La Escuela

Even before their 2005 album debut, this Puerto Rican reggaetón duo was showing and proving on records by their peers Wisin & Yandel. Now, with over 15 years of experience under their belts, Alexis y Fido make the transition from pit bulls to professors, here to educate the up-and-comers and upstarts in the way of the dembow. Rather than dwell heavily on the past, La Escuela demonstrates the timelessness of their urbano wave. Right out the gate, their first album in six years goes hard with opener “Violenta,” in which they shout out perreo pioneers The Noise over a thumping beat. Old school and new school represent across the album, with legends like Don Omar and Baby Rasta y Gringo guest-lecturing alongside contemporary hitmakers Casper Mágico and Nio García. For “Mala Suerte,” an archetypal kiss-off from a jilted lover’s perspective, Justin Quiles adds his honeyed pipes to a chorus of told-you-so’s.