El Cartel: The Big Boss (2007)

''F--- my English,'' snarls Daddy Yankee on one of the few El Cartel: The Big Boss cuts not entirely in Spanish. ''The sound of the gun, it's a universal language.'' Maybe, but the dominant vernacular on this record is bass. Here, the steady, dance-floor-quivering rhythms that make reggaeton a club staple are beefed up by hip-hop producers like Scott Storch and will.i.am. The results, nonetheless, are robotic: shrill melodies and beats so rigid and relentless, you'll find yourself praying for a break in the discourse. DOWNLOAD THIS: Me Quedaria (I Would Stay)