When Feid broke out of Medellín's cut-throat reggaetón scene with 2019's sonically ambitious LP 19, he was still a man in search of his voice. He'd earned the respect of peers after co-writing numerous hits for the likes of J Balvin and Nicky Jam, but sculpting his own artistic identity required a tricky balance of patience and experimentation. His 2015 debut, Así Como Suena, canvassed a hard-edged Latin trap sound, while 19 was never shy about its pop ambitions. Feid released two more sharply contrasting projects in 2020. First, the ruminant FERXXO (VOL 1: M.O.R) looked back on early influences from dancehall and old-school reggaetón, followed by the collaboration-heavy mixtape BAHÍA DUCATI, which harnessed glossy mainstream pop production. Reflecting on the long and winding creative road, Feid approached his fourth studio LP, INTER SHIBUYA – LA MAFIA, as the culmination of a journey. Over the years, Feid had grown into one of the great romantic songwriters of his generation, known casually to fans as Ferxxo and later adopting the color green as an aesthetic signature. But he was an established superstar anxious to prove he could carry an album on his own and enlisted longtime collaborator Sky Rompiendo as executive producer to help achieve his mature new vision. The goal was simple—make good music, write polished songs, and leave the industry artifice at home. The pair worked on INTER SHIBUYA – LA MAFIA for nearly a year before its release in August of 2021, bolstered by high-octane singles “CHIMBITA” and “FUMETEO,” which were met with effusive fan reaction. These cuts aligned with the streetwise style of contemporaries such as Crudo Means Raw and Ryan Castro, who broke away from the family-friendly sound that had come to define Colombian reggaetón in previous years. Feid also found fresh inspiration in Toronto rap luminaries Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR, heard most clearly on the atmospheric jazz and hip-hop hybrid “COMO CUANDO.” During the promotional cycle for INTER SHIBUYA – LA MAFIA, Feid described it as the most experimental album of his career, but it may also be his most vulnerable. Torch song “SI TÚ SUPIERAS” is a gut-wrenching tale of unspoken emotions turned to bitter regret, while the falsetto-driven hymn “FERXXO VI” hearkened to Feid's childhood singing in the school choir. It’s a reminder that everyone is the sum of their parts, and in the case of Feid, every album is a new chapter in a riveting ongoing story.