Balvin, together with special guests Tainy, De La Ghetto, and Jowell & Randy, shocked Coachella with a Men in Black moment.
THE GRAMMY-WINNING LATIN J Balvin, a Colombian musician, launched an incredible reggaeton party beneath the stars on Sunday night by parking a massive inflatable spacecraft on Coachella’s main stage.
Balvin made his Coachella debut and began the celebrations with his 2017 moombahton hit, “Mi Gente,” which he also performed with Beyoncé during her historic Homecoming set. Six years later, both the sound of reggaeton and Balvin’s catalog have evolved and imaginatively merged with other genres. Star producer and reggaeton maestro Tainy was positioned at the turntables, fusing house and techno with Balvin’s bass-heavy tropical mix.
During J Balvin‘s concert, Will Smith made an unexpected appearance while portraying his famous character, Agent J, from Men in Black. In a rendition of Smith’s 1997 “Men in Black” theme, J Balvin and his dancers—dressed as brilliant green extraterrestrials—shrugged in time with the music.
Smith put an end to the cosmic boogie by flashing his neuralyzer, the secret device that wipes memories featured in the movie series. (In some way, the Rolling Stone reporters were immune to the laser’s effects.)
Will Smith, the Fan of Balvin’s Music
Will Smith has previously expressed his admiration for Balvin and reggaeton in general: In 2018, he uploaded a video of himself dancing to “X” by Balvin and Nicky Jam. “Ritmo,” a collaboration between Smith and Martin Lawrence and the Black Eyed Peas for Bad Boys for Life, was also scored by Balvin in 2019.
From “Ginza” in 2015 to “I Like It” in 2018, Balvin produced a succession of number-one singles; however, his A-list collaborators Bad Bunny and Cardi B were not in attendance. Nevertheless, despite Benito’s absence, the audience appeared eager to sing along with Balvin during the heartening exchange of “La Canción,” a 2019 ballad, in which they exchanged harmonious lyrics.
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Meanwhile, Jowell & Randy were poised in the wings, delivering their mischievous theatrics to perform “Colmillo,” an EDM-reggaeton track from Tainy’s album Data, which was released in 2023. Subsequently, MC De La Ghetto, who was born in the Bronx, joined the musical mafia’s highest echelons to perform their newly released single, “Triple S.”
Balvin’s Last Appearance at Coachella
Balvin last played on Coachella’s main stage in 2019, alongside Rosalía for “Con Altura” and Sean Paul for “Contra La Pared.” Balvin, who released his most recent album, José, in 2021, had promised a “super updated” new album this year, as well as a collaborative project with Ed Sheeran, but made no clear mention of either at Coachella.
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