Cuban Singer El Shadow Makes History with Nicky Jam Collaboration "La Foto"

August 13, 2026

Cuban urban artist Raudel Gómez Hernández, known as El Shadow, released the single and music video "La Foto" alongside Puerto Rican reggaeton star Nicky Jam on August 13, 2026, capping a story that began just six months earlier on social media.

The 26-year-old artist, from Camagüey, has been making music since he was 15, but it was in February 2026, when he had only 12,000 Instagram followers, that his career took an unexpected turn: he posted a video of himself performing an original song and asked his followers to tag Nicky Jam. The Puerto Rican star responded almost immediately in the comments, saying he was getting on the track, kicking off the collaboration that arrives today.

"La Foto" blends reggaeton with acoustic guitars and Afrobeats elements, in a sound described as having Caribbean summer vibes. The music video, directed by Mechu Recvoluxion and Nova Films and released via Plus Media and EMM, premiered exclusively through Billboard en Español. For the shoot, El Shadow filmed his scenes on Playa Santa Lucía in Camagüey while Nicky Jam shot his in Miami, a contrast that illustrates how Cuban talent can transcend the island's geographic and economic limitations.

Speaking about the achievement, El Shadow said: "I do this for my family, my daughter, my people, my Cubans. This achievement is thanks to you and thanks to God." Influencer Samantha Hernández also appears in several scenes throughout the video.

El Shadow's rise from 12,000 followers to sharing billing with one of Latin reggaeton's biggest stars has become one of the most talked-about stories in Cuban urban music so far in 2026.