Pick any reggaeton hit from the last 20 years, and there is a very good chance that Tainy made the beat.
He has been the sonic architect behind Bad Bunny’s rise, not to mention an entire crop of Reggatoneros including J Balvin, Yandel, Ozuna, Jhayco, and more. He has also collaborated with A-listers from outside that world, including Kali Uchis, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and Cardi B.
Born Marco Masís in 1989, Tainy was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, by a father who is Puerto Rican and a mother who is Dominican. He started making music at 14 years old and was mentored by reggaeton legend Nely “El Arma Secreta,” who produced hits for Wisin & Yandel and Anuel AA. Nely was working with Luny Tunes, the producers behind Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” and Tainy found himself in the studio with the legendary duo. During one session, Luny tested Tainy, telling him, “Do something real quick and I will come back.” Tainy, who was still a teenager, then created the intro to Luny Tunes’ Más Flow 2.
“They liked it and wanted me to talk to my mom so they could sign me that same day, and it ended up being part of the album,” Tainy told Complex. The song gave him an important credit on what would become one of the greatest albums in reggaeton history.
From there he was off. Over the next 20 years, Tainy would architect some of the era's most landmark reggaeton albums, from Luny Tunes' Sangre Nueva to Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti and J Balvin's Vibras.
Tainy has also stepped into the spotlight himself—crafting genre-bending albums like his debut DATA and Dynasty with Yandel, and even producing an eclectic soundtrack for the 2026 World Baseball Classic featuring Young Miko, Myke Towers, and more.
Most recently, he served as the music director for Bad Bunny’s historic Super Bowl Halftime Show, helping shape the 15-minute, career-spanning set designed to move seamlessly from one moment to the next.
Reflecting on the performance, he described how much he enjoyed revisiting older material, reworking tracks, and even incorporating songs not originally his own. For Tainy, the weight of the moment was undeniable. He understood the magnitude of the stage, calling it “such an important moment for us as Latinos, Puerto Ricans.”
Now he is focusing on his own music, again, as he gears up to release his sophomore album BESTIA later this year.
For the album’s visual direction, Tainy enlisted Japanese visual artist Yoshitaka Amano, whose work he had admired long before his own music career began.
Amano, known for his iconic illustrations in the Final Fantasy series, represents the theatrical and illustrative style Tainy wanted to weave into the album’s identity. “I get to tell [my story] through music, through the visuals,” he said, explaining that the drawings and dramatic imagery reflect personal influences from his background, including time spent studying theater in high school.
“I grew up playing Final Fantasy, and he is the artist behind all those initial drawings,” Tainy said. “So it is crazy to get to a point where I am actually working with somebody that I admired before even doing music.”
After reaching out, the producer shared the project’s concept and early music with Amano, offering only light guidance while respecting the artist’s process. The result, Tainy said, exceeded expectations. “He just made such a crazy, genius approach to the project,” Tainy said. “I could not be happier.”
We sat down with Tainy, where he broke down the biggest hits of his career, as well as what to expect from his upcoming album.
Bad Bunny, "Estamos Bien"(2018)
Producers: Tainy and La Paciencia
"The first song [I worked with Bad Bunny on] was 'Estamos Bien.' That was prior [to] him releasing his first album. So, that is the first time we really got together and just sit down, and talk, and meet each other and go through influences or things that we like.
It was really cool—just having those couple days of us meeting for the first time and having that recorded now as a part of 'Estamos Bien' and what it meant for his career. But also for the people in Puerto Rico after everything that happened with [Hurricane] Maria. It is such a cool thing to look back and see that that is how it all started off.
From then, I think we waited, I do not know how many weeks or a couple months, to really lock in and start working on X 100pre. I was really involved in the majority of that album. So, that was really cool to really connect with an artist like that and go into his first project and have him trust what you can bring to the table and work on so many amazing tracks from that debut album.
'Estamos Bien' was the first one. But from then, you get 'Ni Bien Ni Mal,' 'Si Estuviesemos Junto,' 'Solo De Mi,' like, all those tracks were a part of that first interaction and collaboration between us."
Cardi B feat. J Balvin & Bad Bunny, "I Like It" (2018)
Producers: Craig Kallman, J. White Did It and Tainy
"I remember being with [J] Balvin when he was recording the verse for ['I Like It'], but I was not a part of the track…yet.
He had an initial beat to be able to record his stuff. But then I was in L.A. for some sessions and I met one of the A&Rs, who was in charge of Cardi's project, whose name was Edgar Machuca.
And he [asked] me if I had time to go to a session with him after mine. I was dead. It was like 1 a.m. or something. You always got to go to these sessions and you never know what could happen. And they wanted me to help out and bring in the things that they needed in terms of musical arrangement, energy, and the aggressiveness that they wanted for the track. I did a couple of things for that night. But going forward, we just kept going back and forth and trying stuff.
