Tusa

Tusa's harmony is deliberately minimalist — a single four-chord loop (i–VI–III–VII) that never modulates or deviates. This restraint is the song's strength: the unchanging Aeolian cycle creates a trance-like bed that lets the dembow rhythm, vocal performance, and production textures carry the emotional arc. The absence of a traditional dominant chord (no E or E7) means the harmony never fully resolves, perfectly embodying the lyrical theme of being stuck in emotional limbo. The major chords F, C, and G brighten the minor tonality just enough to keep the track from sounding bleak, striking the bittersweet balance that defines the reggaeton ballad subgenre.

Karol G took the initiative to reach out to Nicki Minaj about collaborating. Minaj had initially been sent a different song but honestly told Karol G she couldn't write to it and asked for something else — that replacement track became 'Tusa.' Once Minaj received the beat, she delivered her verse in under seven hours, telling Karol G she would write 'the best rap of my life' for the song. The track was written by both artists alongside Keityn and producer Ovy On The Drums.

Released in November 2019, 'Tusa' fused reggaeton's dembow pulse with a melancholic minor-key melody to tell the universal story of a woman struggling to move past an ex. The collaboration between Colombian singer Karol G and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj shattered chart records, debuting at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart and surpassing one billion Spotify streams, while introducing the Colombian slang word 'tusa' to a global audience.