It has been in existence for almost two decades now, with a stable and growing audience. Even Carlos Tevez has recently admitted his love for it. But what, exactly, is reggaeton? On first listening, it is easy to pick out familiar themes from this Latin American urban style. Reggaeton adapts styles such as reggae and dancehall, Hip Hop and electronica but then combines it with local South American styles such as salsa, latin pop and cumbia. The dancehall links are perhaps the strongest outside of the Latin ones, indeed, dancehall artists such as Beenie Man and Elephant Man have been known to appear on reggaeton tracks, whether DJs are borrowing their vocals for their latest mix or the artists themselves actively contributing.
For a style that begun in the 1990s in Panama, it has done relatively well. It has become a staple for most Latin American urban dances, as well the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and has even begun to break into North America, Europe and Asia, particularly is there is a sizable Spanish speaking community. This of course raises a seemingly simple question, if reggaeton is that awe-inspiring, why is there so little mention of it in the urban scene?
Language is one obvious factor, Britain possess neither a huge Spanish speaking community, or a population willing to speak a language other than English. In Britain at least, the Caribbean community, especially the Jamaican section, has had a huge influence on the British urban scene, a scene that prides itself on electronic music more than its Latin counterpart, so it’s also partly to do with taste.
Then there is that PR monster that is Hip Hop and R&B, such is the strength of these two urban styles that UK Garage and Grime struggle to get past England in popularity, never mind the rest of the world. What hope does this music, that doesn’t even have English as a first language, have?
Well, amidst all this doom and gloom, there is hope for this commercially fledging style. Internet forums are buzzing, helping the scene to develop and grow. There is even a UK equivalent in the world of forums, keeping that niche audience going against the onslaught that is British and American urban music. Artists such as MC Magico and the Latin Clan combine with local DJs such as DJ Jose Luis and DJ Loco to provide their own tracks, or tap into the musical reservoir that is Latin America.
Presumably North America is having more success, with more Spanish speaking immigrants. As far as the scene in Britain is concerned, the best tactic would probably be to consolidate its position, before leaving its London fort for an all assault on the rest of England, slowly but surely pushing its way up to the Northern frontiers. From the point of view of this writer, I certainly hope this battle plan is taken up. In this day and age of multi-cultural Britain, reggaeton would be a fresh and exciting perspective to take up, and would certainly pump something new into an unsuspecting British urban scene.
