Feature on reggaeton in RWD
Reggaeton is the Latin bashment/dancehall hybrid that's been tearing down South and Central America, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Miami and Los Angeles since the mid 90s. But in 2004, it broke out of the Latino 'barrios' (neighbourhoods) and into the urban music scene. First it took over New York, and now it's set to eat the UK alive...
So what happened last year to take the sound from the underground to mainstream? Simple. Reggaeton producers and artists starting collabing more with US hip hop and R'n'B artists, and a fusion happened which made the music accessible to non-Latinos. First came the bootleg remixes of big R'n'B and dancehall hits, reworked by reggaeton producers and DJs since time - check any mix CD coming out of NYC or Puerto Rico the last couple of years. But in 2004, AV8 Records got on it and put out Crush Sounds: Reggaeton vs Hip Hop - Latino remixes of massive club bangers by 50 Cent, Christina Milian, Usher, Fat Joe, Sean Paul and many more. Not only that, but cheeky booties were all over the internet, ripe for downloading. From Beenie Man's Dude to Dre's The Next Episode, it was the key that opened the door. Then came Pitbull's Culo, featuring Lil' Jon and Puerto Rican rapper Tego Calderon, and in the autumn, NORE dropped the massive Oye Mi Canto, with guest spots from Nina Sky and Tego Calderon. Even UK clubs were bouncing to these two, getting MTV Base heavy rotation and airplay on Radio One. Reggaeton had arrived!
Where did it come from? Panama in Central America, stoopid! An MC called El General ("The General") threw down some Spanish lyrics over a Jamaican rhythm track around 1990, and the first international latin dancehall hit, Te Ves Buena, was born. As the music spread across South American and the Caribbean, it became especially popular in Colombia and Puerto Rico, which became the capital of reggaeton by the end of the 90s.
Who are the heavy hitters and where can you find the music?
Tego Calderon, Ivy Queen, Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, Zion & Lennox, Nicky Jam and of course, NORE - are the superstars. But check out other people like DJ Nelson, Luny Tunes, Bimbo, Guanabanas, Voltio, Yandel, Notch and many more featured on the
Will it take off in the UK? Too late! It's already been big in the Colombian and Latino communities in London and around the country for years, but only at social clubs and dances. But now the sound is starting to filter out into non-Latino clubs. In London, check out Heatwave vs Mas Fuego at Rhythm Factory, Whitechapel, East London - the only dancehall/bashment meets reggaeton/Latin hip hop session in the UK. Bar Rumba in Shaftesbury Avenue, London, launch Barrio Latino on Tuesday 15th February, then every week after that. Outside London, Salsoul in Leeds, at Atrium Club every Friday night blends reggaeton, Latin hip hop and R'n'B Latino in one room with straight up hip hop, R'n'B and dancehall in the other.
Lubi Jovanovic | RWD
