J Balvin and Ryan Castro Turn an Unplanned Studio Vibe Into Omerta, Their First Joint Album

They did not set out to make a record together, and yet Omerta arrives as J Balvin and Ryan Castro’s first full-length collaboration — a 10-track record that cements a public bromance into something more formal and musical.

Ryan Castro & J Balvin
Angel Buzio

The title is purposeful: Omerta, taken from the Italian word for “code of silence,” is presented as a seal on a partnership that the two Colombians have been building in public for years. “It’s like sealing our musical and personal brotherhood,” Balvin tells Billboard. “In this career, it allows you to grow without ego, share visions, and forge new paths; it also pushes you out of your comfort zone to create something distinct.”

Castro frames the project as the culmination of an admiration that became mutual. “J Balvin is a very selective person when it comes to choosing his favorite artists, his friends, and his inner circle,” he says. “I feel that he saw something very special in me—he saw my unique talent. I admire his work deeply and to be able to say that in my career and in my process I have an album with him is a dream come true.”

That chemistry is audible across Omerta’s track list. The album houses previously released singles “Tonto” and “Pal’ Agua” and moves between Castro’s island-inflected dancehall and reggae on tracks like “Una A La Vez” and “Medetown” and Balvin’s city-forward reggaetón on cuts such as “Dalmation” and “Viernes.” It doesn’t stop there: trap and urban-pop fusions sit alongside Afrohouse touches, while the alternative-meets-perreo tune “Melo” is singled out by Balvin as a personal favorite. “Because it breaks the mold and has an unexpected energy,” he says. “We brought together things that normally don’t go together, and in the end, it feels very us—evolving without fear.”

For Castro the record was also an exercise in geography and taste: “We blended the two worlds: the Caribbean, the island, is deeply ingrained in my DNA, while he lives more in the city, in New York,” he explains. “Culturally, we share very similar musical tastes, and I think we came up with a lot of ideas that we both really loved. Bringing those two worlds together was truly awesome.”

The album was not the product of a calculated campaign but of low-pressure studio sessions. “It all started without a plan,” Balvin expresses. “We were in the studio, laughing and making music without any pressure, and the vibe just came together naturally. That’s when we realized there was something special there—and when we looked back, we already had a project without even realizing it.” Castro echoes the informal origin story: “Beyond the friendship and respect we share, we are family. We didn’t approach this from a business perspective; rather, we did it for fun and to vibe together.”

Omerta also sits within a longer string of collaborations between two Medellín-born artists. They have shared singles dating back to 2022’s “Nivel de Perreo” and contributed to 2024’s large-scale posse cut “+57,” which featured Karol G, Maluma, Feid, Blessd, DFZM and Ovy on the Drums. Balvin even appeared as an actor in Castro’s 2025 “Mi Fortuna” music video, underscoring how their creative partnership has oscillated between music and image for years.

Balvin describes their dynamic plainly: “Ryan possesses a truly authentic essence—a voice and a flow that connect on a different level. I bring a different creative vision, one that involves daring to push the boundaries of genre a bit until the song finds its true form. Ultimately, it’s about complementing who each of us is.”

Omerta reads like an experiment in synthesis rather than an attempt to chase a hit. It bundles two poles of Colombian pop—Caribbean rhythmic looseness and metropolitan reggaetón precision—into a project that feels equal parts casual studio hang and deliberate statement.

Stream and listen to Omerta below.