''El Último Tour Del Mundo'' (; Spanish for "The Final Tour of the World", stylized in
all caps
In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...
) is the third solo studio album and fourth overall by Puerto Rican rapper and singer
Bad Bunny
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", w ...
. It was released on November 27, 2020, by Rimas Entertainment, only nine months after the release of his previous record ''
YHLQMDLG
''YHLQMDLG'' (acronym for "Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana", Spanish for "I Do Whatever I Want") is the second solo studio album and third overall by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny. It was released on February 29, 2020, by Rimas Entertain ...
'', which achieved both commercial success and critical acclaim. Comprising sixteen tracks, it is primarily a
Latin trap
Latin trap is a subgenre of trap music that originated in Puerto Rico. A direct descendant of southern hip hop, and influenced by reggaeton, it gained popularity after 2007, and has since spread throughout Latin America. ''The trap'' is slang fo ...
and
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico.
It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...
album infused with a variety of
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...
styles, and features guest appearances from
Jhay Cortez,
Rosalía
Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish singer. Born and raised in the outskirts of Barcelona, she has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. ...
and
Abra. The album's title refers to how Bad Bunny imagined what his last concert tour would look like, as he imagined his final tour in the year 2032.
The album was written and recorded during the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
quarantine and is a departure from Bad Bunny's aggressive reggaetón sound.
It became the first all-Spanish-language album to reach number one on the US
''Billboard'' 200. ''El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo'' was the best selling Latin album in the United States of 2021 and was the most consumed and streamed album in Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina that year. The album won
Best Urban Music Album at the
22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards
The 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on Thursday, November 18, 2021, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas to honour the best musical releases within Latin music released from June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021. The nominations were announce ...
and
Best Música Urbana Album
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
at the
64th Grammy Awards
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
. To promote the album, he embarked in a concert tour
with the same name.
Background and singles
Bad Bunny first teased his third studio album on February 29, 2020, when he sang on the song "<3": "this album is so hot, I did it for you all; and in nine months I'll come back and release another one; to retire pleasingly like Miguel Cotto". On October 30, the lead single of the album, "
Dakiti", featuring Puerto Rican singer and close friend Jhay Cortez was released, reaching number one on the
''Billboard'' Global 200 chart. The album's title was teased in the video for "Dakiti", in which a big truck drives by with a message that displays the title. On November 24, 2020, he again hinted at a new album,
tweeting the word "Temazo", which translates to "hit". He posted a similar post on Twitter before ''
YHLQMDLG
''YHLQMDLG'' (acronym for "Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana", Spanish for "I Do Whatever I Want") is the second solo studio album and third overall by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny. It was released on February 29, 2020, by Rimas Entertain ...
'' was released. The day after, he announced the release date of the album, its title, and tracklist. The album was released along with a video for the single "
Yo Visto Así", featuring cameos from, among others,
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his discography spanning Latin pop, pop, dance, reggaeton ...
and
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara (; born July 10, 1972) is a Colombian and American actress and model. She was the highest paid actress in American television from 2013 to 2020. . A video for the track "Hoy Cobré" was released on December 11. A video for another track, "Booker T", was released on January 2, 2021, starring
WWE wrestler
Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to
* Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century
** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T."
* Booker T. Jones (born 1944 ...
. A video for "Te deseo lo mejor" was made in collaboration with ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
''.
Composition and recording
''El Último Tour Del Mundo'' is a
Latin trap
Latin trap is a subgenre of trap music that originated in Puerto Rico. A direct descendant of southern hip hop, and influenced by reggaeton, it gained popularity after 2007, and has since spread throughout Latin America. ''The trap'' is slang fo ...
and
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico.
It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...
album, infused with a variety of
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...
styles, namely
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
,
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
,
acoustic rock
Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the adve ...
,
punk rock,
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
,
rock en español
Rock en español () is a term used widely in the English-speaking world to refer to any kind of rock music featuring Spanish vocals. Compared to English-speaking bands, very few acts reached worldwide success or between Spanish-speaking countrie ...
