Reggaeton is a form of dance music which became popular with Latin American (Latino) youth during the early 1990s and spread to North American, European, Asian and Australian audience during the first few years of the 21st century. Reggaeton blends Jamaican music influences of reggae and dancehall with those of Latin America, such as Bomba and Plena, as well as the of hip hop. The music is also combined with rapping
(generally) in Spanish. Reggaeton has given the Hispanic youth, starting with those of Panama and Puerto Rico, a musical genre that has spread to the wider Latino communities in the United States, as well as the Latin American and Central American audience.
While it takes influences from hip hop and Jamaican dancehall, it would be wrong to define Reggaeton as a Hispanic or Latino version of either of these genres; Reggaeton has it’s own specific beat and rhythm, where as Latino hip hop is simply hip hop recorded by Artists of Latino descent. The specific rhythm that characterizes Reggaeton is referred to as “Dem Bow” the name is a reference to the title of the dancehall song that first popularized the beat in the early 1990s.
Reggaeton origins represents 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 popularized and became most famous, and where the vast majority of its stars originated from. Artist like Don Omar, Tito El Bambino, Daddy Yankee, Galle 13 and many more.
El General has been identified as one 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, also helped spread the early Reggaeton sound, and he is widely credited with this achievement. The widespread movement of Spanish Reggae in the Latin - American communities of the Caribbean and the urban countries of the United States help increase its popularity.
Towards the middle of the decade, Puerto Rico 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“.
Reggaeton is most commonly thought of as originating from Puerto Rico, where is 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 partly due to the fact that the movement was originally anti-establishment, with the Government attempting to ban the perreo (doggy style) dance. Reggaeton is now more accepted within the commonwealth.