Reggaeton’s Long History and Its Influence on Electronic Music
Reggaeton has a long and complex history, and its influence on electronic music is undeniable. Here’s a look at the rise of this musical genre.
Origins of Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a music genre that originated in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s. It is a mix of Latin American and Caribbean music with hip hop, rap, and electronic dance music. The name “reggaeton” is derived from the Spanish word “reggae” and the English word “ton”. The genre is also known as reggaetón, reggaetó, or simply reggae.
Reggaeton’s roots in Jamaican dancehall and Miami bass
Reggaeton’s roots can be traced back to Jamaican dancehall and Miami bass. Reggaeton is a hybrid genre that emerged in the early 1990s in Puerto Rico. It is a mix of Latin American, Caribbean, and African musical influences, with elements of Hip Hop, Reggae, Dancehall, and electronic music.
The genre first gained popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s amongst Puerto Rican youth in the United States and Puerto Rico. By the mid-2000s, reggaeton had become one of the most popular genres of music in Latin America and the Caribbean. The popularity of reggaeton has since spread to other parts of the world, including Europe and Asia.
Reggaeton’s influence on electronic music can be heard in the use of Jamaican dancehall influence rhythms in many dubstep and trap songs.
The influence of Puerto Rican hip hop and Latin freestyle
In the early 1990s, two new forms of music emerged in Puerto Rico that would lay the foundation for what would eventually become reggaeton. The first was a kind of Puerto Rican hip hop called “underground rap” or “BOOM BAP,” which was characterized by its raw, unpolished sound and its focus on social and political issues. The second was “Latin freestyle,” a new style of dance music that blended elements of Miami bass, hip hop, and Latin American dance music.
The Rise of Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a music genre that originated in the late 1970s in Puerto Rico. The genre is a mix of various genres, including reggae, hip hop, Latin American and Caribbean music. Reggaeton’s popularity has grown exponentially in recent years, with the genre’s biggest stars, such as Daddy Yankee and Don Omar, becoming household names. The genre has also had a significant influence on electronic music, with many artists incorporating reggaeton elements into their music.
The golden age of reggaeton: late 1990s to early 2000s
Reggaeton’s golden age is often thought to be the late 1990s to early 2000s. This was when the genre began to gain mainstream popularity, with artists such as Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, and Wisin & Yandel releasing hits that were played on radio stations across Latin America. Reggaeton’s popularity continued to grow in the early 2000s, with the genre crossing over into North America and Europe. By this point, reggaeton had become one of the most popular genres of music in the world.
Interestingly, reggaeton’s popularity coincided with the rise of electronic music. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, electronic dance music (EDM) was beginning to gain traction in the mainstream music industry. At the same time, reggaeton was becoming increasingly popular in Latin America and among Latino communities in North America and Europe. Many believe that reggaeton’s rise influenced the spread of EDM culture around the world.
Today, reggaeton remains one of the most popular genres of music in Latin America and among Latino communities worldwide. In recent years, the genre has begun to gain mainstream popularity in North America and Europe once again. As reggaeton continues to grow in popularity, its influence on electronic music is likely to continue as well.
The commercialization of reggaeton: early 2000s to present
In the early 2000s, reggaeton became more widely accepted by the mainstream due to artists like Daddy Yankee and Don Omar. The increase in popularity caused the music to be played on radio stations and nightclubs outside of its initial Latin American audience. As the music became more commercialized, artists began to experiment with different sounds, such as fuse reggaeton with hip hop or R&B. This increased the appeal of reggaeton to non-Spanish speakers and helped the genre cross over into the mainstream.
In recent years, reggaeton has continued to grow in popularity and influence. Many electronic music artists have cited reggaeton as an influence, and the genre has been fused with other styles of music such as house and EDM. The rise of streaming services has also helped spread the genre to new audiences around the world. As reggaeton continues to evolve, it is likely that its influence on electronic music will continue to grow.
Reggaeton’s Influence on Electronic Music
Reggaeton is a popular genre of music that originated in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s. The music is a mix of Latin American and Caribbean music, and it often features rap and R&B. Reggaeton has had a significant influence on electronic music, and many electronic music producers have been inspired by the genre.
The rise of moombahton and trap music
In the early 2010s, two genres that would come to dominate the airwaves began to take shape: moombahton and trap music. Moombahton was pioneered by producer Dave Nada in Washington, D.C., when he slowed down the tempo of Afrobeat records to fit them into the electronic dance music (EDM) format of the time. Trap music, on the other hand, was born in the American South out of a meeting of Atlanta’s hip-hop scene with electronic dance music. These two genres would come to have a profound influence on each other, with trap music eventually becoming one of the most popular genres in the world.
The influence of reggaeton on EDM
Reggaeton is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in Puerto Rico. It is a fusion of Jamaican dancehall and reggae with Latin American styles such as bomba and plena, as well as hip hop. The term “reggaeton” is also used to refer to the style of clothing, dance, and attitude associated with the music.
Reggaeton’s popularity has grown exponentially in recent years, thanks in large part to its incorporation into electronic dance music (EDM). Reggaeton elements can be found in a wide variety of EDM subgenres, fromtrap and Moombahton to reggae-influenced house and techno.
Though reggaeton’s influence on EDM is often viewed as a relatively new phenomenon, the two genres have actually been intertwined for nearly two decades. One of the earliest examples of this fusion can be found in the 1998 track “El Ritmo Callejero” by Puerto Rican producer DJ Blass. The track blended reggaeton with drum & bass, creating a sound that would eventually be co-opted by artists like Major Lazer and Diplo.
In the early 2000s, reggaeton began to gain traction in the United States thanks to artists like Daddy Yankee and Pitbull. This increased exposure led to more collaborations between reggaeton artists and EDM producers, resulting in tracks like Yankee’s “Gasolina” (remixed by David Guetta) and Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” (remixed by Afrojack).
As reggaeton has continued to grow in popularity, so has its influence on EDM. In recent years, we’ve seen an influx of tracks that mix reggaeton with other genres like dubstep (“Danza Kuduro” by Don Omar), house (“Bailar” by Deorro), and even pop (“Despacito” by Luis Fonsi). There’s no doubt that this trend will continue into the future, as more and more artists look to blending genres to create new and exciting sounds.
