“It feels good to be at the position that I am,” Arcángel tells Apple Music, “because a lot of artists from my era are not around.” It speaks volumes that two decades into his music career, the Latin music star not only endured but is arguably more popular now than ever before. A pioneering and influential figure in Latin trap and reggaetón, he has a catalog that's among the most revered in the genre, something for which he expresses both gratitude and deserved bravado. “People have that respect for me because I've been a man of my word in the business, a real man with morals and principles in this industry,” he says. “For me, that's better than money.” Though the title Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad nods back to his beloved 2013 full-length, Arcángel insists this is not a sequel per se. Instead, he sees it more as a thematic extension of the original, maintaining his individual artistic authenticity while demonstrating his range across styles. That means listeners get the raw, streetwise raps his day-ones desire as well as the crowd-pleasing cuts that made him a ubiquitous presence in music, all in one package. “It don't matter how commercial it is,” he says. “You're always going to feel that essence of the real Arcángel.” Read on for more about some selected highlights from the album—in his own words. “Me Gusta Tu Flow” “I was actually the first artist to bring this sound to the reggaetón scene. Back in 2007. I did ‘Chica Virtual’ with DJ Nelson, one of the founding fathers of our music. He could back up the things that I'm saying right now because he was the producer of the track. I just started hunting that old Arcángel again, listening to my old music. We sat down with other composers and they showed me a lot of ideas. It's like they helped me wake up something that was asleep. It sounds weird, but I actually needed help finding the old Arcángel.” “Plutón” “The first demo, when I recorded the song, was always R&B. But that little bachata spice was hidden under the R&B beat. So, I started listening to the whole beat alone with no a cappellas or nothing. I'm not a bachata artist, [but] I could include a whole bachata in an urban album just to prove to my fans my versatility and all that. That’s good enough for me.” “Rosita” “I recorded that song in an R&B beat; the reggaetón came after. The same thing happened with ‘Plutón.’ My reggaetón, I record them on a rap beat—always. Then the producer comes in. When I rap on a rap beat, I have another speed. I’m a talented singer, but I’m in the street at the same time.” “Los Roques” (feat. Quevedo) “I'm a big fan of his music, but never met him until yesterday. When we recorded this song, I heard his voice on this track; this sounds like it was written for Quevedo. As a fan and as a producer, I just shot my shot in a DM. He hit me back within five minutes. I just sent him the track and in two weeks he sent me back everything. He loved the track, and I love his part, man. He killed it. I'm just supporting him in this track.” “Arca 10Mil” (feat. Feid) “He always showed me a lot of respect, and it's always great to work with people that respect your art. It was very easy, because I showed him the whole album, what I had at that moment. I showed him everything and he just chose the track. He said, 'I like this one.' It was like that, very fast.”