"Reggaeton" A Spicy Mix of Salsa, Hip-Hop and Reggae...

Just over a decade ago, a new kind of dance music started to percolate throughout clubs and parties in Puerto Rico. Its beat was grounded in Jamaican Dancehall Reggae and its initial concept from Panama’s “Reggae en Espanol”. Above the Jamaican “Dem Bow” riddim or beat, rappers rhymed in Spanish, mostly about dancing, drinking and sex. Consequentially, for the younger audience, the beat, the attitude and the close, slow-grind dancing that went with it made it irresistible.

The music’s name evolved to "Reggaeton", which is traced to the term "Reggae-Thon" (the way disc jockeys announced Reggae Marathons.) Very rapidly, the music spread across Puerto Rico and made inroads in the States through major cities such as New York, Orlando, & Miami. One of its well known interpreters, Tego Calderón, said in an interview, "It's the music for the young generation, something different that they can identify with".

Reggaeton's story parallels to its two main influences, Hip-Hop and Reggae Dancehall. Like them, Reggaeton was homegrown music that first spoke to local club audiences and ignored by radio stations and mainstream crowds. The music was often raunchy and uninhibited, full of macho exploits involving guns, drugs and women. As its influences, it started in the realm of small, independent labels, with entrepreneurs selling albums to local stores out of the trunks of their cars. Today, Reggaeton has expanded to a global market.

"We didn't have radio play and we didn't have big companies, but we survived," Tego Calderón said. "They didn't want to play us. They didn't want to know about us. They pushed us away. They thought it was going to go out of fashion in a year. But now it's a business. Every month there's four or five albums of Reggaeton coming out. Everybody's selling very well, and everybody's getting paid". Reggaeton has many godfathers. Vico C is one of them; a Puerto Rican rapper who emerged in the late 1980's, rapping in Spanish over Hip-Hop beats and conveying positive messages. Nicknamed "El Filósofo" or "The Philosopher", Vico C warned about the dangers of drugs and violence in his lyrics, and targeted his message to the youth. Another well known and equivalent pioneer is "El General", a Panamanian rapper who brought “Reggae en Espanol” to the world stage. His songs made their way to dance floors all over the world, and broke the language barrier between Spanish-speaking listeners and English or Jamaican patois.

Soon after, Puerto Rican producers were adding their own ingredients to their beats, particularly the Timbales and Congas of Salsa; thus, starting the metamorphosis to Reggaeton. Pioneer Producers such as D.J. Playero, D.J. Negro, D.J. Nelson and Rubén D.J. all began blending these beats. Soon after, they started to make backup tracks or "Pistas" and recruiting rappers. They began by releasing compilation tapes. The artist Don Omar, stated in an interview, "To make Reggaeton, you need to know about your Puerto Rican music, Salsa, and to also know about Rap, Reggae, and the kind of art that makes a difference."

Continuing to this day, most Reggaeton music appears on producers' compilation albums. That's how most new artists are introduced to the public, although more artists are now doing their own solo albums. "El Abayarde" was Tego's debut album, but he had been appearing on compilations since the late 1990's. "If you don't prove yourself in the streets, nobody is going to put money on you," he said. "So you have to appear on those albums to make yourself noticed. This stuff comes from the street, so we know that it works.” Today, Reggaeton proves to make an impact. The market has grown very rapidly, outselling many other tropical rhythms, and establishing itself as a music style that's here to stay. "It's the voice of el pueblo," fans say. "It just hits that nerve". Domingo Ramos, head of artists and repertory for the urban division of EMI Latin, said: "Latin Hip-Hop and Reggaeton are coming like a tornado. It's inevitable that it's going to be the next Salsa and Merengue. For a long time, we didn't have support from radio in the States. But when you walk down the streets of New York City, out of 20 cars you hear that 13 are playing Reggaeton and Spanish Hip-Hop, then you know the masses are asking for it."

-Lokera 2004