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Because of the evolution of music in Puerto Rico and the varied influences from traditional music, salsa, Panamanian reggae, Jamaican reggae, and American hip-hop, the distinction between rap en Español and reggaetón is often difficult for the outsider to distinguish. Often, rappers are defined as real, and reggaetoneros as simply media-hungry, what is la verdad?
Reparticion de bienes, Reggaetón pa’ mover culo,
O rap pa’ poner madura la mente del imnmaduro.
(Distribution of assets, reggaetón for shaking your ass,
Or rap for maturing the mind of the immature.)
From Los Aldeanos, ‘Repartición de bienes’
In researching rap en español, it is often difficult to distinguish where the line of rap ends and where reggaetón begins. If you listen to DJ Playero’s pioneering mixtapes (such as Playero 37 and 38) one can begin to hear a distinct reggaetón sound with the introduction of the dem bow beat taken directly from Jamaican dancehall. But, if you listen to Daddy Yankee’s track on Playero 38, he starts with a distinct rap en espanol verse, whereas it is then “remixed” by DJ Playero and the dem bow beat is added.
Part of the reason, it becomes hard to distinguish is the evolution of the rap sound in Puerto Rico and the consequent evolution of names to describe it. Jorge Giovannetti writes, “In Puerto Rico, if you are looking for reggae music, U.S. rap, and local rap underground in the record stores, the displays might confuse you. Local rap underground is sometimes displayed under “reggae” and Jamaican roots reggae is sometimes displayed under “rap.” Or “rap” may refer only to U.S. rap, and local reggae groups may be displayed under “rock music in Spanish.” And, indeed, many rap artists have used the term “reggae” and more recently “ragga.” This ragga later evolved into reggaetón.
But Ejima Baker in her article “Exploring Reggaeton,” articulates the difference between rap and reggaetón. “Rap tends to be very politicized, and is usually associated with the urban (black) poor,” whereas she explains reggaetón is “strictly party music.”
So, where are the rappers en español now? Although Vico C was able to make a popular crossover to mainstream America, there are no current rappers en español like him. Reggaetón is what is packaged and marketed to the mainstream. It seems that reggaetón was embraced in part because it was exoticized by marketing execs, where rap en español may be seen as a poor substitute for English rap.
Tego Calderón is both acclaimed and criticized. He began, as many of his peers did, including Ivy Queen, as a rapper en español. Now, many consider Tego to be the king of reggaetón, a title that he personally does not always accept. However, fans of the now “underground” rap proclaim him as a sellout. Baker notices that, “Tego has often remarked that he uses reggaeton’s mass appeal to reach audiences to which he would have never had access as a rapper.” But, what is the real difference in Tego? His reggaetón lyrics still address important issues like race and education, is it simply the beat that differs? And, if yes, when did your beat define you as being real or not?
Resources:
Ejima Baker, "A Preliminary Step in Exploring Reggaeton." in Ellie M. Hisama and Evan Rapport, Critical Minded: New Approaches to Hip Hop Studies, Brooklyn: Institute for Studies in American Music, 2005, pp. 107-123.
Jorge L. Giovannetti, "Popular Music and Culture in Puerto Rico: Jamaican and Rap Music as Cross-Cultural Symbols," in Frances R. Aparicio and Candida F. Jaquex, Musical Migrations: Transnationalism and Cultural Hybridity in the Americas, New York: Palgrave, 2003, pp. 81-98.
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