Reggaeton extraordinaire J Balvin is a far cry from his mixtape days in Medellin, Colombia. After exploding onto the scene with “6 AM” featuring Puerto Rican artist Farruko—reigniting the reggaeton wave, we featured the crossover hopeful on VIBE Viva‘s June digital cover to coincide with the release of his fourth studio album, Energía, the first of his to debut at number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums.
Ahead of this year’s Latin Grammys taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, we caught up with the Colombian rapper-singer in New York City, delving into recent events that saw him become the first-ever reggaeton artist to surprass a billion views on Vevo and YouTube with “Ay Vamos.”
Holding court inside Buchanan’s Whiskey of Diageo, Balvin’s newest endeavor in brand partnership, we get the exclusive scoop on the spirit’s newest campaign #EsNuestroMomento and the Latin Grammys. We also touch on Roc Nation Latin’s growing roster and the Drake comparisons still making rounds, among other things. Salud, J, to making dreams deferred a tangible reality…