Culpables (Karol G and Anuel AA song)

"Culpables"
Single by Karol G and Anuel AA
from the album Ocean
LanguageSpanish
English title"Guilty"
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2018 (2018-09-13)
GenreLatin trap
Length3:46
LabelUniversal Music Latino
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Chris Jedi
  • Gaby Music
Karol G singles chronology
"Calypso"
(2018) 		"Culpables"
(2018) 		"Dame Tu Cosita (Remix)"
(2018)
Anuel AA singles chronology
"Asesina (Remix)"
(2018) 		"Culpables"
(2018) 		"Que Seria"
(2018)
Music video
"Culpables" on YouTube

"Culpables" (English: "Guilty") is a song by Colombian singer Karol G and Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA. It was digitally released on September 14, 2018, and was included as the tenth single in Karol G's album Ocean (2019). A Latin trap song, "Culpables" revolves around a love affair between two persons, each of whom has already had a partner. A black-and-white music video was released on September 5 on YouTube, and became one of the singers' most-viewed music videos on the platform. The song has been described by Billboard as one of the best songs in the genre by a female singer, and was nominated for the Collaboration of the Year category at the Premios Tu Música Urbano.

Background and composition

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The tenth single of Karol G’s album Ocean (2019), “Culpables” is her duet with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA.[2] They co-wrote the Latin trap song with Daniel Echavarria Oviedo, Chris Jedi, Luiz E. Ortiz Rivera and Juan G. Rivera Vazquez.[3] The producers were Chris Jedi and Gaby Music.[4] Following the release of “Ahora Me Llama” in 2017, Karol G wanted to do a remix of it and looked for someone to help her.[5] Anuel AA was one of the candidates, but it was impossible due to his imprisonment; she worked with another artist for the remix. After his release in July 2018, Anuel AA desired to do a remix of her “Pineapple”, but she rejected as “it was too late” and suggested making a new song.[5] He composed the song, then entitled “Infieles”, and sent the initial result to Karol G, who suggested the title “Culpables” instead.[5] The lyrics are about a love affair between two persons despite each already having a partner.[3]

Release and reception

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“Culpables” was made available for digital download on September 14, 2018.[6] Jessica Roiz of Billboard described Karol G as having “dipped her toes” in the Latin trap genre, and called it one of the best songs in the genre by a female singer.[7] The song received a nomination for the Collaboration of the Year category at the 2019 Premios Tu Música Urbano.[8] "Culpables" was one of the songs performed by the duo in the 2019 Culpables Tour, which took place in a number of countries of Latin America.[9] In the 2021 Bichota Tour, Karol G sang the song alongside Anuel AA, becoming their first joint appearance following separation.[10]

An accompanying black-and-white music video was directed by José Emilio Sagaró. It was shot in August,[11] and was uploaded on YouTube on September 5.[12] It was during the filming that the singers met in person for the first time; they would begin a romantic relationship, which was announced in November and lasted until 2021.[10][11] Within the first five days of its release, the music video had been viewed for two million times.[12] In 2022, it received a total of one billion viewers, becoming the fourth-most-viewed music video of both singers at the time.[13] The singers were interviewed by Billboard and spoke briefly of the music video; Karol G said that Sagaró “managed a very clean image of both of us”, while Anuel AA showed fondness for it does not portray him as the “bad guy”.[5]

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2018–19) Peak
position
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100)[14] 14
Colombia (National-Report)[15] 32
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[16] 6
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[17] 8

Year-end charts

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Chart (2018) Position
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[18] 75
Chart (2019) Position
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[19] 36

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Peru[20] Gold  
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[21] Platinum 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[22] Diamond (Latin) 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Ocean". iTunes. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Calle, Luisa; Cobo, Leila; Fajardo, Ingrid; Flores, Griselda; Ratner-Arias, Sigal; Raygoza, Isabela; Roiz, Jessica (March 5, 2024). "Karol G's Biggest Hits Ranked: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Cobo, Leila (May 19, 2020). "Anuel, Ozuna Hitmaker Gaby Music Is BMI's Latin Contemporary Songwriter of 2020". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Fernandez, Suzette (September 14, 2018). "The Evolution of Karol G & Anuel AA's 'Culpables,' Their New Relationship & More: Exclusive Interview". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "Culpables". iTunes. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Roiz, Jessica (March 26, 2019). "Becky G, J.Lo, Natti Natasha or Karol G: Which Latina Artist Dropped the Best Trap Song? Vote!". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Drysdale, Jennifer (March 21, 2019). "Premios Tu Música Urbano: The Complete Winners List". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  9. ^ Fernandez, Suzette (January 23, 2019). "Karol G and Anuel AA Announce Latin American Culpables Tour Dates: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Roiz, Jessica (November 29, 2021). "Karol G & Anuel AA Reunite on Stage for First Time Since Breakup: See Photos". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Fernandez, Celia (May 2, 2019). "Inside Karol G and Anuel AA's Whirlwind Relationship". Oprah Daily. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Anuel AA y Karol G lanzan el vídeo de 'Culpables'". El Heraldo. September 10, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Karol G & Anuel AA's 'Culpables' Reaches 1 Billion Views on YouTube". Billboard. April 27, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  14. ^ "Argentina Hot 100 – Semana del 6 de Octubre del 2018". Billboard Argentina (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Colombia – Semana 5 del 2019 – Del 25/01/2019 al 31/01/2019" (in Spanish). National-Report. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
    "Top 100 Colombia – Semana 8 del 2019 Del 15/02/2019 al 21/02/2019".
  16. ^ "Culpables Karol G y Anuel Aa" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  17. ^ "Karol G Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  18. ^ "Hot Latin Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Hot Latin Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  20. ^ "Karol G recibió disco de oro en Perú por 'Créeme' y platino por 'Culpables'" (in Spanish). Radio Moda. December 6, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Karol G & Anuel AA – Culpables". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  22. ^ "American single certifications – Karol G & Anuel AA – Culpables". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
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