Los Dioses

“There’s no other artist that I feel flows and hits perfectly with me,” Anuel AA tells Apple Music about making music with Ozuna. “My favorite songs are with him, and he thinks the same of mine.” Indeed, considering the awesome power of instantly memorable singles like “Adicto” and “China,” few team-ups serve to shake the very foundations of the Latin music world quite like the ones between them. Befitting their gargantuan popularity, these two Caribbean titans of Latin trap and reggaetón, respectively, have repeatedly made epic tracks and colossal hits together. Yet with the auspicious arrival of the boldly titled Los Dioses, the duo at last fulfills one of the long-awaited dreams of fans everywhere by combining their powers for this full-length event.

“The name Los Dioses came about because I’m not human,” Anuel says. “It is thanks to God that we are in this elite league.” With the triumphant trap of its opening title track, their chosen godlike appellation feels far more deserved than sacrilegious. That raw realness bleeds later into “Perfecto” and the creeping stunner “La Maria,” leaving no doubt of Anuel’s rare gifts as a rapper. Ozuna more than rises to the occasion here with plenty of expertly delivered bars of his own, especially on the thug-love tip with “RD.” In turn, the reggaetón dynamo naturally stunts over the Los Dioses material closer to his popwise wheelhouse, including the Subelo NEO-produced “Nena Buena” and the dembow standout “Perreo,” as does his adroit trapero foil.

Should anyone think Anuel and Ozuna might waste their opportunity to explode people’s expectations of their capabilities, Los Dioses offers a few compelling twists and provocative turns as well. On “Contra el Mundo,” influenced in no small way by Anuel’s love for his partner KAROL G, they connect with DJ Luian and Mambo Kingz for an uncharacteristically beat-less cut. “That song is one [Ozuna] made for his wife, and it made me think of Karol,” Anuel reveals about the deeply personal highlight. Finally, the album’s closer “Municiones” taps into the burgeoning sound of corridos tumbados, the trap-informed offshoot of regional Mexican music. Such risk-taking reflects a clear desire to go beyond their comfort zones and try different things, with the confidence that they could excel at it as Los Dioses. “The name is just so powerful,” Anuel says. “So if I don’t believe in myself, who will?”