Natanael Cano deserves credit not only for pioneering and popularizing corridos tumbados, but also for using his platform to uplift numerous other young stars well into the 2020s. Yet his diehard fans know the trap aesthetic that often defines or otherwise informs the themes behind his hit songs also carries over to his work outside of música mexicana. On genre-crossed projects like NataKong and Trap Tumbado, he proved himself a formidable rapper able to contend credibly with the Spanish-language spitters he shares space with on the Latin charts. It is within that same rubric of creative freedom that Porque La Demora arises. Cano’s most diverse offering to date, the 16-track effort evolves over the course of its runtime, pivoting into spaces both familiar and uncharted for the superstar artist. “Working in urban styles—rap, trap, or reggaetón—feels like a blast,” Cano tells Apple Music. “Mostly because a producer sends you a beat, and if you dig it, the song’s already halfway done. First, you have to like the beat, the rest just flows. Pure freestyle, bar after bar.” The opening pair finds him comfortable in two hip-hop modes, the title track more boom-bap than the modernity of “Como Es.” Not content to stay in any specific space here for too long, he briefly transitions toward the tropical with frequent collaborator Gabito Ballesteros on “Perlas Negras.” The album has no shortage of high-wattage guest stars, but despite his reputation for bringing along other artists, Cano claims he does not exactly keep up to speed on what his peers are putting out. "Not listening to other artists helps me a lot," he says. "I’m obsessed with music, but I don’t consume it. I only play my own albums. That keeps me focused on creating something that’s 100 percent me: something pure." He reaches for reggaetón on cuts like “Blancanieves” and “Polos Opuestos,” supplying both verses and hooks in true hit-making fashion. That continues through “Bellakita,” a standout team-up with the rising Victor Mendivil that calls back to that genre’s rugged roots. The album’s second half adds even more features to the mix, with traperos-turned-popular stars Myke Towers and Eladio Carrión coming through for “El Juez” and the comparatively more clubby “Como Tony,” respectively. Chilean sensation FloyyMenor lends his reggaetonero skills to “Mary Poppins” while longtime cohort Badguychapo gets his bars off for “Cholo.” By the time the strobe lights hit on closer “VLV,” one might be forgiven for briefly forgetting Cano’s primary infamy in the corridos space. The closest Porque La Demora even gets to that side of his work comes on “Primero Muerto,” a piano-driven ballad that marks the most accessible moment on the entire album. Its narrative of pill-popping numbness and achingly romantic longing places him squarely in the pop zeitgeist, where he assuredly belongs. More importantly, Cano has found a way of working that can keep him in the game for the long haul. “Over these past five or six years, I’ve definitely ridden that emotional rollercoaster, the highs and lows of making music, but you never stay in one place; it always shifts,” he says. “Today, I can say this is the first album I’ve genuinely enjoyed making, even though a year ago, I would’ve said I’d lost my hunger. All I needed was a break, and it reminded me that I still have plenty to give, starting with this album and many more to come.”