How does he do it? El Alfa's successful collaborations with English-speaking artists

The renowned urban music artist El Alfa "El Jefe", has been trending this Wednesday, after singer and songwriter Justin Bieber, posted a video on his Instagram account where he is seen listening to the popular Dominican dembow "4K". Following this unexpected publication, El Alfa confirmed through his social media that it was all part of a surprise. However, Bieber got ahead of himself and hinted that a remix of "4K" with his participation will be released soon, which generated great expectation among the fans of both artists. But this is not the first time that Alfa, considered "The boss of dembow," has managed to collaborate with great figures of Anglo-Saxon music. Over the years, he has worked with artists of the stature of Black Eyed Peas, Busta Rhymes, Cardi B, Tyga, French Montana, Pop Smoke, among many others. These collaborations have not only accumulated millions of views, but have also been key to elevating Dominican dembow to a new international level.

But how does he do it?

Many wonder: How has a Dominican artist managed to align his style and reach the biggest stars in the Anglo-Saxon market? What does El Alfa have that makes pop, hip-hop, and reggaeton giants want to join him in songs with a dembow rhythm? The answer seems to be multiple: Authenticity, consistency, musical versatility, strategic connections, discipline, international presence, and the courage to invest. The Alfa has been a tireless ambassador of dembow, without abandoning his essence. Although his base is dembow, he has known how to adapt his sound to connect with different audiences, developing, together with his work team over the years, a knack for achieving important alliances that have taken him to places where few Dominican exponents had been able to reach. This has been presented in important venues in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, solidifying its global presence, which, along with significant digital positioning work, has yielded great results for the artist.

Some notable collaborations of El Alfa with Anglo-Saxon artists:

• El Alfa x Cardi B – "Mi Mami": Released in 2018, this is one of their first major international collaborations. Together with the Bronx rapper of Dominican roots, Cardi B, El Alfa presented a song with tropical and urban sounds, using popular slang from the Dominican Republic. The song became a viral hit, reinforcing Cardi's Dominican identity and El Alfa's international projection.

• El Alfa x Black Eyed Peas “No Mañana”: El Alfa joined will.i.am and his group Black Eyed Peas, fusing electronic, pop, and dembow in an explosive piece. The music video was recorded with a futuristic aesthetic and has 19 million views. The song was part of the album Translation, by the group, which focused on Latin music.

• El Alfa x French Montana, Braulio Fogón, Kaly Ocho “Máquina de Dinero”: It is a song released in 2023, where dembow is mixed with rap in English and Spanish. French Montana, an American rapper of Moroccan descent, contributes his international flow, while Dominicans Braulio Fogón and Kaly Ocho complete the combo. In this song, El Alfa did not present himself alone to the world, he was accompanied by two of the emerging talents of the Dominican urban genre.

• El Alfa x CJ & Cherry Scom “La Mamá de la Mamá”: This is the original version of the hit song "La Mamá de la Mamá", released in 2021 by El Alfa "El Jefe" in collaboration with the American rapper CJ (known for the hit "Whoopty") and the Dominican artist Cherry Scom. It currently has over 200 million streams.

• El Alfa x Busta Rhymes, Anitta, Wisin, CJ, Cherry "La Mamá de la Mamá" (Remix): One of the most ambitious collaborations of his career. The remix of his popular song brought together an all-star cast from different cultures and styles. Busta Rhymes, hip hop legend; Anitta, Brazilian pop icon; Wisin, reggaeton pillar; and CJ, drill exponent, along with the Dominican Cherry Scom, consolidate an unprecedented global remix for dembow. This currently has more than 12 million views.

• El Alfa x Quavo "Maniguetta": In this song, Quavo from the group Migos, one of the most popular groups in the United States, joins El Alfa on a beat loaded with energy and very special and distinct vibes. The fusion of trap with dembow resulted in a catchy song that highlights El Alfa's reach in the hip hop market.

• El Alfa x Maluma, NLE Choppa, Donaty "Sacúdelo": Released in 2022, it mixes reggaeton, dembow, and trap, with the participation of Maluma, a Latin music star, NLE Choppa, a young American rap promise, and Donaty, an emerging talent from Dominican urban music.

• El Alfa x A$AP Ferg "You The Vibe": Here, El Alfa joins A$AP Ferg, a member of New York's A$AP Mob collective, in a track that mixes dembow with urban sounds of New York hip hop.

• "El Alfa x Tyga Trap Pea": El Alfa and Tyga, a recognized figure in Anglo music, came together on a song that mixed Latin rhythms with trap and Dominican slang. The song was well-received on TikTok and YouTube, being one of the most popular among young audiences.

• El Alfa x Pop Smoke & Junior H – "Aquí Ta’ Smoke": An unexpected collaboration with Pop Smoke, a drill legend who passed away in 2020, and Junior H, a figure in regional Mexican music. This collaboration demonstrates El Alfa's reach, bringing together sounds from the Dominican Republic, the U.S., and Mexico.

• El Alfa x Rick Ross "Común Burro": A collaboration with the iconic Miami rapper Rick Ross, where El Alfa brings the dembow with a more gangsta and luxurious style.

• El Alfa x Lil Jon, Yandel, Polimá Westcoast, El Cherry Scom “La Gringa”: This collaboration was an explosion as it brings together artists from the US, Puerto Rico, Chile and the Dominican Republic. Lil Jon, king of crunk; Yandel, reggaeton icon; and Polimá, Chilean trap star, join El Alfa and Cherry in a global party to the rhythm of dembow.

• El Alfa x Becky G & Black Eyed Peas – "Bad Boys" (for the movie Bad Boys: Ride or Die): Included in the official soundtrack of the movie Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024), this collaboration gave dembow a prominent place in Hollywood. The combination of Becky G, Black Eyed Peas and El Alfa was key to giving the film an urban Latin sound.

• El Alfa x Black Eyed Peas & Anitta – "Simply The Best": Part of the Black Eyed Peas' Elevation album, this song mixes pop, electronic, Brazilian funk, and dembow. Anitta, a symbol of Brazilian pop, and El Alfa share the spotlight in a song that celebrates global musical diversity.

Alfa has shown that dembow is no longer a local Dominican phenomenon. Thanks to his vision, discipline, and charisma. His formula not only consists of making catchy music, but also of breaking cultural barriers with each collaboration, which positions him as "the most important Dominican urban artist internationally. And now, if the collaboration with Justin Bieber in the remix of "4K" is confirmed, it could mark another milestone in the history of Dominican dembow.