Dembow is reggaetón’s fierce cousin from the Dominican Republic—a hard-driving genre that takes inspiration from Jamaica’s dembow riddim and stays close to the streets where it was born. El Alfa, born Emanuel Herrera Batista, has been one of dembow’s top innovators for years, thanks to his rugged, staccato vocal style and prolific output. Urbano artists have taken notice, and El Alfa’s high-profile collaborations with artists like Farruko, J Balvin, Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee have nudged the party-starting genre closer to the mainstream without sacrificing its raw appeal.