text: real ( ivy queen album ) real is the fourth studio album by puerto rican reggaetón recording artist ivy queen , released on november 21 , 2004 , by universal music latino . initially to be queen 's debut full - length english - language studio album , it featured collaborations with hip hop and fellow reggaetón artists hector el father , fat joe , getto & , la india , gran omar and mickey perfecto . the album was primarily produced by rafi mercenario , and included guest production by american producer swizz beatz , puerto rican producers ecko , noriega , monserrate and dj nelson . the executive producers were goguito " willy " guadalupe , gran omar and queen . real is queen 's only record with a parental advisory label . the album departs from the lyrical content characterizing queen 's musical style , detailing hood life in puerto rico and love . it alternates musically between reggaetón and hip hop , experimenting with electronica , funk , dancehall , pop , r & b , and acoustic ballads . the wide range of styles and musical exploration earned real mainly positive reviews from critics . many praised queen 's raspy vocals and production quality , whilst others criticized the lack of instrumentation . spawning three singles ( " chika ideal " , " rociarlos " and " dile " ) , real peaked at number twenty - five on the billboard top latin albums chart , number four on the billboard top reggae albums chart and number six on the billboard tropical albums chart . " chika ideal " and " rociarlos " failed to attain chart success , although the former reached the top ten of terra networks ' music - video countdown . " dile " peaked at number eight on the billboard tropical songs chart , earning queen three billboard latin music award nominations ( including one for tropical airplay track of the year , female ) . several other tracks , including " tócame " and " baila así " , received airplay on anglophone and hispanophone radio stations in the united states . real is regarded as a factor in 2004 's reggaetón exposure to mainstream english - speaking markets , along with queen 's previous album ( her 2003 studio recording , diva ) and albums by daddy yankee and tego calderón . it became one of the best - selling albums of 2005 ( along with her fifth studio album , flashback ) , with sales of both going " through the roof " . queen then embarked on concert tours of latin america and the united states ; she also promoted the album with a network television - news segment detailing her career and struggle for respect in reggaetón , performing " chika ideal " on don francisco presenta . the album was re - released on september 25 , 2007 by machete music , but failed to impact the charts . background after the failure of ivy queen 's first two studio albums , en mi imperio ( 1997 ) and the original rude girl ( 1998 ) , sony music latin released queen from her musical contract and she took a hiatus from her musical career in 1999 . the 1999 hip - hop single " in the zone " , a duet with haitian singer wyclef jean , was moderately successful in the united states . however , the album " fizzled " . over the next few years , queen appeared on reggaetón compilation albums , spawning hits ( including " quiero bailar " ) and collaborations with artists on tommy boy and columbia records . in 2003 , queen released her third studio recording , diva , which was highly anticipated and acclaimed . it was a factor in reggaetón 's mainstream exposure in 2004 ( with daddy yankee 's barrio fino and tego calderon 's el enemy de los guasíbiri ) , and was certified platinum by the recording industry association of america . in early 2004 , after a string of compilation appearances , queen appeared on the compilation album 12 discípulos by eddie dee with " los 12 discípulos " , " quítate tu pa ' " and " que es la que hay " . " los 12 discípulos " managed to reach number eight of the billboard tropical songs chart , becoming a top ten hit . it received a nomination for " tropical airplay track of the year , new artist " at the 2005 billboard latin music award . the song featured eleven other reggaeton musicians , who were among the most requested in the genre at the time . these included dee along with queen , daddy yankee , tego calderón , voltio , vico c , zion , lennox , nicky jam , johnny prez , gallego , and g. the song brought all twelve artist together as one to show that " unity is needed for the genre reggaetón to evolve and survive " . that year , queen released a platinum edition of the album which included new songs , such as " papi te quiero " and " tu no puedes " , and began recording her next album . queen 's fourth studio album was planned to be her debut full - length english - language album after she received record - contract offers from a number of labels , including sony . she said it was a good opportunity to reach the competitive anglo hip hop music market after her success in latin american countries . queen received an offer to record an english - language album after sony notified her that her sony albums from six years earlier were being played in cities such as london because of diva 's success . despite her concerns about her english pronunciation , she continued with the project . queen recorded songs with some of hip hop 's most popular mcs , including american rapper fat joe ( who appeared on her debut english album ) . his song later became " quítate two " , and was included on real ; american hip - hop producer swizz beatz produced " soldados " , showcasing her crossover appeal . recording and production after the success of diva : platinum edition , ivy queen began recording her fourth studio album in march 2004 ; it wrapped up in september at marroneo studios in bayamón , puerto rico . the album was mastered and arranged by esteban piñero ; dennis nieves did the mixing and served as engineer . production was divided among several hip - hop and reggaetón producers . swizz beatz produced " soldados " ; longtime collaborator dj nelson reappeared with " dile " ( the lead single ) and " acércate " . grammy - award winning latin music producers echo and diesel , hyde , gran omar , noriega , monserrate , dennis nieves , dj blass and dj david montañez also aided in production and rafi mercenario produced seven of the album 's nineteen tracks . queen and omar were executive producers . collaborations include " matando " , " rociarlos " ( also featuring hector el father ) and " baila así " with queen 's then - husband , gran omar ; a hip - hop track , " quítate two " , with fat joe ; " acércate " with mikey perfecto , " tócame " with salsa singer la india and " vas a morir " with puerto rican duo getto & . " soldados " and " dee jay " were co - written with kasseem dean and omar navarro , respectively . " people thought we were going to make a salsa track " , queen said about the collaboration with la india , noting that the song was a dancehall track ( not salsa or reggaetón ) . she added that india was " original " and she worked well with people who are genuine , explaining the other collaborations . according to navarro and queen in an 2004 interview on mun2 the roof , the album was expected to feature a duet with puerto rican singer don omar . spin saw queen 's collaboration with fat joe as a trend in reggaetón to have american rappers " team up with its stars " . music and lyrics according to rolling stone , the album contains " raspy braggadocio and sexy rhymes " which complement queen 's raspy vocals . it alternates between reggaetón and hip hop as queen experiments with caribbean music , r & b , pop , electronica , funk , dancehall and acoustic ballads : " i really think this album is for people to really just sit down and listen to it " . she explained that " there are times that the songs will make you want to dance " , but their lyrics are more meaningful . although queen said the album has its share of " battles against men " , she wants it to demonstrate that she is a well – rounded artist . describing the songs , she said " [ they ] are always going to be real because they are feelings that people have ... the hits that i have now , the girls love them because they are real . if i am feeling hurt and need to curse to express that , then i will . i am going to be real all the way because that 's what made ivy queen " . the introduction to the album features queen lyrically blessing and thanking her audience for the support . " chika ideal " ( " ideal girl " ) assures the protagonist 's lover that she wants to be with him and fulfill his dreams . " soldados " ( " soldiers " ) , a hip - hop track influenced by electronic music , was produced by swizz beatz . " matando " ( " killing " ) , a duet with gran omar , explores dancing in a club . the song , in a minor key , features the synthetic instrumentation of techno music . " dale volumen " ( " add volume " ) , in a minor key , is characterized by simple harmonic progressions , synthesizers and stick - drum percussion and influenced by reggae and afro - latin music . it features a techno - influenced beat . " dile " ( " tell her " ) features lilting rhythms from colombia ( including cumbia ) , combining latin vallenato with reggaetón . queen noted that she sang the song without rapping to prove she is a complete musician and not just a rapper . " mi barrio " ( " my hood " ) criticizes " the problems present in añasco , puerto rico " . queen compared the song to " corazones " by daddy yankee from his album , barrio fino . " dee jay " is a reggaetón number which " recognizes the djs " of reggaetón . in it , queen mentions dj nelson , noriega , dj adam , dj negro , dj baby , rafi mercenario , luny tunes , monserrate & dj urba and others . " quítate two " ( " remove yourself " ) , with fat joe , combines hip - hop and funk music . the acoustic guitar ballad " ángel " ( " fallen angel " ) and its acoustic version are the fourteenth and nineteenth tracks on the album , respectively . " tócame " " ( " touch me " ) , a dancehall track , features la india . in a minor key , " " , another minor - key song , has queen asserting that she is " queen " in the genre of reggaetón . the track features synthesizers and strings , and is influenced by reggae and afro - latin music . " baila así " ( " dance like that " ) , produced by gran omar , has a punjabi – influenced hip - hop beat . release and promotion real was released on november 16 , 2004 , after originally being scheduled for release in september and on november 26 . the album was also released in a censored version . it was later re - issued on september 25 , 2007 by machete music , after having been announced in july 2007 as a fourth - quarter release . this was a result of ivy queen 's success with her seventh studio album , sentimiento , which sold 9 , 000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum within two months of release . ivy queen appeared on don francisco presenta , where she performed " chika ideal " ( the first single from real ) to promote the album . " rociarlos " was released as the second single , and " dile " was released as the third ( and final ) single later in 2004 after the album 's release . music videos for both singles were also released , along with music videos for " dale volumen " and " matando " . queen performed on the reggaeton tour 2004 , also featuring aldo ranks and la factoria , in a number of south american countries ( including ecuador ) ; she sang " papi te quiero " and " tu no puedes " , promoting diva and real . this was her first tour in south america , following shows in atlanta and new york city ( where she was " designated as the puerto rico youth god mother of the national puerto rican day parade " in june 2004 ) . at the end of june 2004 queen appeared on a network - television - news segment , detailing her career and struggle for respect in reggaetón , during recording sessions for the album . in february 2005 queen appeared at the festival