A History of Reggaeton

Reggaeton is a form of dance music which became popular with Latin American youth during the late 1990s and spread to North American, European, Japanese, and Filipino audiences during the first few years of the 21st century. Reggaeton (also spelled with the Spanish accent as Reggaetón, and sometimes as Reguetón in Spanish) - blends Jamaican music influences of reggae and dancehall with those of Latin America, such as bomba and plena, as well as that of hip hop. The music is also combined with rapping (generally) in Spanish.

Reggaeton has empowered the Hispanic Caribbean youth, specifically those of Puerto Rico, Panama, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Mexico as well as the Latin American audience and the Latino communities in the United States, with a musical genre as a voice.

While it takes influences from hip hop and dancehall, it would be wrong to define reggaeton as the 'Hispanic'- or 'Latino'- version of either of these genres; reggaeton has its own specific beat and rhythm, whereas Latino hip hop is simply hip hop recorded by artists of Latino descent. Reggaeton's distinguishing feature is the Dem Bow beat (alternately spelled Dembow), which originated in a song by Shabba Ranks in the mid-1990s

Reggaeton lyrics tend to be more derived from hip hop than dancehall. Like hip hop, reggaeton has caused controversy due to its often explicit lyrics and alleged exploitation of women . Further controversy surrounds perreo, a dance with explicit sexual overtones which typically accompanies reggaeton music.



History

The birthplace of the music genre is a subject of debate between those who believe it was started in Panama and those who believe it originated in Puerto Rico however, it is known that the first Latin American reggae recordings were made in Panama during the 1970s. Reportedly, the Jamaican Reggae influence on Panamanian music has been strong since the early 20th Century, when Jamaican laborers were used to help build the Panama Canal.

Artists such as El General, Chicho Man, Nando Boom, Renato,Black Apache are considered the first raggamuffin deejays from Panama. El General has been identified as one of the fathers of reggaeton, blending Jamaican reggae into a Latin-ised version.

Meanwhile, during the 1980s the Puerto Rican rapper Vico C released Spanish-language hip hop records in his native country. His production of cassettes throughout the 1980s, mixing reggae and hip hop, helped spread the early reggaeton sound, and he is widely credited with this achievement [citation needed]. At this point the two main influences of the genre were in place, as well as the two main producing countries.

During the 1990s reggae production took off seriously in Panama; this also occurred separately in Puerto Rico due to the increased popularity of Jamaican ragga imports. It was common practice to translate the lyrics of Jamaican reggae song into Spanish and sing them over the original melodies. Towards the middle of the decade, Puerto Ricans were producing their own "riddims" with clear influences from hip hop and other styles. These are considered the first proper reggaeton tracks, initially called "under", a short form of "Underground". The 'under' scene widened when Puerto Rican and Cuban styles mixed with Panamanian-style reggae. DJ Playero was one of the most famous producers at the time, releasing several "underground" cassettes that featured early performances of some soon-to-be-famous artists like Daddy Yankee.

The genre morphed through the years, at various points being termed Melaza, musica underground and reggae de Puerto Rico. A breakthrough was made by the Jamaican artist Shabba Ranks who released a track Dem Bow in the early 1990s [citation needed]. The beat and rhythm from this song became the eventual background for the developing genre; at one point the genre became known as Dem Bow.

The name reggaeton only gained prominence in the mid-1990s (from the 1994 to 1995 period), with the Dem Bow beat characterizing the genre; this is in contrast to the more reggae, dancehall and hip hop -derived tracks previously created. The name was reportedly created in Puerto Rico to signify the hybrid sound created from the years of mixing the different genres. Today, the music flourishes throughout Latin America.

Reggaeton soon increased in popularity with Latino youth in the United States when DJ Blass worked with artists such as Plan B and Speedy in albums such as Reggaeton Sex. The first song which introduced Reggaeton to a big amount of fans is the song Tra Tra by Don Chezina. From there on reggaeton gained fans with songs such as Amor Con La Ropa by Speedy, No Puedo Estar Sin Sexo by Plan B, and Dembow by Yandel.


Reggaeton expanded and became known when other producers followed the steps of DJ Playero, like DJ Nelson and DJ Eric. In the mid 90s albums like Playero 37 (In which Daddy Yankee became known) and The Noise 5 and 6 were very popular in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Singers like Don Chezina, Master Joe, Mey Vidal, Baby Rasta Y Gringo, Polaco among others were very popular.

Many now popular producers, such as Luny Tunes, Noriega and Eliel, first appeared in the reggaeton scene in 2003. Albums such as Mas Flow, The Last Don, and Las Gargolas 4 expanded reggaeton's popularity among Latinos in the United States.

2004 was the year that reggaeton gained widespread popularity in the United States, eventually gaining attention in many 'Western' countries. This was due to N.O.R.E. introducing the genre to mainstream America with the song Oye Mi Canto, followed by Daddy Yankee who came out with his album Barrio Fino and his hit single Gasolina. Another important artist that contribuited to gain popularity to reggaeton, especially in Europe, is Don Omar, with singles like 'Pobre Diabla' and 'Dale Don Dale'.


Reggaeton in Puerto Rico

Reggaeton as it is known today is most commonly associated with Puerto Rico where it has really flourished and from where it has been spread around Latin America and the world. The Puerto Rican influence in reggaeton has involved the addition of hip hop to the Panamanian reggae style. Puerto Ricans have claimed reggaeton as their own [2] partly due to the fact that the movement was originally anti-establishment, with the government attempting to ban the perreo ("doggystyle") dance. Reggaeton is now more accepted within the country.


Reggaeton in Latin American Countries

Reggaeton has been a huge hit all across the globe, especially in Latin American countries, such as the Caribbean nations like Colombia, Venezuela, and in some Central America where it has become staple music in most parties and events across, complementing the common mix of merengue, salsa and electronic music and has paved a huge fan base. In some countries (such as Venezuela, with Calle Ciega, Doble Impakto and Mr. Brian and Pescozada and Heavy Clan from El Salvador), domestic "reggaetoneros" have arisen, expanding the Pan-latin feel of the genre.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggaeton