Culpables (Karol G and Anuel AA song)

"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.

"Culpables"
Single by Karol G and Anuel AA
from the album Ocean
Language	Spanish
English title	"Guilty"
Released	September 13, 2018 (2018-09-13)
Genre	Latin trap
Length	3:46
Label	Universal Music Latino
Songwriter(s)	Karol G Anuel AA Daniel Echavarria Oviedo Chris Jedi Juan G. Rivera Vazquez Luis E. Ortiz Rivera[1]
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

Background and composition

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

“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

Weekly charts

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

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

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Peru[20]	Gold
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[21]	2× Platinum	120,000‡
United States (RIAA)[22]	Diamond (Latin)	600,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
2. "Ocean". iTunes. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
3. 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. 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. 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. Fernandez, Celia (May 2, 2019). "Inside Karol G and Anuel AA's Whirlwind Relationship". Oprah Daily. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
12. "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 October 6, 2024.
22. "American single certifications – Karol G & Anuel AA – Culpables". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 12, 2019.