"Despacito" is a Spanish word that translates as "slowly”. Yet, its meteoric ascension has been everything but slow. Luis Fonsi's song, starring Daddy Yankee, surpassed the 2.5 billion views mark quicker than any other video in YouTube history. And only 204 days after its debut, the video topped 3 billion views, becoming the most-viewed video of all time.

"Breaking the record for the most-viewed Youtube clip of all time is a tremendous accomplishment," Lyor Cohen, YouTube's Global Head of Music, says. "Many congratulations to Daddy Yankee and Lui Fonsi for achieving this milestone—it exemplifies the strength of YouTube in giving artists a platform to showcase their talent and interact with fans worldwide."

Despacito worldwide success is probably the most enthralling component of the song's improbable ascension. Though Justin Bieber aided in the revitalization of "Despacito" in April with an English-language remix, that version has garnered "just" half a billion YouTube plays. It is a surprise that Fonsi's Spanish-language original broke the record on YouTube, instead of the English version. "It's a huge win for the Latin world," adds Erika Ender, who has co-written "Despacito" with Fonsi. "In the Spanish language, the whole globe sings and dances. That really is incredible."

Release year: 2017

Artist: Luis Fonsi

Global youths are now obsessed with Latin urban music. However, the core of Daddy Yankee's chart-topping single "Con Calma" is pure Generation X. "Con Calma" is a remake of Snow's 1992 dancehall smash "Informer," a song that Yankee grew up hearing in Puerto Rico. "We wanted to bring generations together," Yankee said, moments after a stage rehearsal for 2019's YouTube Brandcast advertising gala. "And now, a few decades later, it sounds just as amazing when reimagined."

For Yankee and an union of big and independent labels, "Con Calma" sounded much cooler (and more universally accessible) with famous pop star Katy Perry on the chorus of a new remix, which was released in late May 2019. The partnership, which spans generations and genres, demonstrates the extent to which Latin desarrollo music is altering the business. The power balance has changed its course. Pop performers are now vying for a piece of the pie. Yankee, 42, said, "It's a worldwide movement today." When [pop singers] tour and perform, they expose the world to our music. This is an upheaval.

"New musicians may establish themselves spontaneously in the Latin urban arena; they do not need the infrastructures of a large label," Simran Singh, a close friend of Yankee, added. "Yankee is in command of his professional life. He is not entering as an outsider, but as a competitor."

Release year: 2019

Artists: Daddy Yankee, Snow

In 2018, DJ Snake dropped a tune that quickly became a viral sensation. The highly anticipated dance track includes DJ Snake, Cardi B, Selena Gomez, and Ozuna. And although fans quickly embraced it, the song also made fans scratch their heads as to what "Taki Taki" really means.

The song, which contains an obviously frenetic Latin dance beat, includes a seamless combination of English and Spanish lyrics that compels you to sing along. However, although the majority of the lines are straightforward, the song's central section — and title — have garnered some confusion.

Despite some circulating ideas - as revealed by PopBuzz - that the song title was really slang for a graphic sexual encounter, a new behind-the-scene clip seems to demonstrate otherwise, as Cardi and Ozuna explain the song's true meaning to listeners who may be perplexed by the title's translation. Cardi disclosed the following in the video provided by Times of India: "I am certain that Ozuna coined the term. Because you know these Reggaeton musicians, you know they're making stuff up, and you're like, 'what does Taki Taki even mean? I have no idea, but it seems to flow correctly.”

Release year: 2018

Artists: Cardi B, Selena Gomez, Ozuna

"Cuando Me Enamoro" is a Spanish pop record sung by Enrique Iglesias. It was written by Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra. The song was launched on 26 April 2010 as the first track from his tenth studio album.

In the story of Cuando Me Enamoro, Iglesias and Guerra were invited as guest performers to sing at a school. The music video begins in a quite simple way: the pupils are introduced to them by the school administrator and all of them start to sing. The film cuts between the live show and three vignettes that illustrate the process of falling in love:

A student in class annoyed his best friend so that this friend could relent and give him his seat - which is next to his crush - and allow him to give her a "Do you like me?" note. An unathletic student is clobbered by a kickball, and then saved by a female classmate who likes him and also has a deadly throw. Lastly, there is a straight-A student who plays naughty tricks and gets sent to the headmaster's office on purpose, because he is smitten with her. Ana Ortiz, star of Ugly Betty, appears in the video as the principal, named Gomez Michelle.

Release year: 2010

Artist: Enrique Iglesias

Cardi B clearly knew what she was doing when she invited Bad Bunny and J Balvin to duet on "I Like It". Just days after the release of her first album Invasion of Privacy in April, the multilingual ballad quickly became the album's most-streamed track. The track's fusion of Latin trap and Pete Rodriguez's 1967 hit "I Like It That" - an outstanding example of Latin pop music in the U.S market — sets the tone for the contagious power collaboration from 3 of the most impactful Latino musicians working in the U.S today.

You might say that Cardi B's "I Like It" is the quintessential Latin crossover single: it is an English-language track sung by a Dominican rapper, which incorporates a Bronx-born Nuyorican, while featuring a Colombian and a Puerto Rican who sing in Spanish and English.

Indeed, this "I Like It" song pays lovely homage to the original "I Like It Like That" (dubbed "the soundtrack of Nuyorican culture" by several journalists) and its two previous incarnations. The song stays true to its Bronx roots and demonstrates how integral Latin music is to this country's popular music history.

Release year: 2018

Artists: Cardi B, Bad Bunny, J Balvin