Last year we were gifted with two great mega hit songs, Despacito and Mi Gente. Both charting high not just in the Spanish and English speaking markets but around the world as well. The cultural impact of these songs cannot be understated. These songs are predominately sung in Spanish with English singing features of Justin Bieber and Beyonce, that permeated radios and the pop culture globally. But, what do these songs have in common. Besides having incredibly talented artists both Despacito and Mi Gente are rooted in Reggaeton. While the ever increasing popularity of Reggaeton has been evident in the Spanish markets for some time now, it seems that Despacito and Mi Gente have helped the genre explode into a pop music force. In a sense we should have seen this coming. Songs that were precursors to this movement are Baliando by Enrique Iglesias and El Perdon by Nicky Jam. Both songs achieved immense success in the Spanish markets breaking numerous Latin Billboard records. However, neither reached the heights of Despacito and Mi Gente. Seemingly gone are the days of racy lyrics with overtly sexual overtones which were criticized for being misogynistic and distasteful. While criticism still persist things have started changing for the genre. Nicky Jam who was a part of the early movement of Reggaeton in his birth place of Puerto Rico, stated in an interview “ we don’t sing those bad words anymore.” Reggaeton has become a romantic and fun genre. Reggaetoneros are now rapping about love as well as lost love. Couple that in with an easy beat to dance to and you have a recipe for success. But, will it last. Don’t get me wrong I not hating on the music. I love Reggaeton. As a Puerto Rican from the Bronx I remember hearing the drum beat heard in all Reggaton songs called Dembow being blasted throughout the streets of predominately Puerto Rican and Dominican neighborhoods. I wondered if it would last as we have seen music genres explode in popularity only to fade from the mainstream and into obscurity. Salsa music, which I hold near and dear to my heart was the sound of New York City and a mainstream popular music in the 1970s. Created by Puerto Rican and Cuban immigrants in New York City, Salsa music became a music sensation. A testament to the immense popularity created by Salsa during this time was how the Fania Allstars, concerts by the pioneers of Salsa music, sold out Yankee Stadium August 23, 1973. Forty four thousand people filled up Yankee Stadium that summer night to see the Fania Allstars. Fast forward to 2018 and not one Salsa song has charted in the Latin Billboard charts. My point, is that music trends come and go. While I think Reggaeton will remain popular for a long time, will at some point unfortunately fade. If Salsa has proven anything, it is that it doesn’t matter how great the music is or how pervasive it is, like music sensations, it too fades into obscurity. Check out my post on this topic on Soundcloud as well.
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