Maps of Music

La Familia (2013)

Where the lyrics of La Familia take you, and where it was really made.

The album's reissue, La Familia B Sides, added three newly recorded songs and three remixes less than a year after the original release.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Spanish Wikipedia credits Master Chris, Arbise González "Motiff", Mr. Pomps, DJ Urba & Rome, Keith Ross and Gavriel Aminov "Vein" as producers
The album uses Jamaican sounds, merengue and Latin pop while keeping J Balvin's urban style
The reissue adds three newly recorded songs and three remixes to the original tracklist

Born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín on 7 May 1985 in Medellín, Colombia, into an upper-middle-class family of Spanish and Syrian descent.
Grew up on rock acts such as Metallica and Nirvana and was drawn to reggaeton after listening to Daddy Yankee.
Moved to the United States at 17 to study English, living in Oklahoma and New York before returning to Medellín.
Adopted the stage name J Balvin "El Negocio" at 19 and began a career in music with his DJ and business partner David Rivera Mazo.

Breakthrough came in 2014 with "6 AM" featuring Farruko, which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.
"Ginza" and "Ay Vamos" followed; "Ay Vamos" became the first reggaeton song to exceed one billion views on YouTube.
The 2017 single "Mi Gente" with Willy William topped the Spotify Global Top 50, and its Beyoncé remix became his first US top-ten single.
"I Like It" with Cardi B and Bad Bunny became his first number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Released albums including Energia, Vibras, Colores, José and Rayo, and the joint album Oasis with Bad Bunny.
Became the first Latino to headline Coachella, Tomorrowland and Lollapalooza.

Sold 35 million records worldwide and won multiple Latin Grammy and Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Guinness World Records recognized him as a leader of a second-generation reggaeton revolution.

Released 29 October 2013 by Capitol Latin
Nominated for Best Urban Music Album at the 15th Latin Grammy Awards
The single "6 AM" was nominated for Best Urban Performance and Best Urban Song at the same ceremony
Spanish Wikipedia reports the album lost the Best Urban Music Album category to Calle 13's Multi viral

The sources give no critic review text for this album
The only critical-standing record here is the Latin Grammy nomination and its loss

Latin Grammy nominations: Best Urban Music Album (album), Best Urban Performance and Best Urban Song ("6 AM")
Reissued 14 September 2014 as La Familia B Sides with three new songs and three remixes

The reissue La Familia B Sides came out on 14 September 2014, less than a year after the original.
The reissue contained three newly recorded songs and three remixes.
Spanish Wikipedia notes the album's sound mixes Jamaican influences with merengue and Latin pop.
The single "6 AM" received two Latin Grammy nominations of its own, in the performance and song categories.