What is the point of digging up the term Casanova in 2023? The image of a conqueror, a seductive flirt, a man who makes romance look effortless, feels dated at best. Yet Madrid-born Recycled J, real name Jorge Escorial and now 30 years old, a veteran of the daisies-and-verse approach that he’s cultivated in his songs, saw an opening to reframe the idea and, in a sense, to obliterate it to rebuild it. He has consistently mined romance through pop textures, and last June he released Casanova as a concept album that is as aesthetically polished as it is emotionally charged, with a “luxury” version slated to arrive this Friday.
Two forces pushed him to craft this record, the third installment in a sequence that has revisited the idea from various angles (his 2019 release City Pop captured a moment in the evolution of urban pop): first, a commitment to delivering a complete work grounded in love, not fragments or vibes; second, a deeply personal tribute to his grandmother Matilde, who shares the Casanova surname and passed away while the album was being finished. “I looked inward, at my own feelings, and I examined the figure of Giacomo Casanova, who might have been on the rise in the past and who stood for values I do not share. I wanted to challenge them and reinvent the term,” Recycled J explains. “I sought the breadth of love,” he adds, stemming from Carabanchel and its own sense of place.
To complete the album’s framework, he embraced the image of a rose, seen as a perfect symbol of romance with its beauty, its leaves and stem, alongside its thorns. “The album is an emotional journey, moving from one emotional landscape to another, that’s the introspective spine,” he notes. A tender, innocent first half—captured by the buoyant energy of songs like 150 songs—gives way to a quest that delves into his past, culminating in a burst of intensity in tracks such as 10,000 Kms, Primadonna, and finally Pa no Volver. The mood evolves as the listener travels through different states of mind. In short, it’s a personal project with no collaborations. The artist emphasizes, “I wanted this to be Recycled J’s Casanova journey, with no other voices interjecting. I aimed to narrate these experiences myself and let listeners interpret them through their own lens.” The track Perro Hungry is also noted in the album, a long-rumored song with Rauw Alejandro that, for years, seemed destined to surface but stayed shelved due to commercial concerns.
The Madrid-born artist has long stood as one of the most beloved voices in the rap scene. This album, with its bombastic choruses and a keen pop sensibility—“there’s nothing more pop than a catchy chorus”—serves as the latest testament to his stature. “From where I come, rap could be seen as something other people criticized. When others rapped in different ways, I chose a different path. I adore being labeled the ‘poppiest of rappers’ because I am that, and it makes sense,” he reflects. Recycled J has not abandoned rap; he joined forces with Natos and Waor in Hijos de la Ruina and collaborated with Don’t Leave Alone to reveal his more downbeat side. “I keep making rap and trap songs, along with other textures I experiment with. The issue is that this project sits within a pop frame, but that doesn’t mean I won’t release other material simultaneously,” he defends.
The track Rosas freestyle, one of the dozen on Casanova, distills the record’s core message: a powerful meditation on self-love and accountability. The lyrics warn against owing favors to pompous hands and remind listeners that a successful artist should maintain humility and responsibility toward others. Does a public figure like Recycled J carry forward a genuine sense of class and humanity? “Consciousness, yes. I understand that people experience hardship, life shapes them, but that does not mean I share it. As I move toward pop, I steer clear of social headlines; I keep the focus on rap and still aim to seed development and effort into my work. I come from a working-class family, and that worldview informs what I do,” he answers. The project also hints at a more reflective stance, balancing artistic ambition with a grounded sense of self and community. “Pop aesthetics arrive to broaden the message, not erase the roots,” he suggests, signaling that this is not a detour but a refined continuation of his artistic arc.