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 given Hispanic Caribbean youth, specifically those of Puerto Rico, Panama, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and Cuba as well as the Latin American audience and the Latino communities in the United States, a musical genre of their own.
While it takes influences from hip hop and Jamaican 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 [citation needed].
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 [1]. Further controversy surrounds perreo, a dance with explicit sexual overtones which typically accompanies reggaeton music.
Contents
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* 1 History
o 1.1 Origins
o 1.2 Early history
o 1.3 Rise to popularity
* 2 Features of reggaeton
o 2.1 Reggaeton beats
o 2.2 Reggaeton and hip-hop
o 2.3 Lyrics and themes
* 3 Reggaeton across the world
o 3.1 Puerto Rico
o 3.2 Latin America
o 3.3 United States
* 4 See Also
* 5 References
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History
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Origins
Reggaeton's roots are most likely from Panama [1] [2] [3] [4] with the music evolving and coming to prominence in Puerto Rico. Some people believe that reggaeton beats were originally started by Panamanian rappers and were later adopted by Puerto Ricans, while others think that it was an adaption of Jamaican dancehall and reggae beats.
A possible explanation is that reggaeton is actually a hybrid of many different musical genres from various countries in the Caribbean and the United States; this new musical style later became more famous when it was highly popularized as a new musical genre in Puerto Rico. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
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Early history
The origins of reggaeton begin with the first Latin-American reggae recordings being 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. [citation needed]
Artists such as El General, Chicho Man, Nando Boom, Renato, Black Apache are considered the first raggamuffin DJ's 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 island. 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 [9].
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.
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Rise to popularity
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.
Daddy Yankee
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Daddy Yankee
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 [citation needed], 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' [citation needed].
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Features of reggaeton
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Reggaeton beats
Reggaeton's most notably unique feature is a driving drum-machine track, which sounds almost identical in virtually all reggaeton songs, derived from Trinidadian soca music and Jamaican dancehall rhythms. This beat is called "Dem Bow" after the beat in a song by Jamaican artist Shabba Ranks' song Dem Bow.
Many of the sounds found in a typical reggaeton beat are electronically synthesized. Simple melodies may be produced with keyboards, electric guitars, and other electronic instruments. Other forms of electronic dance music have significantly influenced reggaeton beats, such as techno, house, and genres such as the merengue hip hop (also called merenhouse) of groups such as Proyecto Uno and Zona 7.
Reggaeton beats are highly versatile. The great variety and flexibility of reggaeton beats can be illustrated by Luny Tunes' CD The Kings of the Beats, which is a collection of purely instrumental beats. Reggaeton beats can be based on merengue, bachata, bolero, and especially hip-hop beats.
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Reggaeton and hip-hop
Reggaeton bears many resemblances to hip-hop. The most notable resemblance to hip-hop is that reggaeton, in most cases, is recited instead of being sung. Another feature is that reggaeton CD's are laid out like hip-hop CD's, including intro's, occasional interludes, and hidden bonus tracks. Reggaeton also has hooks throughout a song that may include a chorus of singers. Reggaeton artists also adopt pseudonyms comparable to those of hip-hop artists. Overall, reggaeton and hip-hop are both thought of as street-styled music popular among urban youths.
Despite the similarities, reggaeton only roughly fits into the Latin hip-hop category but is not synonymous with hip-hop. True Latin hip-hop has beats that almost exactly resemble mainstream hip-hop beats. These "hardcore" Latin hip-hop artists include Fat Joe, Akwid, and Jae-P. Reggaeton, though, has rap-styled lyrics but has a very different beat that is influenced not by hip-hop, but by reggae, dancehall, merengue, and techno. Although reggaeton has been highly influenced by American hip-hop, it has also borrowed features from many other genres as well and is not strictly considered to be Latin hip-hop.
Reggaeton and hip-hop are often remixed together, and reggaeton songs and live concerts may feature hip-hop artists such as Lil Jon, 50 Cent, and Eminem. Hip-hop songs such as Usher's Yeah and Snoop Dogg's Drop It Like It's Hot have been remixed by replacing the original beat with a reggaeton beat. In other remixes, reggaeton DJ's may rap out an English song in Spanish. Reggaeton and hip-hop are accepting influences from each other today, and these musical blends also signify a cultural melting pot in today's urban scene.
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Lyrics and themes
Reggaeton lyrical structure highly resembles hip-hop lyrics. Like hip-hop, reggaeton artists recite their lyrics rap-fashion rather than sing it melodically. Like hip-hop music, reggaeton songs have hooks that are repeated throughout the song. Unlike hip-hop, many reggaeton songs are not completely dominated by male rappers and also have choruses of female dancers who repeat small portions of the song; for example, the girls say "dame más gasolina" in Daddy Yankee's song Gasolina. Female dancers most commonly say their parts during the hooks, but often also in the lyrics. Reggaeton also started as a genre composed of only male artists, with a slowly increasing number of female artists debuting over the years. Notable female reggaeton artists include Ivy Queen and Glory.
Reggaeton lyrical themes are versatile. Typical themes may include dancing, love stories, partying, short anecdotes of the rapper's life, and problems in life. Popular reggaeton songs are mainly intended to be danceable, rhythmic, party-like songs for young people. Reggaeton may or may not be objectionable depending on the artists, song, and the listener's interpretation, as one reggaeton song may have many interpretations because a song's meaning may not be very clear and direct. For example, the song Gasolina is often considered appropriate for children and has made it into the Reggaeton Niños series. However, because of the various possible connotations and literal interpretations of the song, some people criticize Gasolina as having possibly inappropriate sexual content [10].
Usually, reggaeton CD's are not labeled "explicit" like many hip-hop CD's are. One exception is that Daddy Yankee's Barrio Fino en Directo (Barrio Fino Live) was labeled explicit for objectionable content in the live concerts, even though the regular studio version of Barrio Fino was not labeled explicit.
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Reggaeton across the world
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Puerto Rico
Reggaeton is most commonly thought of as originating from Puerto Rico, where it has flourished and spread across Latin America and the international stage. 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 [3] 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 continues to be highly popular within Puerto Rico today, but the majority of reggaeton fans do not come from Puerto Rico because reggaeton is now popular in many countries besides Puerto Rico.
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Latin America
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 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.
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United States
In the United States, reggaeton is highly popular among Spanish-American and Puerto Rican youths. Reggaeton is now popular in cities all over the United States, including Los Angeles, D.C., Chicago, Houston, Miami, and almost every city with a significant Latino American population.
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