In the Beginning, before reggaeton came out, urban music was largely defined by hip-hop and rap, with its emphasis on authenticity, the artists’ ability to lyrically deliver social and political issues, and a strong tie to the city streets and urban spaces. Distinct from R&B in musical form and manner of expression, hip-hop and rap have been in existence since the early 1980's. Although much debate surrounds the definitions of hip-hop and rap, it is often accepted that rap music is the lyrical component of the larger culture of hip-hop. Despite that some people believe hip-hop [rap] belongs to African Americans, the importance of Puerto Ricans in the formation of hip-hop is undeniable. For example Big Pun, Fat Joe and Jennifer Lopez. Hip-hop’s multiethnic influences are real and deeply rooted in the diverse urban cultural spaces in New York City. Hip Hop has ability to dominate the record charts, entertainment markets, and ability to infiltrate mainstream culture.
In the last 5 years, the media has exploded with stories announcing the arrival and takeover of a new urban music, reggaeton. Opinions differ as to the lasting power of reggaeton. some have called it a “fad,”. While others have predicted it will find “a permanent, prominent place not just in the US, but in global popular culture.” The impact, however, that reggaeton has had so far in the mainstream is undeniable. While for many, reggaeton is nothing more than a new sound on the streets, for a great number of Latinos living in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, reggaeton has meant much more. it is a reflection of urban life. Reggaeton is the story of what is going on in Puerto Rico right now in the street, in the ghettos, and in prisons. It’s an artistic expression and it should be respected,
The emergence of reggaeton, has also proven problematic, raising questions of race and identity. Latinos, who seem to be some sort of in-between, neither black nor white, but a mixed people have complicated the way in which urban music has been constructed in the United States. With reggaetoneros like Tego Calderon claiming a black identity before his Puerto Ricaness (“I say I’m black first and then Boricua ‘cause it don’t matter where I go, what you see is a black face.” and rappers like N.O.R.E. proclaiming his Afro-Latino identity, Many questions has come up: is reggaeton, performed by dark-skinned Latinos, black music? Can one in fact be a black Latino, if we consider how race is constructed in the Dominican Republic, for example? And finally, what effect will reggaeton have on the hip-hop community?
