About Reggaeton
Reggaeton episode is presented by Picante Dance
What is reggaeton?
Reggaeton blends Jamaican music influences of reggae and dancehall with tropical Latin rhythms and hip hop. It also combine’s rapping, generally in Spanish.
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. The specific rhythm that characterizes Reggaeton is preferred to as “Dem Bow”. The name is a reference to the title of the dancehall song that first popularised the beat in the early 1990’s.
Reggaeton’s origins represent a hybrid of many different musical genres and influences from various countries in the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States. The genre of reggaeton however is most closely associated with Puerto Rico, as this is where the musical style later popularised and became most famous, and where the vast majority of its stars originate from.
History of Reggaeton
Reggaeton’s roots are from Panama, with the music evolving and arriving in Puerto Rico. Reggaeton starts as an adaptation of Jamaican reggae and later Jamaican dancehall to the Spanish-language culture in Panama.
The Jamaican reggae influence on Panamanian music started when Jamaican labourers were used to help build the Panama Canal. This is around the same time that the origins of reggaeton began with the first Latin-American reggae recordings being made in Panama during the 1970s.
Artists such as El General, Chicho Man, Nando Boom, Renato, Black Apache are considered the first raggamuffin DJs from Panama. El General has been identified as one of the fathers of reggaeton, blending Jamaican reggae into a Latin-ised version. It was common practice to translate the lyrics of Jamaican reggae song into Spanish and sing them over the original melodies, a form termed “Spanish reggae” or “Reggae en español”.
In the 1980s the Puerto Rican rapper Vico C released Spanish-language hip hop records in his native island. His mixing of reggae and hip hop, also helped spread the early reggaeton sound.
During the 1990s reggae production took off seriously in Panama and also occurred in Puerto Rico due to the increased popularity of Jamaican ragga imports. 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 basis for reggaeton was laid in Puerto Rico at this time, with the blending of Panamanian Spanish reggae, with influences from dancehall, hip-hop and various other Latin American musical genres.
Through the years, Reggaeton changed at various points being termed “Melaza”, “música underground”, and “Dem Bow”. This last name originated from the music’s rhythmic feature: the Dem Bow beat. This beat was constructed by Jamaican record producer Bobby “Digital” Dixon, and first became popular in the song “Dem Bow” performed by Jamaican dancehall artist Shabba Ranks in 1991.The beat achieved greater popularity among Spanish-speaking Latin Americans when Panamanian artist El General released the song “Son Bow” in 1991, a Spanish language cover of “Dem Bow” using the same musical track. It should be pointed out that neither Shabba nor El General sang reggaeton as neither the genre nor its title were as yet formed. However the influence of the original Bobby Digital beat is undeniable and modern Reggaeton often still reflects the original instrumentation, as well as the original rhythmic structure.
Where did the name come from?
ORIGIN ONE - When Reggae en Espanol became popular in Puerto Rico, there would be concerts and parties with many artists trying their hand at the new style of music. Everyone had there own style and flow but when you had 10 or 15 artists per show, they would call the show a Reggae Marathon or Reggae – thon. So the word Reggaeton was created.
ORIGIN TWO – In the early 1990s, there was a rapper/Reggae espanol Artist named Don Chezina. He was doing a shout out for the local radio station at his concert and when he was hyping up the crowd he yelled out “tonight, I am promising you a ton of Reggae, a Reggae ton.” The word Reggaeton was born. After that, everyone else followed.
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