‘Yo Te Lo Dije,’ may have only peaked at #13 on the Bilboard.com Hot Latin Songs Chart but, it was only the beginning for J Balvin. Fast-forward just five years and he’s casually talking to NPRÂ about world domination like it’s no big deal. Almost 2 billion Youtube views of his ‘Mi Gente,’ song makes that a bit easier to say. Despite that fact, most of the world went to bed Thursday night with no clue who J Balvin is.
Friday morning came with a surprise that many Tomorrowland fans and attendees can attest to. In typical fashion, organizers announced another wave of headlining acts for this year’s festival including A-Trak, Alesso, and David Guetta, They made a hilariously blatant attempt to gloss over J Balvin’s addition. dropping him right in the middle before Netsky and Richie Hawtin.
If EDM fans are known for anything, it’s scrutinizing every festival lineup with a magnifying glass. These phased announcements are a product of that. The other thing EDM fans are known for is criticizing those lineups almost ritualistically. To the chagrin of J Balvin and his supporters, those criticism muscles were in full flex on Twitter yesterday and heads were not feeling it.
Some were subtle in expressing their displeasure…
J Balvin ? pic.twitter.com/9cqKFtB0mu
— Donaldo Duran ?? (@Enginerr92) February 1, 2019
Others, less so…
J BALVIN ARE U FKN KIDDING ME???
— chambea pero no jala (@chambicii) February 1, 2019
It goes on like this for a bit.
Tomorrowland’s always booked the biggest acts in the world, so why all the hatred for J Balvin, one of the most popular Latin acts of all time? After a quick perusal of a Reddit feed asking how people feel about hip-hop’s infusion into EDM festivals, it’s pretty obvious.
EDM heads are very protective of their events. They don’t want anything mixed in, including hip-hop which was only recently, begrudgingly allowed in. Maybe it’s not about J Balvin after all, but either way his quest for world domination continues. Witness the movement coming to a Tomorrowland stage near you.
TOMORROW LAND !! LATINO GANG !! #reggaeton ? https://t.co/wIFT4PSyCo
— J BALVIN (@JBALVIN) February 1, 2019