In today’s world, music has the ability to transform cultures, races and ethnicities. Music has the ability to reach the far ends of the earth, and Reggaeton is a genre that has done just that.
Music has so many different genres available, that it can be overwhelming to narrow down a specific style and sound.
One of the most culturally diverse genres of music is Reggaeton. This form of music has been able to transcend cultures and attract all sorts of different people.
START OF REGGAETON
The roots of Reggaeton as a genre have been traced to the time that the Panama Canal was being built and Jamaican labor was used. During this time, Jamaicans brought Caribbean music with them. Their descendants in Panama thus influenced the country’s music in the 1960s-70s.
After a while, the culture started to blend and Panamanians would create music using West Indian beats. This trend started to grow and become more popular as it found, and the in the 1980s “reggae en espanol” was born.
NEW LATIN AMERICA
As the the years continue to pass, so did the growth of Reggaeton.
Changes to political parties becoming more democratic, and a decreasing influence within the Catholic Church has made what known as the “New Latin America.“
This has shown the more accepting nature of music, such as Reggaeton, with its provocative nature, has become the most popular type of music in Latin America today.
CULTURAL IMPACT
Reggaeton has taken this current world of music by storm, with its huge Latin American cultural influence.
Acts such as Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Nicky Jam — these artists have been able to break ground and enter into mainstream music with their songs being able to be played on radio stations all around the world.
Furthermore, they have had the ability to collaborate on songs with artists such as Drake, Beyonce and Chris Brown. The cultural fluidity of this genre of music has been apparent in its influence.
Fan Base
The fan base that this genre of music has the ability to reach is something that only time will tell. Most importantly, this genre of music is bridging a gap, and being recognized globally as an important expression of music.
