Reggaeton

Reggaeton is a Latin American musical genre that blends a distinctive beat called dembow with elements of reggae, Jamaican dance hall rhythms, hip-hop, rap, merengue, bomba, plena, and salsa. Reggaeton first emerged in Panama and Puerto Rico during the 1990s as an urban sound that resonated primarily with Latin American working-class listeners. Initially derided by critics for its often explicit lyrics and the suggestive dance moves it inspired, reggaeton eventually grew to become a popular musical style in Latin America and around the world. In large part, the genre's growing popularity is due to the work of leading reggaeton artists such as Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, and Nicky Jam. In particular, Luis Fonsi's 2017 song "Despacito" became a chart-topping hit that helped to cement reggaeton's place as a popular musical style on the international stage.

Background

Reggaeton's historic roots are an often controversial subject. Specifically, music historians and fans of the genre are split over the question of whether reggaeton first developed in Panama or Puerto Rico. In Panama, reggaeton's early development was closely tied to the influence of Jamaican reggae and dance hall music. As reggae became increasingly popular among Panamanian audiences in the 1970s, many Afro-Panamanian DJs began crafting Spanish-language versions of Jamaican reggae songs. While the DJs behind these covers initially reproduced the rhythms and sounds of the original songs as closely as possible, some gradually began altering them with the addition of Latin rhythms. Over time, this led to the development of a musical genre that meshed traditional Jamaican reggae and dance hall sounds with Latin-infused elements of hip-hop, rap, and other genres. Thanks to the influence of leading Panamanian artists like El General, this new sound eventually evolved into the distinct genre of reggaeton in the 1990s.

A similar evolution unfolded in Puerto Rico around the same time as it did in Panama. While the development of reggaeton in Panama began with Spanish-language reggae, its emergence in Puerto Rico began with Spanish-language rap. American rap and hip-hop became popular in Puerto Rico in the 1980s and 1990s. Early on, aspiring Puerto Rican hip-hop and rap artists frequently sampled the instrumental portions of these imported songs and added their own Spanish lyrics. Later, they began creating their own original hip-hop and rap songs. Some of these artists, including Puerto Rican rap pioneer Vico C, also started mixing in urban Panamanian dance hall music and other Caribbean sounds. This all resulted in the gradual development of a Puerto Rican version of reggaeton that closely resembled its Panamanian cousin.

In its early stages, reggaeton was an underground musical genre that was most popular among the residents of Puerto Rico's poorest urban communities. In fact, most of the artists who produced reggaeton music were themselves members of these communities. As a result, the lyrics of many reggaeton songs reflected the realities of life in urban areas and often included violent and sexually explicit lyrics. For a time, there was a strong social and political backlash against reggaeton from the Puerto Rican middle class and government officials, but such hostile reactions eventually faded as reggaeton became a broadly accepted part of Puerto Rican culture.

Overview

Modern reggaeton music is a reggae-derived blend of Jamaican dance hall rhythms and Latin merengue, bomba, plena, and salsa. It also typically incorporates elements of hip-hop, rap, and electronic dance music. Its most distinctive feature, however, is its use of dembow. Dembow is a percussive beat taken from Trinidadian soca and other forms of Caribbean music. A repeated two-bar loop, dembow forms the foundation of almost every reggaeton song. While the unmistakeable dembow beat is easily reggaeton's most recognizable auditory signature, some critics argue that its regular use tends to make most reggaeton songs sound alike.

Reggaeton's transition from the Puerto Rican underground to mainstream international airwaves began in the early twenty-first century. In particular, reggaeton had a major breakout year in 2004. Several key albums, including Daddy Yankee's Barrio Fino, Tego Calderón's El Enemy de los Guasíbiri, and Ivy Queen's Real all came out that year. All of these releases proved to be popular hits that laid the groundwork for reggaeton's emergence as a legitimate musical genre with a reach that extended well beyond Latin America.

In the years that followed, other reggaeton artists began to make their mark on the international music scene. The reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel had a hit with their song "Rakata" in 2006. Three years later, they became the first reggaeton act to receive a Grammy Award when their 2009 release Los Extraterrestres won best Latin urban album. Other hit reggaeton songs include Don Omar's "Danza Kuduro," Doble T & El Crok's "Pepe," and Ceky Viciny's "Klok Con Klok." One of the biggest reggaeton hits was 2017's "Despacito." A Luis Fonsi song featuring Daddy Yankee, "Despacito" topped the charts in numerous countries and became a major international hit. Fonsi and Daddy Yankee even performed "Despacito" at the 2018 Grammy Awards ceremony.

The successful rise of reggaeton in the early twenty-first century is partially a result of reggaeton artists' willingness to adopt alternate ways of reaching audiences. Because most modern reggaeton artists came of age during a period when digital music and the internet were transforming the way the music industry worked, they were less reluctant to embrace new online methods of distributing their work than many veteran musical acts. As a result, reggaeton artists benefitted tremendously from the exposure they got by posting their songs on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Many of these artists also made an effort to directly connect with their fans through social media. This approach allowed reggaeton artists to build large and loyal online followings. While cultivating such large followings helped to boost album sales, some reggaeton artists were also able to capitalize on their fan bases in other ways. Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam, for example, both successfully used the leverage provided by their massive fan bases to land lucrative endorsement deals with major brands such as Pepsi and Reebok.

Bibliography

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