Karol G talks about working with Nicki Minaj and her love of hip hop

Karol G is one of the world’s leading reggaeton artists. The singer, born and raised in Medellin, Colombia, has had collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Ludacris, and more. Every song she releases is almost a guaranteed hit. In an interview with XXL Mag, she discussed working with Nicki Minaj, her love of hip hop and some of her musical influences.

Karol G’s song with Nicki Minaj, “Tusa,” was a worldwide sensation. It is now the no. 3 most awarded song in the world, having over a billion views in YouTube. “I never would’ve thought that I could do a song with Nicki Minaj and that song was No. 1 in the world. We started sharing messages on Instagram. She started following me, then we shared some songs. We couldn’t find one that I liked and that she liked. But then, I had “Tusa” and I sent it to her and she loved it,” she said.

She discussed her influences and how her love of hip hop is one of the reasons why her stage name is Karol G. “In school, I used to be in love with G-Unit and have the posters and everything, the sneakers. When I was in school, my name is Carolina, they used to call me Carolina G because of G-Unit. So, when I started looking for my artist name, it was Karol G because of that.”

Karol G is also one of Vevo’s most viewed latin artists of the year, leading a pack made up of artists like Camilo, Sebastian Yatra and J Balvin. Karol G’s videos take up the two leading spots, first for her collaboration with Mariah Angeliq “El Makinon,” and second for her video “Location,” made in collaboration with J Balvin and Anuel AA.

Her third studio record, KG0516, was released this March. It has collaborations with artists that work across different genres, from hip hop staples like Ludacris, to rising latin stars like Nathy Peluso.

Karol G will be embarking on her first U.S. headlining tour this year. The “Bichota tour” will kick off in Denver this October 27th and close out in Puerto Rico on November 27th.