Ozuna is feelin’ the (Afro)beat…
The 28-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer has joined voices with Afrobeat sensation Afro B for a bilingual Latin-ifiedversion of “Drogba (Joanna),” Afro B’s smash hit.
The new version of the track, along with a music video, will be released on Friday, July 24 and builds on Afro B’s already-successful formula.
Last year, “Drogba” peaked at No. 23 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop Airplay chart.
Now, The reggaeton-infused remix infuses Afro B’s immediately-recognizable party track with reggaeton verses in Spanish, courtesy of Ozuna, and with additional production from DJ Lobo and J Traxx.
The video, shot in the Dominican Republic pre-COVID19 and directed by Ulysses Terrero, shows Ozuna and Afro B trading verses on the beach.
“We decided to call it a global release, so it’s not limited by language or genre or border,” says producer/record executive Boy Wonder (real name Manuel Alejandro Ortiz), who executive produced the new version.
Boy Wonder’s Chosen Few Entertainment is handling the marketing for the track, which is being distributed by InGrooves.
“It would be interesting to see how people take it when they listen to this record they like and hear something different that’s refreshing,” adds Boy Wonder. “You hear the hook and then Ozuna comes in, and it all connects.”
Pairing Afrowave with reggaeton, of course, comes naturally.
“Afrowave is a combination of the sound coming out of the Africa mixed with dancehall,” says Afro B, who is London-raised of Ivorian heritage. “You might hear reggaeton you might hear some hip-hop influences and R&B all in one package,” he adds.
For Ozuna, who often incorporates Afrobeat into his music, it’s his first collaboration with an artist from the genre.
