La Formula "Despacito": Los hits de la musica latina contados por sus artistas / The "Despacito" Formula: Latin Music Hits as Told by Their Artists

Reported on and written by Leila Cobo, Billboard's VP of Latin Music and the world's ultimate authority on popular Latin music, Decoding "Despacito" is a roller coaster, behind and in front of the scenes look at the music that is currently the soundtrack of the globe.

(English-language edition: DECODING "DESPACITO," by Leila Cobo-Hanlon [Vintage, 11/3/2020])

You've heard "Despacito," the track by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, with a remix featuring Justin Bieber, as it became the most streamed song ever in the world and the longest-running on the Billboard charts, with its video becoming the first ever to hit 6 billion views on YouTube. You've no doubt also heard "Mi gente," the behemoth by J Balvin and Willy William with a remix featuring Beyonce that shattered streaming records on Spotify. And you have definitely heard "I Like It," the saucy Cardi B remake of a 1970s boogaloo hit featuring Balvin and Puerto Rican trap star Bad Bunny which, in its bilingual, multi-genre version, hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.Everywhere you turn, the sounds of Latin music are playing. It has become a global phenomenon like never before, with Latin videos dominating YouTube's global charts, an unprecedented 30 tracks in Spanish entering the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018 and a Latin song, "Despacito," becoming the most-listened to track ever.

This is the ultimate insider's history of Latin music, tracking the stories behind the biggest Latin hits of the past 50 years. From the salsa born-and-bred in the streets of New York City to Puerto Rican reggaetón and bilingual chart-toppers, this rich oral history is a veritable treasure throve of never-before heard anecdotes and insight from a who's who of Latin music artists, executives, observers and players. Their stories, told in their own words, will literally place you in the moment in time when hits where conceived and executed.