And it is a long song because you have three artists, three verses, so you have to keep it interesting and dynamic. So I am super happy that I got to be a part of that.
I think it is one of the first times that me and Benito worked together, too, without even knowing. I think the song came out and he did not even know that I was a part of the track. I think he texted me, 'Yo, you are a part of the track, too? That’s crazy.'
It was a cool couple of days just figuring that out, [just] making it go to where it needed to be and to see what it became, see it go No. 1 [on the Billboard Hot 100], see it bring all these artists to that spotlight.”
Bad Bunny feat. Jowell & Randy & Ñengo Flow, "Safaera" (2019)
Producers: DJ Orma, Tainy and Subelo NEO
"That’s a beat that I had for a while, and I showed it to [Bad Bunny…] And that was just one that he had sitting there for a while. And we were working on YHLQMDLG, just finishing all the tracks.
But ['Safaera'] was not a part of what I was either polishing or finishing or taking stems out. I was just finishing everything else. And I think I got a message from La Paciencia, who was recording him all day and all the guys that were a part of that album. And he just lets me know, 'You do not even know what just happened with this crazy track, the one that you sent.' And he showed me the name of the track.
And now I am super anxious to see 'what the hell happened,' because he said something crazy just happened. And from that point, we are just going to finalize the album or [start] sending stems and stuff […] The initial part of the song, that is where my beat comes in. And I hear it is Jowell & Randy, so I am working around that track. But then I start to see how it starts evolving. And DJ ORMA, who is [Bad Bunny's] personal DJ, came in. I can imagine them being in the studio, just throwing samples and beats and different things and whatever feels good.
It is such a crazy, amazing track. And for me to be a part of that, too, it has been so cool. Because at the end of the day, it is going to be one of the top songs that represent what reggaeton is. That feeling, that vibe that it transmits, It is just special.
[The samples] really embodies how reggaeton came about. It's just throwing things together, whatever feels good, just bringing that movement, that party feel. It was just cool to see how it came together and how it evolves throughout the track."
J Balvin & Bad Bunny, OASIS (2019)
Produced on: "Yo Le Llego," "Cuidao por Ahí," and "Un Peso"
"The craziest thing is [that] everything was done in really a small amount of time. I think we just spent like three days in the studio all together to get [OASIS] done. It would seem like it was months of creating and going back and forth and being in sessions, [but] I was so surprised on how fast everything came through.
I was working on instrumental ideas and stuff. Sky [Rompiendo] too, we got together to work on that, but to have [Bad Bunny and J Balvin] both be in the studio and in those days, just show them everything we have, 'OK, we have this, we think of this, we can write to this or whatever.' Everything came out in, I could say, in three days. It is crazy how talented and amazing they are.
But I think that has to do a lot with the team that we got together to work on that. Even Jhay Cortez was in some of those sessions. I think he wrote on 'Cuidado Por Ahí.' So many cool things [were] happening. Sky also writes a lot. Benito does his thing. So he just came in with different instrumentals and wrote a bunch of top-lines, his verses, then Balvin came in and did his thing. I really enjoyed those couple of days. I think we did it over here in Miami.
Benny Blanco, Tainy, Selena Gomez & J Balvin, "I Can't Get Enough" (2019)
Producers: Tainy & Benny Blanco
"That one came from me and Benny meeting for the first time. We were both in Interscope doing projects and working on future things, and they felt like it was good for us to meet and get together.
I have always been a fan of Benny. So, to be able to sit down with him and talk with him and see that he was into some of my stuff or things that I was working [on] before was so cool.
So, it came so naturally, [with] us just trying to create cool music. And having that melodic vocal chop just felt good and trying to bring that energy into the track. We just spent a day working in the studio. And from there we just go, 'OK, who can sound good on this? What would be a cool combination?'
I was working a lot with José around those days, and he has also worked a lot with Selena before. So, it kind of made sense making that collaboration, and I am grateful that they were into the idea."
Justin Bieber, "Habitual"(2020)
Producers: Poo Bear, Tainy & Josh Gudwin
[JB’s engineer, Josh Gudwin] always had me in mind whenever [Justin Bieber] wanted to start a project, or JB started writing or [have] sessions and stuff, he always asked me, 'Yo, do you have some stuff you can send over?'
And I always send him a couple of things and see what they are vibing into. Because sometimes when you are not with the artist, you do not really know what’s the direction or what are they into at that moment. But I just did a couple of random things and one of them was 'Habitual.' So, to see them connect with that track and him let me know, 'Yo, they are recording on this,' and then see how it came out and all that stuff was really cool. JB's somebody that I admire and I think he’s such an amazing artist.
I always wanted to dive into different genres, different places. I am such a fan of different types of music and sounds and styles that you do not always get a chance to explore those things because of the type of artist that you are working with or what they are asking from you. But to get these chances is really cool as a producer."
