J Balvin called out his close friend Ryan Castro this week, and he did it with zero apologies. The reason was Castro’s appearance on Hot Ones, First We Feast’s hit YouTube interview series built around spicy chicken wings. Based on Balvin’s reaction, Castro did not have an easy time.
Balvin posted in Spanish on Instagram. The gist: Castro “lost his street cred” and the real heat was to blame. “We almost lost him,” Balvin added, followed by a string of laughing emojis. He closed the post with a warm “I love you!! Omerta gang!! Awoooo” and tagged the Hot Ones account directly.
The tone was pure best-friend energy. Balvin wasn’t throwing shade. He was celebrating his friend’s visible suffering in the most supportive way possible.
“Omerta gang” is Balvin’s shorthand for his inner circle. Dropping it in the same post as the roast makes the whole thing feel like a group chat moment. It accidentally went public. For Castro, that’s not a bad thing.
For anyone unfamiliar with the show, here’s the setup. Guests sit down for a full interview and eat ten chicken wings. Each wing comes with a hotter sauce than the last. The final stop includes the show’s proprietary “Last Dab” sauce. That one has broken down some very confident people. Past guests include Kevin Hart, Shawn Mendes, and Cardi B. Most of them had a moment.
Ryan Castro is a Colombian reggaeton and urban music artist making serious moves in the Latin music scene. He runs in the same circles as Balvin, one of the genre’s biggest global stars. Balvin is Grammy-nominated and has worked with artists including Bad Bunny and Beyoncé. His Instagram audience is enormous.
Getting publicly roasted by Balvin puts Castro in front of millions of eyes. It’s embarrassing in a fun way. It also signals that Castro belongs in the inner circle. Rising artists have gotten far less useful publicity from far less entertaining moments.
Castro’s episode hadn’t gone widely viral before Balvin posted. That likely changed quickly. The comment section on Balvin’s post filled up fast. Fans came in with laughing emojis and genuine warmth for both artists. Nobody seemed bothered. They were having a great time.
Balvin ended the post with “te amo.” That’s Spanish for “I love you.” He put it right next to the roast. That combination says everything about how these two operate.
Castro hasn’t replied publicly yet. If he does fire back, it’ll be worth watching. Getting roasted by one of reggaeton’s biggest names is a pretty entertaining way to get some extra attention heading into the weekend.
