In the context of the film, "El Mal", a rap rock song, discusses the hypocrisy of criminals contributing to the nonprofit organization founded by Emilia Pérez, which is dedicated to helping people.
The plot revolves around the titular character, originally named Juan "Manitas" Del Monte, a drug lord from Monterrey (both roles portrayed by Karla Sofía Gascón).
Manitas contacts Rita Mora Castro (played by Zoe Saldaña), an underappreciated attorney living in Mexico City, seeking her help to disappear and transition into a woman.
Moved by her children's longing for their father, Emilia creates a nonprofit organization called La Lucecita, supported by other remorseful cartel members.
Saldaña's version consisted of a fusion of genres but with an electronic arrangement, which begins with a "rapid-fire nonsense representation of [Bob Dylan's 1965 song] 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'" and a "more funky, more ironic, kind of Talking Heads" ending with a hip-hop tune.
Ducol further described the context of the song, adding:[1]"What I like in 'El Mal' is that we are talking about things that are quite harsh, and all of a sudden, we find ourselves before a true musical number, and we understand we are no longer in reality-based cinema.
[1]Stephanie Zacharek mentioned in Time that the musical number is inspired by Bollywood films, with its theme highlighting the hypocrisy of donors attending a benefit dinner meant to help eradicate the crimes they commit,[3] an opinion shared by her colleague Lucy Ford.