Do we like Maluma?
Our score: 5 out of 10. A long run of lyrics critics call demeaning to women, plus a court order over one song, sits against real charity work and a clear stand on LGBTQ+ acceptance.
Maluma is the Medellín kid who became one of reggaeton's biggest exports. In 2026 he stepped back from the global treadmill to make Loco x Volver, an album of Colombian salsa and vallenato. He told NPR he felt he was losing his Latino roots while flying around the world.
The old trouble is the lyrics. In 2018 more than 20,000 Spaniards signed a petition to keep him out of a Palencia festival, with organisers saying his songs encourage sexist violence. A 2016 Huffington Post piece called them an apology of violence towards women, and fellow Colombian Carlos Vives called them perverse. Maluma himself wasn't quoted in that coverage.
When the Mala Mia video drew similar fire later that year, he did answer. He told El País he listens to and respects everyone's views, and that he was raised to value women. He also defended the song as a club-lifestyle number older listeners might not relate to. Whether that lands is up to you, but he engaged rather than hid.
The harm check has a second chapter. In April 2025 Colombia's Council of State ruled that the original lyric of the hit +57 sexualised minors. It ordered Karol G, J Balvin, Maluma and others to refrain from releasing music that violates children's rights. The ruling covered a group song, and one lyric had already been changed after pressure, so this is a mark, not a conviction.
Then there's June 2026. Asked on New York's Mega 97.9 FM about homosexuality, with the host citing Bible passages, he told him he was reading the wrong one and sent a shout-out to the LGBTQ+ community. That's a clear, public stand for acceptance with no hedging, and it counts. Our sources for it are secondary reports, not a recording.
On the good stuff, he runs the foundation El Arte de los Sueños, which teaches the arts to vulnerable young people. In April 2023 it earned him the Premio Impacto at a Miami gala that raised about two million dollars for disadvantaged children through music. Other outlets also reported he has given to it, but those are searches we didn't read in full.