, and
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
, as well as influences from
alternative pop
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s wi ...
,
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
,
new wave,
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
,
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
,
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
,
holiday
A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...
,
latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
,
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
,
hip-hop, and
R&B.
''El Último Tour Del Mundo'' has been regarded as Bad Bunny's "most personal and creatively ambitious work yet".
An "experimental, futuristic and edgy" body of work,
the album marks a departure from Bad Bunny's
perreo style, as it is a "more introspective, sometimes acoustic fare" and contains only two collaborations: one with R&B artist Abra and the other with
Rosalía
Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish singer. Born and raised in the outskirts of Barcelona, she has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. ...
("La Noche de Anoche"). Both songs were recorded separately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding the lack of guest appearances, Bad Bunny stated: "I thought it was time to demonstrate versatility and bring something fresh to the fans".
He called the album "completely different from ''YHLQMDLG''. This is a more sentimental album, more chill, the kind of thing you can listen to in your room"; he considered how people were unable to go out or party during the COVID-19 pandemic. He described the album as "rock 'n' roll, a lot of guitars–there's one song that only has guitar–it's more musical, has more fusions, and also reggaetón and rap". The album was conceived entirely during the
2020 quarantine.
Bad Bunny worked on the album while traveling, in Los Angeles, Mexico, and at his home in Puerto Rico.
The album was engineered by Bad Bunny's frequent engineer La Paciencia.
Critical reception
At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a
normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 83 based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Thom Jurek of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
named the album Bad Bunny's "most adventurous outing" which may take longtime fans "a few listens to fully grasp" but it will ultimately "leave its infectious hooks, earworms, and strangeness fully embedded."
Writing for ''
Remezcla'', Diego Urdaneta noticed that Bad Bunny is "more interested in his artistic legacy than predictability", which the writer considers is "a blueprint for many artists to follow in order to break the barriers of mainstream Latin music and dare to innovate within reaggetón and trap," as the artist mostly did not feature songs that can be categorized as club appealing. Matthew Ismael Ruiz of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' commented that ''El Último Tour Del Mundo'' "gets at the core of what makes Bad Bunny so appealing", presenting a wide range of influences with a genuine connection to his music and persona, while he also "toes the line" between rap braggadocio and "vulnerable everyman" with "relative ease." Ruiz argued that it is not Bad Bunny's best release, but "that's almost beside the point."
Julyssa Lopez of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' deemed the album "a defiant industry game-changer lit up by streaks of rock guitar," and "an eccentric good time" that "isn't by any means a repudiation of the genres that have made Bad Bunny a star; if anything, it's proof of how far they can stretch,"
Verónica Bastardo of ''
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quietu ...
'' noticed that Bad Bunny decided to put "the dembow rhythms and party vibes aside" to experiment with "the fuzzed-up guitars and iconoclasm of punk rock" creating "fresh sound narratives" in a rather "monotone" reggaeton music scene. Gary Suarez of
Vulture.com
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...
described the album as "polarizing by design" that "reflects the exciting uncertainty of the future", and considered that his three solo studio albums "showcase the Bunny we know—sensitive yet cocksure, playful yet determined." He further compared the "universally adored" ''YHLQMDLG'' to the "individualistic, left of center" ''El Último Tour Del Mundo''.
Awards and nominations
Commercial performance
''El Último Tour Del Mundo'' debuted at number one on the US
''Billboard'' 200 with 116,000 becoming the first all-Spanish-language album to top the chart. It earned Bad Bunny his fourth top 10 entry. Before ''El Último Tour Del Mundo'', only two mostly Spanish-sung albums reached number one on the chart,
Selena
Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...
's ''
Dreaming of You'' (1995) and
Il Divo
Il Divo (; ) are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, and Sébastien Izambard. It also included baritone ...
