Rauw Alejandro Returns to Tropical Airplay Chart With ‘Tú Con Él’

Part of the new wave of Latin artists testing tropical waters, Rauw Alejandro is back on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart, as he wraps a four-year hiatus and returns with his second top 10 since 2020.

The classic salsa romantic “Tú Con Él” by the late Frankie Ruiz, covered by Rauw Alejandro, makes its top 10 entrance on the Tropical Airplay chart (dated Dec. 21) as the song flies 14-7 in its second week assisted by a robust 107% gain in audience impressions, to 2.6 million, on the Dec. 6-12 tracking week, according to Luminate.

While the late Ruiz placed 11 entries on Tropical Airplay, including seven top 10s and two No. 1s, the 1985-released “Tú Con Él” did not enter as the chart officially launched almost a decade later, in 1994. The cover by Rauw Alejandro takes the Puerto Rican to his second entrance and top 10 on the ranking, after “Fantasías,” with Farruko, sent both artists to No. 2 in 2020. (The Latin rhythmic tune arrived before Tropical Airplay changed from a station-based to a genre-based tally).

It’s not the first time a song by Ruiz finds its way to a Billboard chart after his passing. Victor Manuelle incorporated excerpts from his 1989 hit “Deseándote” into “Otra Noche Más,” which added a new top 10 to both salsa singers’ Tropical Airplay careers in March. Further, it gave Ruiz his first entry since 2012 and first top 10 after the No. 7-peaking “Vuelvo a Nacer” in 1998. For Victor Manuelle, meanwhile, the time-traveling collaboration turned into a record-extending 65 top 10s.

Further, Charlie Cruz’s take of Ruiz’s “Tú Con Él” peaked at No. 19 on Tropical Airplay in 2018.

“Tú Con Él” also grants Rauw Alejandro a 32nd entry on the overall Latin Airplay chart, where it opens at No. 45. There, the song joins another Rauw track from his No. 1 album Cosa Nuestra: “Que Pasaría,” with Bad Bunny, surges 43-31 with 4 million audience impressions, up 28% from the week prior. Rauw’s fifth studio album debuted atop Top Latin Albums and Tropical Albums charts (Nov. 30) with the largest streaming week of 2024 for a Latin album.

In sum, “Tú Con Él” has translated into a profitable revival for Rauw Alejandro, with multiple entries across Billboard charts. Let’s look at those recaps:

Peak Position, Chart
No. 69, Billboard Hot 100
No. 65, Billboard Global 200
No. 98, Global Excl. U.S.
No. 6, Hot Latin Songs
No. 45, Latin Airplay
No. 7, Tropical Airplay
No. 5, Latin Streaming Songs
No. 5, Latiin Digital Song Sales

Over on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, while radio airplay surges, streams for “Tú Con Él” drop by 1%, to 3.4 million, and sales rise by a 6%.