Piedra angular literally translates to "cornerstone", the essential stone that forms the base of a building. It's a beautiful and uncommon metaphor to find in a reggaeton song.
J. Balvin sings "Tu piedra angular" (Your cornerstone) to describe how essential he was to his ex-partner's life and stability. He's reminding her that he was the fundamental piece holding her world together, making his absence all the more impactful.
This song is the ultimate post-breakup anthem for when you're completely over someone. J. Balvin and Bad Bunny team up to tell an ex that it's way too late for a second chance. The main question they keep asking is, "¿Pa' qué me vas a amar?" [Why are you going to love me?]. They've already said their goodbyes and moved on. The title comes from the killer line, "Ahora lo que hagas me vale un peso" [Now whatever you do is worth a peso to me], which is a savage way of saying they could not care less.
They get really specific about why it's over. Balvin says he's heard she's been breaking hearts trying to fill a void, and then drops the incredibly blunt line, "De ti sólo extraño hacerlo sin condones" [The only thing I miss about you is doing it without condoms]. Ouch! Bad Bunny paints a picture of her full of regret, "Pensando en mi mientras el café se te enfría" [Thinking of me while your coffee gets cold]. He reminds her that he adored her and cried for her, but now she needs to find another heart to play with. It's a song about taking your power back and realizing you're better off.
J Balvin grew up in Medellín playing guitar in a teenage rock band with Nirvana and Metallica on repeat, and spent part of his teens in Oklahoma and New York picking up English. Born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín in 1985, he had been releasing music in Colombia for about a decade before anyone outside it paid attention.
"6 AM" with Farruko changed that in 2014, and "Ay Vamos" and "Ginza" followed: "Ginza" held number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart for 22 weeks, a record at the time. He kept singing in Spanish anyway, and "Mi Gente" reached number three on the Hot 100 once Beyoncé joined the remix, before "I Like It" with Cardi B and Bad Bunny went to number one in 2018. His albums run La Familia, Energía, Vibras, Colores (every track named after a color, and a Latin Grammy for best urban album), José and Rayo, plus Oasis, a joint record with Bad Bunny. In August 2019 he became the first Latino artist to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago.