| Reggae en Español | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Reggae, dancehall |
| Cultural origins | Panama Puerto Rico[1] |
| Typical instruments | Drums - Bass guitar - Guitar - Organ Spanish-language dancehall: Drum machine - Sampler - Synthesizer - Organ |
| Mainstream popularity | 1980s- |
| Derivative forms | Reggaeton |
| Regional scenes | |
| Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba | |
| Other topics | |
| Music of Panama, Music of Puerto Rico, Music of Cuba | |
Reggae en Español (in English, Spanish Reggae[2]) is reggae and dancehall music recorded in the Spanish language by artists of Latin American origin. It originated in the mid-1970s in Panama and the 1980s in Puerto Rico, but today Reggae en Español is well dominated by Puerto Rican reggae bands.[3] Reggae en Español goes by several names, including: reggae tradicional boricua, Roots en Español or La Plena (in Panama, not to be confused with afro-puertorican Plena).
Currently, Reggae en Español contains three main sub-genres: reggae 110, reggae bultrón and romantic flow, known as romantikeo in Puerto Rico. In addition, and although technically they would not fall into the category of Reggae en Español because their beats are not directly derived from Jamaican dancehall rhythms, Reggae en Español also includes two music fusions: reggae soca and reggaeton.[4]
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Reggae as a musical genre has its origins in Jamaica, and it became popular throughout the 1970s in the black-immigrant communities of the other British West Indies, North America, and Great Britain. Puerto Rico and Central America did not escape that musical expansion. Jamaican reggae was embraced in the Spanish-speaking world first in Panama by the descendants of black workers that immigrated to the Isthmus during the construction of the Panama Railroad (mid-19th century), the railways for the banana companies (late 19th century), and the Panama Canal (early 20th century).[5] Prior to the period of construction of the Panama Canal (1904–1915), most of the Afro-Caribbean communities in Panama where of Jamaican descent, but with the construction of the canal these communities grew in diversity with immigrants from other parts of the Caribbean such as Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Trinidad, French and British Guyanas and other Caribbean Islands.[6]
By the 1970s and already equipped with a rich Afro-Caribbean community, early attempts of Reggae en Español were produced as a hobby by Panamanian DJ's of Afro-Caribbean heritage as well as Puerto Rican DJ's like DJ Playero, who improvised lyrics in patois. These lyrics were often humorous or had double meanings.
In 1977, a Guyanese immigrant, appropriately nicknamed as Guyana, along with a local DJ known as Wassabanga introduced for first time the reggae rhythms in Panama with lyrics in Spanish.[7] Wassabanga's music along with later interpreters such as Rastanini and Calito Soul, were perhaps the first remarkable cases of Reggae en Español, at a time when many Panamanians were already developing a musical and spiritual bond with the Mecca of reggae music (Kingston, Jamaica), a bond catalyzed mainly by the call to arms issued by the music of Bob Marley.[3]
In 1978, people could listen to and dance to this genre at Rancho Grande in the disco club "Disco Machine" and in the open dance floor "El Compa" in Pedregal (district of Panama), where the later popular Nando Boom reggae singer used to play during the weekends. At this time, Jamaican reggae was making its way to Puerto Rico by many Jamaican imports from its nearby island. Jamaican music and immigrants from St Thomas and Jamaica were moving to Puerto Rico, especially to the communities near Loiza, Puerto Rico.
Hernando Brin, better known as Super Nandi, was Rastanini's brother and was in the group "The Cheb". Brin and the group all belonged to the Rastafari movement. In 1984, Brin produced the first record in the world of Reggae in Spanish on vinyl, called Treadmit,[8] composed by Calvin Calderon (Omega), Hactor Wakler, Erick Green (Gringo) and Hernando Brin (Super Nandi). The record was produced by record label Prodim in Panama, and it included the first song by Rastanini called "Padre Por Favor Educa a los Niños" (Father Please Educate the Children).[8]
In the early-mid 1980s, Panamanians like Renato, El General, Nando Boom, El Maleante, and Chicho Man started to take Jamaican dancehall songs and beats, singing over them with Spanish lyrics, most of the time preserving the melodies and the rhythms. They also sped up riddims, and added Hispanic and Latino elements to them. This style was called Reggae en Español or "Spanish Reggae".[2] The music continued to grow throughout the 1980s, with many stars developing in Panama. To this date, El General has been widely regarded as the Padre del Reggae en Español or "Father of Spanish Reggae", due to his unique sound with Latino rhythms.
Between the 1980s and 1990s, the Panamanian artist Chicho Man, where the suffix "Man" was borrowed from the name of the Jamaican singer Yellowman and the prefix "Chicho", given to him by one of his brothers, emerged as one of the greater exponents of Panamanian reggae.[9] In his short five-year career as an artist,[9] he notoriously introduced the "romantic" element in Spanish Reggae, and produced only one LP which included songs like "La Noche Que Te Conocí", "Lady in Red", "Llega Navidad", "Muévela", "No Quiero Ir a Isla Coiba" and "Un Nuevo Estilo".[9] His songs were recorded in a warehouse, where a Panamanian producer called Calito LPD produced reggae instrumental tracks and recorded them in cassette.[9] While in the peak of his career, his fame reached the United States, but an issue with the US authorities left him in prison and led him to make a "pact" with God, whereby if he could get out of it, he would devote his talent to preach the Christian gospel.[9] So after prison and after losing everything, he announced his withdrawal from the reggae scene to become a Christian preacher.[9]
In the '90s, the genre had grown in Panama. In 1996, after the Panamanians began listening a little less to artists like Nando Boom, then came great artists such as Aldo Ranks, El Renegado, Jam & Suppose who sang the hit "Camión Lleno de Gun".[10] Jr. Ranks and Tony Bull already had good records with Danger Man and they formed the musical group called The Killamanjaros. By the other side in the year 1991, the singer Apache Ness with Papa Chan, Kafu Banton, Calito Soul, Wassa Banga, and Original Dan decided to join forces and create the foundation "One Love One Blood" singing about urban street experiences under the rhythm called reggae bultrón.[11]
Later in Panama, the romanticism had been mixed with the reggae and the reggae romántico ("romantic reggae"), now better known as romantic flow, was born. Those who keep alive the reggae with romantic lyrics are the following: Flex (aka Nigga), El Roockie, El Aspirante, Kathy Phillips, Eddy Lover, Tommy Real, Makano, Catherine, as well as groups like: Raíces y Cultura and La Factoría who became famous by the Panamanian producer Irving DiBlasio.[12]
In 1990, Panamanians developed the rhythm reggae 110, with explicit lyrics and songs with double meaning, where producers mix instrumental reggae tracks as in the production of The Creation with songs as "Pa la Cerca" by Papa Chan. In this year, in Puerto Rico under the influence of Panamanians, they were singing what they call "underground", when they mixed Reggae en Español with hip hop and Latin American rhythms, creating reggaeton.
In 1996, considered the golden age of Panamanian reggae, appeared the productions Los Cuentos de la Cripta and La Mafia by the producer El Chombo, with songs like: "Las Chicas Quieren Chorizo" (The Girls Want Chorizo) by Wassabanga, "El Cubo de Leche" sung by Jam & Suppose and "Estaban Celebrando" by Aldo Ranks.
In 1997, the first Puerto Rican artists who visited Panama were: Ivy Queen, Baby Rasta & Gringo, with productions like "Cierra los Ojos Bien" by Baby Rasta and "Reggae Respect" by Ivy Queen. Puerto Ricans also dominated Reggae en Español as well as reggaeton.
In 1999, the Panamanian reggaeton became accepted internationally on productions as: "Papi Chulo" by Lorna,[13] "El Gato Volador" (The Flying Cat) by Los Cracker Jack composed by Carlos Córdoba and Steve Valois, with the producer El Chombo in the productions of Los Cuentos de la Cripta 3, under Sony Music.
Later, the Panamanian productions divided into reggae 110, dancehall and roots reggae, with peace and reflexion lyrics, like in Jamaican reggae. Today the Reggae en Español market is controlled by many Puerto Rican musicians and bands, such as Cultura Profética, which have been very successful.
Reggae en Español is the antecessor of the reggaeton popularized in Puerto Rico. The most notable omitted difference between Spanish reggae/dancehall and reggaeton is the move away from a percussion-based music genre. Reggaeton is of Panamanian origin[14] and is based on a percussion/drum pattern known as "Dem Bow". Reggae en Español, on the other hand, comes to resemble Jamaican reggae and dancehall in most aspects. Musicians who play Reggae en Español have long abandoned the use of "Dem Bow" (Poco Man jam riddim), and have adopted newly imported or newly created Jamaican-inspired riddims.[2]
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