Residente o Visitante

On the record, the band wished to experiment more with live instruments and diverse styles of music. Margarita Diaz of NY Daily News referred to Residente o Visitante as "an exhilarating travelogue through the sounds and rhythms of [South America]."[3] Visitante, who composed the music on the album, credits the musical diversity to his past. He began playing classical piano at age six, and at age 17, he joined a varied array of bands and played saxophone and keyboards.[9] Residente o Visitante features more guest artists than the band's debut, including collaborations with musicians such as Tego Calderón, La Mala Rodríguez and Orishas.[10]

The introduction to the album, as described by Elijah Wald of the Los Angeles Times, "sounds like a lovely Baroque chorale – unless one speaks Spanish, in which case it becomes immediately evident that it's an ornate canon of the filthiest words in Puerto Rican street slang."[3][9] "Tango del Pecado" mixes tango and reggaeton, and has been referred to as "tango-tón".[3] The song features Argentinian music producer Gustavo Santaolalla and his Bajofondo Tango Club.[5] Puerto Rican rapper Tego Calderón is featured on "Sin Exagerar", which contains guitar influenced by surf rock.[9] Additionally, the song "Cumbia de los Aburridos" is strongly influenced by Colombian cumbia music, featuring an accordion and a horn section.[5] "Un Beso De Desayuno" mixes electronica, rap and bossa nova.[5]

Residente described the album as more introspective and autobiographical than its predecessor.[5] With the lyrics on the record, Residente aimed for authenticity, attempting to tackle subjects not typically discussed in conventional reggaeton.[11] He explained that listening to Residente o Visitante is similar to watching a movie, in the sense that the album depicts real life events and uses profanity to evoke emotion in the listener.[11] Leila Cobo of Billboard wrote that the lyrical content of Residente o Visitante ranges from "sophomoric humor to outright perversion".[12] The song "Mala Suerte Con el 13", the group's collaboration with La Mala Rodriguez, is a satire of the "Latin macho attitude".[13] He wished to defy and poke fun at traditional gender roles, citing feminist philosopher Judith Butler as an influence; "I wanted to record a duet between a guy who's weak and inadequate, and a woman who's a sexual psychopath and has all the power in the world. A complete mockery of macho stereotypes".[6][9] In the same vein, "Sin Exagerar" parodies the misogyny that Residente felt had saturated the reggaeton scene.[14]

The album's lead single, "Tango del Pecado", is addressed to the parents of Residente's then-girlfriend, former Miss Universe Denise Quiñones, who did not approve of the couple's relationship.[7] He explains that the song expresses how he will still date her regardless of their opinions, and author Ed Morales observes that "It's a calling out of the morality of Latin America. It's just an invitation to turn everything upside-down by embracing the ugly and profane in life and, you know, asking people to go on that journey."[7] "Tango del Pecado" also created controversy due to the repeated chanting of "Súbele el volumen a la música satánica" (turn up the satanic music). Residente asserts that he did not add the line to create a reaction, saying, "I never do something expecting something. I do things because I like them."[13] "El Avión Se Cae" depicts the thoughts of a drunken airplane passenger.[14] In "Pal Norte", Residente discusses the plight of immigrants in the United States.[5] Commenting on the track's lyrical themes, he explained "I had wanted to do that theme because I think it is an important topic. And not just for the immigrants in the United States but all over. It is a song that immigrants can identify with, Dominicans as well as Puerto Ricans. All the people leave one country for another for the same reasons."[5] Although much of the album addresses immigration and moving to different countries, "La Crema" is a celebration of living in Puerto Rico.[14]

Residente o Visitante debuted on the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums chart at number one, displacing Jennifer Lopez's Spanish album Como Ama una Mujer, and on the Billboard 200 at number 52, selling about 12,000 copies in its first week.[16][17] The album remained on the Billboard 200 for a total of four weeks.[18] Additionally, the album debuted on the Billboard Rap Albums chart at number 13.[18] In Argentina, the album was certified Gold by Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers (CAPIF).[19]

"Tango del Pecado", the first single released from the album, reached number 14 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay chart.[20] The second single, "Cumbia de los Aburridos", peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.[21] "Pa'l Norte", the third single from the record, reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and number 40 on the Regional Mexican Songs chart.[22] The fourth and final single was "Un Beso de Desayuno", which failed to chart.[23]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[10]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)	A−[24]

The album received positive reviews from critics. Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic gave Residente o Visitante 4 out of 5 stars, noting the disc's diverse musical styles and unique lyricism: "Residente is a gifted rapper who matches Eminem in terms of wit and playfulness while Visitante is a similarly gifted producer who creates multi-layered tracks that rarely sound alike."[10] Andrew Casillas of Stylus Magazine gave the album an A− grade, calling it a "trailblazing record".[25] Casillas praised Residente's rapping on the record, calling his performance "a revelation" and referring to the song "Un Beso de Desayuno" as the band's "most noble achievement: a fully formed reggaetón love song."[25] However, Casillas felt that the album was overly long and stated that "Uiyi Guaye" sounds like "Donald Duck on a treadmill".[25]

Olivia Muñoz of The Philadelphia Inquirer referred to the record as "weird, seductive, thought-provoking and hilarious all at once", and despite noting the unconventional lyrical themes, she deemed many of the songs to be "surprisingly danceable".[26] Phil Freeman of The Village Voice called the album "more thoughtful and musically broad-minded" than its predecessor, and noted that the album gave Residente "a platform for a more explicit political consciousness than some might have predicted", referring to the songs "Pal Norte" and "La Cumbia de los Aburridos".[27] Agustin Gurza of the Los Angeles Times opined that the album is "more mature, though no less outrageous" than the band's debut, and referred to "Tango del Pecado" and "Pal' Norte" as "two of the most memorable songs of the year."[28] Nuria Net of Vibe felt that the "cutting edge appeal" of the debut album was "reduced to vulgar lyrics" on Residente o Visitante, writing, "though this second album shows impressive breadth, swaying from reggaeton to cumbia to tango, Calle 13's powerful social critiques are but a memory."[29]

At the 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 8, 2007 Residente o Visitante received two Latin Grammy Awards: Best Urban Music Album and Best Urban Song for "Pal' Norte".[30][31] It was also nominated for Album of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video for the video of the first single "Tango del Pecado".[32] Calle 13 performed at the ceremony in a well-received act featuring Orishas and the Stomp dance troupe. The performance was referred to by Agustin Gurza of the Los Angeles Times as "both a celebratory and seditious moment".[32] In late-2009, the Latin music website Club Fonograma named it the 5th best album of the decade.[33]