[2][3][4] Martin started recording his eleventh studio album, initially titled Movimiento, in the second half of 2019, inspired by the political protests in Puerto Rico.

[8] In an interview with El Nuevo Día, he told the newspaper about "Cántalo", saying it has "a fascinating story, starting with the fact that La Fania gave me the master [recordings] of 'Mi Gente' to work on this song, which is a very great responsibility and it fills my heart with pride".

[9] He continued: I've always wanted to bring generations together through my music, and I have to give much credit to Residente, an excellent producer and lyricist, and certainly to Bad Bunny, the new face of the genre and a very young person who has very important things to tell.

[9] "Cántalo" marked the first collaboration between Martin and the two other artists, while Residente and Bad Bunny had previously worked on the 2019 singles "Bellacoso" and "Afilando los cuchillos" together.

Its production was handled by Residente and Trooko,[17] and the song features elements of trap, hip-hop, Latin pop, jazz, and bossa nova.

[9][10][13][18][19][20] The song runs for a total of 3 minutes and 38 seconds,[21] uses several instruments including a tambora and trumpet,[10] and inspires the union of the human race regardless of religion, social status or flag color.

[23] The chorus of the track references Héctor Lavoe's 1974 song "Mi Gente", and reverts to "full-throttle salsa" between Residente and Bad Bunny rap verses.

[30][31] Martin, Residente, and Bad Bunny gave their first live performance of "Cántalo" at the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 14, 2019,[25] which was ranked as one of the best moments of the ceremony by Rolling Stone.

[32] The song was included on Martin's the Movimiento Tour, which began at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico on February 7, 2020.

She also complimented the song for its perfectly fusion of sounds, and admired "the combination of Martin's voice with Residente and Bad Bunny's rap style and the lyrics" that make the track "unique".

[23] Writing for Hypebeast, Sophie Caraan praised "Cántalo", saying: "Fusing traditional sounds found in Latin music and Residente and Bunny's trap style, the track calls for everybody to stand for what’s right instead of turning a blind eye to injustice."