Reggaetòn

Reggaetòn was born from the mixture of Jamaican music with influences of reggae and dancehall, with Puerto Rican rhythms such as the bomba and the plena, and it has the typical sonorities of hip hop music. The music is also combined with rapping in the Spanish language and has its own specific beat and its own peculiar rhythm.

Reggaeton is strongly associated with Puerto Rico, since this is the country from which the most widespread and famous musical style comes, as well as the country of origin of the genre’s leading figures. It is said that it was the dancehall track “dem bow” by the Jamaican artist Shabba Ranks, released in July 1991, that decreed the birth of the first reggaetòn pieces, once it reached the ears of the young people of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican singer Daddy Yankee is considered one of the founders and leading exponents of this genre.

Reggaeton had the merit of giving young Hispanic Americans, starting from Puerto Rico and Panamá, a musical genre they could consider entirely their own. The influences of this genre spread to the wider Latin American communities of the United States, as well as to audiences in Central and South America.

At the end of the ’90s, Reggaeton became fashionable among various groups in Cuba as well. A band known for the new musical style was called SBS, greatly loved among young Cubans because it showcased a rap with Puerto Rican influences mixed with Cuban music. Subsequently, other groups famous throughout the country were formed, such as Candiman, who, with an absolutely original style, managed to enter the top ten. Candiman’s music had a Jamaican influence, given its origin from the eastern part of Cuba (Santiago de Cuba). After 2000, many groups such as El Medico, Tegno Caribe, Triangolo Oscuro, Máxima Alerta, El Chacal, Los Salvajes (Los 4), Baby Lore and El Insurrecto, Gente de zona, Eddy K managed to make their way to a wide audience. Many of them have acquired worldwide fame. These groups mix reggae with the music of their Cuban roots, giving rise to the typical sound of Cuban reggae. The lyrics of Latin American reggae are characterized by words of discrimination and contempt, an element that is fairly common in Hip Hop as well. Most Cuban bands, however, do not take up this style, instead interpreting in their songs themes such as Cuban joie de vivre, love, dance and celebration. This is also what its audience loves, and what, at carnivals, parties and clubs, accompanies the desire to celebrate. Cuban groups continuously create new music and work tirelessly to gain recognition among the international public.