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In an interview for Dímelo King, J Balvin revealed details of his recent musical work; in addition to confessing how his process has been to become one of the greatest exponents of reggaeton.
In his statements, the singer of Mi Gente spoke about the process of growing up in an industry that was not accustomed to the urban genre, so he decided to highlight the work done by artists such as Shakira, statements that, according to some Internet users, respond to some friction that the two singers had in the past.
“When I started, we had to educate people that reggaeton was not a genre that could only be done in Puerto Rico, and they told me I was crazy for wanting to put Medallo’s name on a genre where there were no foreigners. We had to take the machete and make our way in certain places, because we already had Shakira and Carlos Vives. These people had already made a path, but it was not my genre.”
These statements from the Mi Gente singer unleashed a wave of comments from fans on social media. While some claimed that Balvin was thanking Shakira for her work and for putting Colombia on the map, others claimed that his response had a double meaning and recalled the friction that both had a few years ago.
“J Balvin mentioning Shakira showing that he recognizes her work,” wrote one user in a post, which generated negative comments from several fans of the Barranquilla native who claimed that his response had a double meaning. “Once again he is lightly attacking Shakira saying that she paved the way, but that it was not her genre. It is known that because of her the urban genre is what it is now, for a reason they call her the queen of Latin music,” responded one user.
The rivalry between J Balvin and Shakira
The discreet rivalry between the Colombian artists exploded in 2020 during the promotion of the album Translation by the American band Black Eyed Peas, a project in which Shakira, J Balvin and even Maluma collaborated on different songs. It was during a promotional interview in which the musical group was asked who was the artist with whom they had to be most flexible to work, to which they replied that the Barranquilla native.
The Black Eyed Peas’ response surprised Balvin and Maluma, who were present at the interview; however, the Mi Gente singer’s reaction sparked criticism, as he began to laugh out loud, which was taken as an insult to the singer, while Maluma tried to clarify that the laughter was due to an unknown story.
“I have never worked with Shakira, I guess that’s how it must be,” said El Niño de Medellín, confirming that he has not had the opportunity to enter the studio with the Barranquilla native, but according to some of Shakira’s followers, the mockery was due to the fact that the singer apparently never wanted to collaborate with Balvin, although he did have the intention.
This reaction from the artist from Medellín sparked the anger of fans that year, leading them to believe there was a rivalry between the two, as some of Shakira’s followers came out to say that the reggaeton singer’s behavior was because she rejected him and instead preferred to work with artists like Maluma on several occasions.
Although these statements are based on rumors from fans and neither singer has made official statements about it, some media have assured that the rivalry did exist for a time, so her recent statements on the Dímelo King program are the answer for many that the reggaeton singer actually maintains respect and admiration for the Hips don’t lie singer.
