Bad Bunny rekindled his collaborative partnership with J Balvin in Mexico City on Sunday. The guest appearance at the last show of the year on the Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour marked the first time the artists shared a stage in four years. Balvin hit the stage for “La Canción,” then stuck around to perform “Que Pretendes,” “Si Tu Novio Te Deja Sola,” and “I Like It” (sans Cardi B).
The set was notably the artists’ first public appearance together since a perceived diss Bad Bunny flung at Balvin on his 2023 track “Thunder y Lightning.”
“I apologized a long time ago — people don’t know but we had a conversation a few weeks ago,” Bad Bunny told the audience at GNP Seguros Stadium (translated from Spanish). “But we were waiting for the perfect moment to share the stage, and it’s good that it was here in Mexico.”
Bad Bunny added: “For many years, Jose has been representing Latinos around the entire world and opening doors for the urbano genre. Not just in Colombia but also around the world, but also on the Latin American and global level.”
Balvin returned the praise in his own speech for Bad Bunny, saying, “I’m so proud of Benito Ocasio Martinez for what he’s doing, for what he represents. Because he takes us Latinos around the world. Because he’s a kind, hardworking man, and we always knew would become one of the biggest in music history.”
Earlier this year, Balvin addressed the state of his friendship with Bad Bunny on El Vacilón de la Mañana. “We don’t talk, but surely when we see each other the vibes will be good,” he said at the time. “But the truth is that there are no motives either.”
In 2019, Balvin and Bad Bunny hunkered down for two weeks to create Oasis, a collaborative record that showed off the pair’s musical synergy. The disruption didn’t arrive until much later, when Bad Bunny rapped on “Thunder y Lightning,” “You guys have seen me with the same people while you all are friends with the whole world like Balvin.”
At the time, the Colombian star responded on Instagram Live, expressing his confusion at the shot. “I think he’s an excellent artist. The person I know is a great person. We supported each other mutually, we made history, we also created a new story within music,” Balvin said. “I don’t understand what was going through his head but, well, the guy I know is a good person.”
Time does heal some wounds and both artists are looking to move forward without the baggage from before. “Today, I want to tell you that I admire you, that I love you and your family. May God bless them and keep blessing them,” Balvin said in Mexico City. “The past is the past, but we’re men that have matured. We forgive each other always.”
