"La Modelo" ("The Model") is a song by
Ozuna and
Cardi B. It was released by
VP Records on December 22, 2017.[1] The track was written by Ozuna, Cardi B, José Aponte, Vincente Saavedra and its producers Yampi, Hi Flow, Gaby Music and
Chris Jeday.[2][3] It is the first single from Ozuna's second album Aura, released in August 2018.
I've done a lot of collabs, but most of the time, it's me on someone else's track. I'd never brought someone like Cardi B into my own music. When you hear, you'll say: 'Wow, that woman is amazing, in English and in Spanish. That to me is the real crossover: a mainstream artist singing in Spanish.[4]
The song comprises a
dancehall-infused beat with a "
reggaetón soul."[5] Ozuna described the song as "Jamaican dancehall, brought to the club." Cardi B performs in Spanish and English.[4]
Critical reception
In Pitchfork, Matthew Ismael Ruiz opined "Cardi's versatility is on full display... The tender [Ozuna]'s smoothed out alto suits Cardi's grittier voice, and they manage to capture the bubbly giddiness of fresh love with a casual swagger. Her bars in English are merely serviceable, but she sounds at home crooning in Spanish alongside Ozuna." He concluded saying "the song highlights why Cardi is so important to pop this year: Her bilingual, pan-Caribbean aesthetic represents a modern depiction of
Latinidad, and proves its mainstream appeal."[5] In 2022, Rolling Stone listed the song at number 100 on its list of the 100 Greatest Reggaeton Songs of All Time.[6]
Music video
Directed by Nuno Gomes and filmed in
Jamaica, the music video was released on December 19, 2017.[7]