Kali Uchis,"telepatía" (2020)
Producers: Albert Hype, Manuel Lara and Tainy
"I have always loved Kali's music and also that indie-rock style. It is not typically what people know me for or what they would imagine that I listen to when I get in my car, but it is something that I am really passionate about.
They wanted to work on this project for Kali to bring a little bit more of that Latin side that is a part of her. So they put me in charge of [the Sin Miedo] project. We did a couple of sessions in my studio in Miami, and we brought a lot of people that we felt could bring this to life. Albert Hype is there, Manuel Lara, who was mainly the guy to come up with this idea for 'telepatía,' was a part of those sessions.
It is something that you do not typically hear from me or from the guys on the Latin/urban side. So for us to dive into something that we love, that we do not always get a chance to just do. But having artists like Kali that has that caliber, has the sound, has the voice, it was special to be in the studio those days and come up with something that became such an amazing track.
It was so cool to see the guys like Manuel Lara and Brandon Cores, who were like the main guys on those tracks, do their thing [...] I'm happy that people got to see that side of her and how amazing it sounds, so hopefully we get to do some more music together.”
Bad Bunny, "EoO" (2025)
Producers: Tainy & La Paciencia
"We did all of [DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS] in Puerto Rico. So I spent a lot of time over there, a lot of time at my mom's house, driving around where I used to go to school. It was a lot of reminiscing, a lot of nostalgic type of things.
And even when diving into the music that he was doing and seeing him bring all these Plena and Bomba and Cuatro and all these things that you hear all your life in Puerto Rico, just bringing them into something that is a part of your world today was so cool.
I know he said that "DTMF" was the last track to be done, but "EoO" could have been the one [finished right] before that. That was just us already done with everything, and it is an idea that we had, because I showed him [the "EoO" beat], I do not know how many albums before, [but] we always had it there.
I think he was listening to a lot of old reggaeton from Playero and Hector y Tito and all that stuff, and it maybe gave [Bad Bunny] that thought of 'we still have that idea, right?' So he just texted me about it, and I had it. So we started just messing around with it.
It was all the guys, just a cool atmosphere of going back in the days and going through references and hearing stuff that we liked. And, ‘OK, we got to have this type of sound' or 'this type of energy' and see it all come together.
I was working on it in a little kitchen in the studio. We were not even in the main room. It just made it such a cool experience to get it done and to see what it became, seeing how he transported himself into those different eras and just sounded so authentic.
And I got a chance to do a lot of things that either I used to do or that I grew up listening [to] when I started to do music. And me trying to emulate that and do that today, [DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS] is one of the best experiences that I have had creating music. So I am happy that people got to hear that and got to feel the intention behind it that did not get lost on what we wanted to accomplish."
Tainy feat. Rauw Alejandro & Jhayco, "Rosita" (2026)
Producer: Tainy
"[A Rauw and Jhayco collab] is something that could not happen before because of the issues and things that happened. But those are two of my brothers and two of the most talented artists we have today. So for me as a producer, it is like, 'If you guys figure it out and we can make music, we can make so many amazing things.'
And I am just so happy we got to a point now, going into my next album, where we were able to talk it out, have these moments as grown men, and just turn the page over. Now we get to see something that not just me, but a lot of people have been waiting to see, [which is] a combination of these two crazy, amazing artists just working together on a track, and for it to happen on my album, [I am] just so blessed to have that happen.
I am super happy with the song, with all of them, and how the album has been coming together. Hopefully, by the time the album comes out, people get to see the vision and all the process and all the things that went through it."
Tainy, BESTIA (2026)
"When I dive into an album, I just want to have a really solid idea, sonically, and also concept-wise and visually. So if I do not have that, I cannot move forward.
I spent two years just trying to find what is that combination, what is the sound, what is the vibe. And finally getting to a point where I knew, 'OK,' this is the type of things that I want to combine, and this works really well with what I imagined visually too.
And I really started to work with a lot of musicians and organic instrumentation, [including] orchestra, pianos, harps, accordions, flutes, all these things. [I used] samples of older ‘70s film. I really felt [like] this is something that I do not traditionally hear, and that I have not really done in my career or in reggaeton as a whole.
So to see something that I can mix or merge with either drums or heavy bass, or things that people usually know, and combine it with that, I think was a cool approach that works with that theater, more dramatic feel that I wanted to bring.
So these were initially ideas that I had, pretty simple. I sat down with Feid and just showed him two ideas. They got the vision right away. And that to me makes me feel like, OK, 'I am on the right path.' As soon as I played them a track, they just connected with it. They connected with the explanation that I had for the concept and [I saw] them bring it to life within their style and who they are today.
For them to just dive into my world for a second, instead of me trying to find a way in their albums and what they want to talk about, how they want to sound, [or] who they want to sound like today, it has been cool.
And I really enjoyed this process of being a producer and having artists come into my world for a moment. And it just brings a different side, a different aspect of who these artists are that hopefully they can even grab a little bit from that, and keep moving forward and add it to their own projects."