of puerto rican stars — an historic achievement for reggaetón , since no other performer from the genre was invited . in june 2005 queen appeared on the invasion del reggaetón tour with daddy yankee , which grossed $ 817 , 220 for the week of june 18 . she also attended ( and performed at ) the billboard bash the night before the 2005 billboard latin music awards . unlike queen 's previous albums , the artwork for real features provocative photography ; her middle and thighs are emphasized to create a sexy image . queen said her breasts were enlarged from a b to a c cup , adding that the packaging described the style of music on the album . the album cover also features queen 's signature long nails , which she sports in a variety of colors . incorporating graffiti , the album has " street cred " in the hip - hop world . the change in image for queen is attributed to universal latino 's feeling that real had crossover potential for u.s. mainstream audiences . the album 's title suggests this ; it means " real " in english and spanish and " royal " in spanish , hinting at queen 's status as the queen of reggaetón . it is also queen 's response to puerto rican criticism for looking like a tomboy , wearing baggy pants and large shirts ( which she addresses in her autobiography , detrás del glamour [ behind the glamour ] ) . she accepted responsibility for her change in image , attributing it to a " new growth in person " and admitting that the makeover stemmed from a " crisis " and " female vanity " . to change her figure , queen used a colombian plastic surgeon . reception the album was moderately commercially successful . on the billboard top latin albums chart , real debuted at number twenty - nine and peaked at number twenty - five , one position higher than diva 's peak at twenty - four . it ended its chart run at number sixty - nine on february 26 , 2005 . on the reggae albums chart the album debuted at number four , sharing its peak with diva and spending seventeen consecutive weeks on the chart . on the billboard tropical albums chart , the album debuted ( and peaked ) at number six , not matching diva 's peak position at the top . it fell off the chart after being number eighteen for the week of april 9 , 2005 . at the time diva was still on the countdown at number twenty , to be displaced two weeks later by marc anthony 's 2004 la pena . sales were boosted by " distribution by universal music & video distribution , coupled with strong airplay at english- and spanish - language stations " . queen did not enter the billboard 200 until 2007 , when her sixth studio album ( sentimiento ) reached number 105 on the chart . " dile " was the only commercially successful of the three singles , reaching number eight on the billboard tropical songs chart . after the reggaetón " explosion " on the west coast of the united states , real helped ivy queen enter " bay area mainstream hip hop dials " with " dile " , " tócame " and " baila así " " staples " on hispanic radio stations . " dile " received a billboard latin music award nomination for tropical airplay track of the year , female at the 2005 billboard latin music awards , where queen was also nominated for reggaeton album of the year and tropical airplay track of the year , new artist . echo and diesel received a latin grammy award for their production work on real . at telemundo 's el premio de la gente latin music awards of 2005 , the album was nominated for urban or album of the year — male or female , where queen was also nominated for urban or artist of the year — male or female . rolling stone gave real three out of five stars , complimenting the " combo of raspy braggadocio and sexy rhymes " and noting the " pop - savvy " nature of the lp . according to patricia of miami new times , the album features a " wide range of styles , including the lilting haitian compas rhythms of ' dile ' ( ' tell her ' ) , the bhangra – flavored ' baila asi ' ( ' dance like this ' ) , the acoustic guitar ballad ' ángel ' ( ' fallen angel ' ) and ' ' ( ' caress me ' ) , all of which are adapted to ivy queen 's ' confident , raspy vocals ' " . the latter track was labeled " spicy " . also noted the exploration of hip - hop and dancehall rhythms set to " rough and rugged fast - paced raps " . she ended her review by saying that it was " the audacious musical explorations that make real a surprisingly nuanced and ultimately satisfying release " . music journalist rafer guzman of newsday complimented the " electro - crunch of ' soldados ' " and " snaky funk of ' quítate tu ' " . leila cobo of billboard said the album was " highly anticipated " after the release of diva : platinum edition several months earlier , with over 100 , 000 copies sold . the album was considered a factor in reggaetón 's mainstream exposure to american and global audiences . agustin gurza of the los angeles times criticized the album , saying " [ it ] lacks real instruments " and was bawdy and indecent . an editor for bulb magazine selected the album as one of reggaetón 's most classic albums in 2007 . the music magazine xlr8r put the album at number two on its " five important reggaetón albums " list behind don omar 's the last don ( 2003 ) and before tego calderon 's el ( 2003 ) , nicky jam 's vida ( 2002 ) and zion & lennox 's a la ( 2004 ) . while reviewing the reggaetón compilation album jamz tv hits , vol . 3 , an editor for allmusic listed " chika ideal " as an " allmusic pick " . the song was selected as a hit from " the golden era of reggaetón " ( 2003 – 2007 ) by jesus trivino of latina magazine . terra networks called the music video for " chika ideal " one of the hottest of the summer , saying the song showed " why she is the queen of reggaetón " . the video reached the top 10 for four consecutive weeks on terra networks ' top music video countdown . track listing standard edition personnel adapted from liner notes : track credits guest credits technical credits charts release history