's ''
Ancora'' (2006). It also became the fourth all-Spanish language album to enter the top five, the others being
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
's ''
Fijación Oral, Vol. 1'' (2005) and
Maná
Maná () is a Mexican pop rock band. The band is considered one of the best-selling Latin music artists and the most successful Latin American band of all time with over 40 million records sold worldwide. The group's current lineup consists o ...
's ''
Amar es Combatir
''Amar Es Combatir'' (English: "To Love Is To Fight") is the seventh studio album released by the Mexican Latin pop/Rock en Español band Maná. The album, which was released on August 22, 2006, became the band's first release in four years.
...
'' (2006), both at number four, and his album ''
YHLQMDLG
''YHLQMDLG'' (acronym for "Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana", Spanish for "I Do Whatever I Want") is the second solo studio album and third overall by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny. It was released on February 29, 2020, by Rimas Entertain ...
'' (2020) at number two.
In its second week, the album dropped to number two on the chart, earning an additional 57,000 units. It was the 4th Best Selling Latin Album of 2020 in the United States with 348,000
unit
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (a ...
s. It was the Best Selling Latin Album in the United States of 2021 with 854,000 units. As of January 2022, El Último Tour del Mundo had sold 1.2 millions of equivalent units in the United States.
In Argentina, El Ultimo Tour del Mundo was the most streamed album on Spotify. In Chile, El Ultimo Tour Mundo was the most consumed album and Bad Bunny the most listened international artist on Spotify. In Mexico and Colombia, "El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo" was the most listened album on Spotify and "Dakiti" the most cosumed song.
The fifteen track, 'Antes Que Se Acabe' samples astrologer's,
Walter Mercado
Walter Mercado Salinas (9 March 1932 – 2 November 2019), also known by his stage name Shanti Ananda, was a Puerto Rican astrologer, actor, dancer, and writer, best known as a television personality for his shows as an astrologer. His astrol ...
famous tagline.
In Spain, it was the third most streamed album of 2021.
Commentary
In an article for ''Billboard'', Leila Cobo considered the number-one position "a huge win" for the Latin music industry, that "for decades has seen its artists systematically undermined by the mainstream media, and by the industry overall, unless they either sing in English or collaborate with a mainstream act who does." Among the factors that made that possible, she cited Bad Bunny being "arguably one of the most popular artists globally", the era of
streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content i ...
, Latin music genre's sustained growth both in the US and globally, and that he was not "subjected" to the
barriers to entry
In theories of competition in economics, a barrier to entry, or an economic barrier to entry, is a fixed cost that must be incurred by a new entrant, regardless of production or sales activities, into a market that incumbents do not have or h ...
that Latin artists "have had to crash into for years" in the US, as they did not enjoy the same distribution, radio airplay, media coverage or presence, award show nominations or appearances as mainstream acts, "even when their global music sales merited it." She also deemed him "a unique artist with a unique appeal that's not easily replicated."
Ben Sisario of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' also cited streaming as "key" for his success.
Track listing
Additional notes
* signifies an uncredited co-producer
–
Credits and personnel
Musicians
*
Bad Bunny
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", w ...
– main artist
*
Rosalía
Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish singer. Born and raised in the outskirts of Barcelona, she has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. ...
– vocals
*
Jhay Cortez – vocals
*
Abra – vocals
* Trio Vegabajeño – vocals
Production
* MAG – production
* Caleb Calloway – production
* Mora – production
* Mick Coogan – production
* Mr. NaisGai – production
* Elikai – production
* Hazen – production
* Súbelo Neo – production
*
Chris Jedi – production
* Gaby Music – production
*
Tainy – production
* Misael de la Cruz – production
* La Paciencia – production
* Bass Charity – production
* Lara Project – production
*
Trio Vegabajeño
Trio Vegabajeño was a legendary Puerto Rican popular music trio that existed from 1943 to the early 80s.
This group marked an era of popular music in Puerto Rico. When trios were very popular in the Americas, Trio Vegabajeño was considered the ...
– production
Technical
* Colin Leonard –
mastering
* Josh Gudwin – mixing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
2020 albums
Bad Bunny albums
Albums produced by Tainy
Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Music Album