Anuel’s New Emmanuel Has Lil Wayne, A Fleet Of Urbano Stars, & A “No Woman No Cry” Cover With Travis Barker
The Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA, who is apparently just going by Anuel now, has a massive new LP called Emmanuel out today. At 22 tracks, it’s billed as a double album, though in the streaming era that distinction is mostly moot. Emmanuel has an intriguing guest list including urbano peers and forebears like Bad Bunny, Mariah, Zion, Farruko, Tego Calderón, Yandel, Enrique Iglesias, Ñengo Flow, and, on the Shaggy-interpolating posse cut “China,” a dream team of J Balvin, Ozuna, Karol G, and Daddy Yankee. It also has Lil Wayne on “Ferrari,” and it starts with a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” featuring Travis Barker on drums.
The features aren’t really the draw here though. Anuel has developed into one of the most captivating voices in the urbano scene, a gruff yet suave baritone that makes him sound like Balvin on creatine, often punctuated by trilling “brrr” ad libs. He would be a very good radio DJ if he wasn’t the guy making songs for the radio. The production is as impeccable as you’d expect, putting a bold pop edge on the prevailing reggaeton and Latin trap sounds while also veering into surprises like the revved-up Calypso banger “El Manual.” It’s a consistently fun listen, so dig into it below.
Emmanuel is out now on Sony Music Latin.