J Balvin has been laying low since releasing his album Jose back in 2021. Sure, there were some big collabs with Trueno and Ed Sheeran, but fans have been waiting to see what else the Colombian star has in store. Now he’s back in full force — and he’s enlisted Usher and DJ Khaled to make a splash.
His new song “Dientes” is a brash, relentlessly catchy mix of genres that interpolates Usher’s 2004 mega-hit “Yeah” with bold, completely unpredictable sounds. Some of that is because of the masterminds behind the production: The track features some of music’s sharpest minds, including Mura Masa, Fred Ball, DJ Luian, Mambo Kingz, Tainy, and Michael Brun. It’s a sharp spin on a hit that took over the clubs in the early 2000s, and it blends that familiar old-school energy with a futuristic take on what’s happening on global dance floors decades later.
The track starts with DJ Khaled’s gleeful ad-libs before the familiar synth beat from the Usher classic kicks in. Balvin storms in, rapping in Spanish as the song pumps up its BPM and heads toward reggaeton territory. Eventually, Usher blasts in too, adding his verses to create something brand new. Balvin explains that the spontaneous feeling of the track captures exactly how it came together.
“We didn’t plan the song,” he tells Rolling Stone. “I was sitting next to Usher at Fashion Week, telling him how his career and the song ‘Yeah!’ were a huge inspiration for me. I’m humbled that Usher jumped on [‘Dientes]’] and with Khaled’s help, we created a song that makes people smile and feel good. We’re trying to make people dance!”
In the video, Balvin dances alongside Usher in a neon-lit arcade, where a bunch of kids are playing DDR. DJ Khaled, meanwhile, is in charge of dispensing tickets to the screaming kids.
It’s another triumphant moment for Balvin, who he brought the house down last week when he appeared as a guest star during Karol G’s massive sold-out concert at MetLife Stadium. He did a medley of his biggest hits, including “Ginza,” “X,” and “Mi Gente,” to a roaring crowd and then celebrated Karol’s success with a few special words: “You are the queen,” he told her onstage. “You think I inspired you… You are my inspiration! I am at your feet.”
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