“Los maté, si señor/ Y si vuelvo a nacer, yo los vuelvo a matar” (I killed them, yes sir/ And if I’m born again, I’ll kill them again). The plaintive words, sung with a single acoustic guitar accompaniment, are the opening to Don Omar’s new album Forever King for Saban Music Latin, which has been teased with a succession of singles over the past 18 months.
It was worth the wait. That opening confession then segues into “Carcelero,” a variation on a Cuban danzón that may be Don Omar’s new magnum opus and the harbinger of a new artistic direction. While Forever King has plenty of the reggaetón that made Don Omar a pioneering leader in the genre, it also highlights an artist taking risks with different tropical beats, navigating from hard-core reggaetón in collabs like “Flow HP” with Residente and “Bandidos” with Cosculluela to evocative lyricism in songs like “Carcelero” and “Sincero.”
The collaborators here — ranging from Residente (whose mere presence on a reggaetón album is noteworthy) to relative newcomers like García and more pop-leaning names like Maluma — indicate that Don Omar is doing what he wants. With clean yet impactful lyrics, he covers a broad base and sends an unspoken message: He’ll do urban music on his terms, and he’ll venture into whatever waters he pleases at this moment in time.
Originally announced for June 22, the album was surprise-dropped early on Thursday night (June 15). Here are all 14 tracks, ranked:
