Maya Georgi
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J Balvin and Ryan Castro release their collaborative album 'Omerta' Photographed by Josefina Santos J Balvin is celebrating his birthday in style: He has officially released Omerta, his collaborative album with Ryan Castro. The genre-hopping 10-track project is out now, and includes features from DJ Snake, Eladio Carrión, and Judeline.
Omerta marks the first collaborative project from the Colombian stars as they join forces to shake up the Latin music industry and, of course, display their unwavering pride for their shared hometown, Medellín. The LP has been a long time coming; Balvin and Castro built a close friendship over five years and describe each other as family. It only made sense for them to finally collaborate. “I never had the chance to find a partner from Colombia to make an album together,” Balvin told Rolling Stone for his cover story with Castro. “We have a really beautiful relationship that became family.”
The theme of family and sticking to code of conduct amongst trusted loved ones is a recurring one through out the album. “We have a really beautiful relationship. We became family, and that’s why we call this album Omerta, because it’s about family and taking care of ourselves and our people,” Balvin said.
Due to their close bond, the pair were able to make the album in a week, recording in New York before flying to Turks and Caicos to properly add the dancehall sounds that Castro has become known for in his solo work. “We enjoyed the entire album experience. It felt like a really special chapter. Beyond just the music or the visuals we created, it was really about the camaraderie, sharing that time with all the different teams, the whole family. We had a blast making it,” Castro told Rolling Stone.
