about a girl who has been “mamacita since she was fourteen.” That’s really the only reference to the topic touched on by Rolling Stone. As the article mentions, in Medellín there is a growing problem with trafficking of minors. It is normal that that phrase is not welcome. However, I don’t know who expected a change with ‘+57’.
After the commotion, Karol G herself apologized “from the bottom of her heart” in her Instagram Stories. She began by thanking those fans who “know my project, the intentions of my work and the causes close to my heart” for their support, and then got straight to the point: “As artists, we are exposed to public opinion, and to individual interpretations.” of people who love us and people who differ from what we do.
The Colombian claims to be frustrated by the “misinformation” that the controversy has brought and denounces some “false posts that I have supposedly made and deleted from Twitter, an account that I have not used for more than 6 months.”
Regarding the lyrics sung by Feid and Maluma, the singer assures that, “unfortunately,” it was taken out of context: “I was seeking to celebrate the union between the artists and make my people dance,” she clarifies. “None of the things said in the song have the direction that they have given it, nor were they said from that perspective, but I listen, I take responsibility and I realize that I still have a lot to learn,” he continues.
Finally, and before thanking her fans again “for their unconditional love and support,” Karol apologizes: “I feel very affected and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”
The controversial line, like the rest of the lyrics, is an absolute cliché of the genre. I don’t know if the failure is more in the song, being a lost opportunity to shed light on Colombian culture and its people, or in the freedom that reggaeton artists already have to release such phrases and no one cares. .
‘+57’ doesn’t say any more atrocities than the average song of the genre, but this one has mattered. It’s as if the listeners have woken up: Is this what I’ve been hearing all this time? Why is Bad Bunny the only one capable of making decent reggaeton songs? Sometimes, not even that.
It is also shocking that the initiative came from Karol G herself, not because of the sexualization of minors (she also cannot control what each person writes in their verse), but because of the absolute mediocrity of the song. The piano notes on Ovy On The Drums feel like they’ve been recycled 50 times in 50 different songs, and there isn’t a single melodic line I can remember as I’m writing this.
If ‘+57’ has served any purpose, it is to show that a renewal is needed within reggaeton, that the public is tired of meaningless phrases being said just because it is what has always been done and that, sometimes, it is What 7 artists do is not far from what just one can do.
