Reggaeton: The Chart-Topping Superstar of 2020

Let’s take a look at how reggaeton found its gasolina! 

Load the Cassette! 
Reverberating from San Juan’s underground in the early 1990s, reggaeton’s sound evolved from several genres, including dancehall, reggae, hip hop, and Latin American music. 

Pioneered by trailblazers like DJ Playero and DJ Nelson, reggaeton existed on the fringes of Puerto Rican society in the early 1990s, the frank portrayal of drugs, violence and poverty provoking widespread attention and condemnation from law enforcement. While cassette tapes recorded in marquesinas (carparks) were routinely confiscated, a market for this underground market thrived, and legendary cassettes like DJ Negro’s The Noise and DJ Playero’s 37 became emblematic of the nascent reggaeton style. 

The new blend of reggae rap and rapid-fire Spanish lyricism slowly gained legitimacy in Puerto Rico in the mid 1990s and early 2000s, as collectives like The Noise (that included legendary figure Ivy Queen) helped embolden the movement. Even politicians – erstwhile averse to the provocative lyrical content – began using reggaeton in their election campaigns in order to appeal to younger voters. 

By the dawn of the new millennium, reggaeton and tracks by the likes of Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Ivy Queen, Tony Dize, Angel & Kriz, and Luny Tunes permeated North America, where Spanish-speaking neighbourhoods blasted their tracks from nightclubs. 

Bad Bunny’s X 100pre
Hit after hit rained down in the 2000s and 2010s, culminating in one of the more recent watershed moments for reggaeton: Bad Bunny’s debut album, X 100pre. 

A tour-de-force of trap, reggaeton and bachata, the gaudy, emotionally-transparent X 100pre was not only a mainstream, commercial success, but also addressed important issues of abuse in the music industry (Bad Bunny expresses solidarity with victims of domestic abuse in the album). 

The lyrical and compositional nous alongside Bad Bunny’s unapologetically gaudy style is indeed helping shape a new era for reggaeton, the 26-year-old superstar redefining traditional (read: antiquated) ideas of masculinity in 2020. 

This year, Bunny also performed alongside J Balvin, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in one of the great Super Bowl halftime shows of the past decade. A testament to the cultural omnipresence of reggaeton, the halftime show celebrated the indelible Latinx DNA fundamental to the music, and its power to connect millions across the globe. 

That desire to connect with a community celebrating Latinx roots, and revelling in a moment nearly 30 years in the making, is a large part of the reason why artists like Drake collaborated with Bad Bunny on MIA, and The Weeknd tapped Maluma for Hawaii. 

Sure, it will perpetually swing your hips, but it’s reggaeton’s thumping heart and transcendent message that will keep your blood pumping long after the clubs close.