Tainy’s musical contributions to modern-day Latin pop are unparalleled. As a mastermind behind many a reggaetón-pop hit — including producing nine of the 23 tracks found on Bad Bunny’s genre-hopping, record-shattering Un Verano Sin Ti blockbuster — it’s no doubt that he has helped revamp the Latin pop playbook. The Puerto Rican producer is now preparing to drop his solo debut LP, the star-studded DATA, in early 2023. To date, the 2022 Latin Grammy winner for producer of the year has unveiled the wildly successful “Lo Siento BB:/,” featuring Bunny and Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas, as well as “Sci-Fi,” co-starring Rauw Alejandro. “[DATA] is a representation of who I am as a person, and as a fan of music,” Tainy tells Billboard Español. “To be able to have my own albu...
You narrated Amazon Music’s Género 101: Trap Argentino, which beautifully highlights this evolution while showcasing Argentina’s rich musical history. Viewers get a glimpse of the gauchos, who were considered the first freestylers to the vibrant hip-hop scene. How did those histories impact you? I come from an area in the north of Argentina [called Ledesma], where folklore is very important and present in our lives. It’s an area where all that is still very much alive. I grew up in a very folkloric environment, and I know the roots of my country very well. It’s something that’s been part of my artistic personality. I was also a part of Argentine cumbia for a long time, which allowed me to get to know it very well. But I made [other] choices, and among them was hip-hop. When...