\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div> \n\tIt\u2019s been nearly five years since the pair first connected, but their friendship seemed inevitable. For the past decade, Balvin has been one of the most prominent voices in Latin music, helping to elevate heavyweights like Bad Bunny and Karol G. He\u2019s often credited with turning Colombia into another hub for m\u00fasica urbana, effectively showing the world Medell\u00edn\u2019s more romantic, melodic take on the genre.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tHis global reach has gotten the attention of major stars like Beyonc\u00e9, who jumped on Balvin\u2019s \u201cMi Gente\u201d remix<\/a> in 2017 and invited him to perform the smash hit during her historic Coachella set<\/a> the year after. Then, he captured the attention of mainstream U.S. audiences when he hopped on Cardi B\u2019s\u00a0 \u201cI Like It,\u201d<\/a> alongside Bad Bunny, earning his first Number One hit on the Billboard<\/em> Hot 100. Since then, he has paved a path for new acts from Colombia, guiding them as they make a name for themselves.<\/p>\n \n\tOne of those rising artists is Ryan Castro, the 32-year-old whose bold timbre has taken over m\u00fasica urbana since he first came onto the scene in 2020. After spending time with his mom in Cura\u00e7ao, Castro infused his reggaeton with the Caribbean flavors of dancehall for a unique sound that\u2019s won fans over in Colombia. In 2024, Castro was tapped to make the official Copa Am\u00e9rica anthem, and he rose to the challenge with the energetic \u201cEl Ritmo Que Nos Une,\u201d which instantly blew up online. The song racked up tens of millions of streams on Spotify and more than 100 million views for the nostalgic music video<\/a>. This year, he sold out Medell\u00edn\u2019s 45,000-seat Atanasio Girardot stadium for a blowout homecoming bash celebrating his 2025 albums Send\u00e9<\/em> and Hopi Send\u00e9<\/em>. Throughout all of it, Castro\u2019s road map to success has always been Balvin. \u201cJos\u00e9\u2019s career inspired so many of my own stories,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve always looked up to him as a benchmark, a true role model here in Colombia and for Latinos everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n