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The Best of Bizarrap, Argentina’s Hottest Producer

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The beatmaker’s BZRP Music Sessions YouTube series has become a viral phenomenon. Here are five of the liveliest episodes.

Bizarrap
Photo by Guido Adler

In the last few years, Argentine producer Gonzalo Conde, better known as Bizarrap (pronounced “Bee-shah-rahp”), has bum-rushed the global stage, becoming one of the world’s most thrilling beatmakers. The 23-year-old’s style smashes together EDM’s brash synths with reggaeton and Latin trap rhythms, with many tracks swerving from style to style. He was nominated for four Latin Grammys last year, including Producer of the Year and Best New Artist, and he was the most-streamed Argentine artist of 2020 on Spotify, where he boasts more than 15 million monthly listeners.

His ascension is primarily due to the viral success of his BZRP Music Sessions series on YouTube, which has amassed more than a billion total views. BZRP Music Sessions focuses on artist discovery, like a grittier, urbano version of the popular performance show COLORS, with mostly up-and-coming artists taking the mic and engaging with the camera head-on over Bizarrap beats. Meanwhile, the producer, decked out in his signature “BZRP” hat and oversized shades, bops along in his computer chair in the background, waving his hands in the air and hyping up the vocalists. Underlining his importance, each track is given a number instead of a title; the most recent video, featuring eclectic fellow Argentine TIAGO PZK, is called “TIAGO PZK || BZRP Music Sessions #48.”

BZRP Music Sessions began as an off-the-cuff hobby. Studying piano and music theory at a young age, music was always a central part of Conde’s life, but as a teenager, he found himself enamored with Buenos Aires’ El Quinto Escalon freestyle battle rap scene, which ultimately inspired him to produce beats. In 2018, after gaining steam with his battle-rap remixes on YouTube, he reached out to Kodigo, a local freestyle rapero to record a session on camera, and the BZRP Music Sessions were born. Before long, his classmates at Argentine University of Enterprise began recognizing him from the videos, and he dropped out of his marketing studies to focus on music full-time.

The sessions now feature more established hitmakers like Nicky Jam and Anuel AA alongside local Argentine rappers, but the vibe hasn’t necessarily changed—the series has only become more fine-tuned and explosive. In the last year especially, Bizarrap has upped the quality of his productions, expanding his stylistic range and sharpening his sounds while also introducing more women and multilingual collaborations. Who knows, he may even try working with bands soon. (He recently joked how he’d love to collaborate with Radiohead someday.) Whatever he decides to do moving forward, he’s got millions waiting on his next sidewinding beat and decked-out collaboration.

Here are the five best BZRP Music Sessions thus far:

“Nathy Peluso || BZRP Music Sessions #36”

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It makes a lot of sense that the most-viewed BZRP Music Session, with more than 290 million plays and counting, is this no-fucks-given anthem from Argentine singer Nathy Peluso. Peluso is a natural in front of the camera (as proven by past eccentric performances), and on “#36” she inhabits a rapping alter ego armed with a sneering delivery and steady eye rolls. Bizarrap employs a rumbling bassline to carry Peluso’s fun, addictive hook—“I’m a nasty girl fantastic/Este culo es natural no plastic”—to viral status.

“L-Gante || BZRP Music Sessions #38”

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Easily the best session—it cracked the Top 50 of our 2021 year-end list—“#38” is a sinister, EDM-tinged monster that captures a rapper and producer at their respective peaks. The song is an essential example of the burgeoning subgenre dubbed Cumbia 420—a mix of cumbia rhythm, reggaeton melody, and stoner culture. With a croak reminiscent of Lil Wayne at his most zonked, L-Gante delivers lines about the women he desires and the drugs he glorifies over Bizarrap’s ominous brrrp sound effect. “#38” climbed to the top of Argentina’s Hot 100 last year, capturing the zeitgeist of a subgenre making headway all over Latin America.

“Snow Tha Product || BZRP Music Sessions #39”

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Queer Mexican-American rapper Snow Tha Product proves she has tremendo flow with this bilingual banger that could soundtrack a South Central L.A. version of Insecure. “#39” proved to be a breakout moment for Snow, who had struggled to gain a foothold in the U.S. “I’ve been at it for a while, but with all due respect/It’s about time I came out with a hit,” she raps en español. She switches between Spanish and English with impressive speed and ease, before Bizarrap ends the song with a strobing, synth-heavy beat that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Depeche Mode record.

“Nicky Jam || BZRP Music Sessions #41”

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Bizarrap goes full reggaeton with 40-year-old vet Nicky Jam on “#41.” The smooth jam feels like a true step forward for the Puerto Rican superstar, who typically sings on slow-vibe reggaeton hits in a more old-school fashion. But in true BZRP Sessions style, Nicky raps like a swaggering tío, as Bizarrap builds a beat that perfectly matches his vocalist’s pitch and tone. At the end of the video, Nicky Jam screams with joy and a shocked face, “Se quedó perfecto!” (“That was perfect!”), punctuating this refreshing change of pace for both artists.

“Ptazeta || BZRP Music Sessions #45”

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Thanks to superstars like El Alfa, dembow—the hard-charging Dominican twist on Jamaican dancehall—had a breakout year in 2021. Bizarrap takes note of the movement on this fast-moving banger, where the Spanish rapper Ptazeta brings his blaring dembow beats to life. Her untouchable confidence translates into a rapturous song about that girl, the one everyone wants, or wants to be. Her rapid-fire flow, lighthearted infatuations (she definitely wants the girl), and charming ad-libs make this one of Bizarrap’s most undeniable collaborations.


 

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