He released his debut album Real Hasta la Muerte on July 17, 2018, the day he was released from prison. Rolling Stone included it on its list of Best Latin Albums of 2018, noting that the artist "demonstrates impressive pop instincts" and further commented, "As Anuel keeps one foot in trap, he's also looking toward Latin pop's mainstream". Real Hasta la Muerte peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200 and topped the US Top Latin Albums chart. The release of the album, along with the artist's release from prison, garnered significant media attention; the rapper was surprised by the public response and stated that he "didn't even know how to talk in interviews" after being incarcerated for more than two years. He achieved his first Billboard Hot 100 hit in August 2018 through his collaboration with American rapper 6ix9ine on the song "Bebe". In the six months following the release of Real Hasta la Muerte, Anuel AA contributed vocals to eleven Billboard Hot Latin Songs-charting singles, including "Ella Quiere Beber" with American singer Romeo Santos. He also collaborated with Nicki Minaj and Bantu on the song "Familia" for the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack, released in December 2018. In January 2019, the rapper released the single "Secreto" with Colombian singer Karol G, confirming the romantic relationship between the two artists in the song's accompanying music video. The single reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the US Hot Latin Songs charts. The song was inspired by the time when Anuel AA and Karol G were dating but had not yet publicly discussed their relationship. The video's "power couple" aesthetic garnered comparisons to Beyoncé and Jay-Z as well as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. 2019–2020: "China" success and Emmanuel In July 2019, Anuel AA released "China", a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna, and J Balvin. The song heavily samples Shaggy's 2000 single, "It Wasn't Me", a track Anuel AA remembered from his childhood, which he selected from a number of old songs he had been listening to with the intention of "redo[ing] a classic". He told XXL that "when I used to go with the big boys in my hood to the club, they put that song on and everybody used to go crazy". "China" debuted at number two on Billboards Hot Latin Songs chart and topped both the Latin Digital Songs and