I don't remember the exact year Porta came out and I won't bother to research. That's how irrelevant he's become. He was supposed to be the next Nach, at least that's how he was booked by the powers in Spain. I'm going all by memory so some of this will be speculatory and potentially inaccurate. But his song speaks for itself. I will also attempt to grade Porta as an artist as best I can. I actually heard his album. He's a decent Rapper but his *words, words, words* approach gets boring at first listen. He tries to be like Nach but fails miserably lacking the verboseness and genius punchlines of his master. Yep, supposedly Nach himself was behind this mess.

I don't know when Porta came out. It was somewhere from 2008-2012. And immediately he was catapulted to the top of the Spanish Rap scene. I know much more now about Spanish Hip Hop today than I did back when. But I alwasy paid attention to the scene. Nach was phenom in the mid 2000's and rivaled Tego's popularity in Central and South America. Sadly, Rap from Spain never got over in the USA and Puerto Rico. Probably because of the intellectualism and verboseness in its overall presentation. But Spanish Hip Hop is pretty big in the Underground of DR and Cuba. But in Puerto Rico their Rap has never been too popular. And vice versa. Puerto Rican Rap wasn't heard much until Bad Bunny in Spain.

I will try to gather as much as I remember. Nach got a deal with Universal Spain around 2010. He released the critically acclaimed "Mejor Que El Silencio" in 2011 while under the label. But supposedly he wasn't hired as just an artist. He had dual duty working as A&R for Universal Spain's Urban division. I used to go to Reggaeton forums back in the day and they used to speculate about supposed A&R artists working for label. Supposedly J King was like a vice president A&R at Machete Music in 2012. And Eddie Dee used to give counsel to executives supposedly recommending J Balvin to the president of Universal Latino back in 2012.

I don't know how true this is. The only confirmed examples I know of artists working as A&R's are when DJ Negro said he worked for Sony in the 90's but was too busy with his own artists to sign anyone for him. He says Sony gave him a six figure check besides the money he received from The Noise to do nothing! That might be why they stole Ivy Queen right from underneath him in 1998.

And back in 2020, you could still see on Machete Music's old webpage, when you went to the artists section and clicked on Jhayco's biography; you could see he was a college graduate who began working as an A&R at Machete Music in 2017. He was still working as an A&R when his debut album came out. And I think Santiago Matias from Alofoke was a freelance A&R back in the day when he used to manage Nely El Arma Secreta and Poeta Callejero.

It's common that if the labels think you have a good mind for the business, as well as an eye and ear for talent; they might requests your services. Daddy Yankee has supposedly helped some people behind the scenes we never heard about though we know of Brytiago and Nicky Jam. So this is important to understand because at the time, Universal was pushing Porta through the moon and Nach may have had large reason to do with that.

Porta's style is a wannabe Eminem but when he's emotional with dramtic beats like on "Revival". He emulates the worsts parts of Em. But does it good enough that it impresses on time. And Nach was cosigning him even collaborating on music with the upcoming Emcee. But for some reason Porta thought it was a good idea to take on Daddy Yankee and all of Reggaeton.

During this era, Porta would badmouth the Reggaeton genre and Daddy Yankee specifically. He called us neanderthals and that our music was degrading to women. But then he goes on to call Daddy Yankee a fake rapper and plenty of people believed him. Before Porta there wasn't such a strong anti-Reggaeton sentiment online.

Yea they hated "Gasolina" but there wasn't this vitriol from the Spanish Hip Hop crowed that existed for many years until Bad Bunny brought both worlds together with his explosion in popularity in the late 2010's. Now the anti-Reggaeton crowds are ghosts, you don't see them anymore because their heroes of Rap, even Nach are collaborating with the likes of Eladio Carrion and no one from that world looks down on Reggaeton anymore, at least from the general "Urbano" world.

But 2010 might as well have been in another dimension. Nach's boy started this anti-Reggaeton movement which peaked with the song "Reggaetonto". This was the songs Spanish Rap fans would show you to tell you that Reggaeton was dumb and only idiots listened to it. And Porta seemed to create this Anti Daddy Yankee base of fans online who were very Pro Nach and very vocal.

But Porta got more than what he bargained for. He cultivated this image of Hip Hop messiah taking on the antichrist of Reggaeton as a whole and people started calling him out on it. There were these D-Riders of Porta overly pushing their boy but anyone with at least some wealth of knowledge of Rap saw through it. The savior of Spanish Rap was overhyped.

Just as Porta reached new heights with "Reggaetonto" which remains one of his most well known songs in his career, fans started voicing their opinions contrary to that of Porta's D-Riders online. They would dislike Porta's videos on YOUTUBE. Around this time he had almost as much dislikes as likes on some of his videos. Online commentators would be like "I don't like Daddy Yankee either but this guy sucks!"

Porta had many glaring weaknesses as an MC. He wasn't witty. He lacked punchlines. His wordplay was amateur. For a savior of Rap, this guy needed to go back to school. He did have emotion and conviction in his beliefs. And that apparently captivated some. But Universal Spain made the mistake of overhyping him and ultimately, he was a bust.

The A&R behind all this was apparently Nach. And once Wisin & Yandel left Universal, many unspoken feelings came out from Nach. He expressed strong anti-Reggaeton feelings which he hadn't shared before when Porta was mounting his failed campaign against the genre. Could Porta have been a vessel for Nach's true feelings towards Daddy Yankee and co. I think Yes. But it failed. And even Nach relented from his own anti Reggaeton campaign. Though it was more anti Wisin & Yandel if anything.

RPM's Rating of Porta: 4/10 He is your average Rapper posing as a legend.

This is and isn't an official music video. It actually came out in 2005 I think. I was shocked when I saw this. Johnny had major label deal with Sony. He might have been a millionaire as he was one of the first crossover international stars in Reggaeton during the mid 2000's. Ironically he started out the same way as one of Urbano Latino's first big stars in 1992 with Kid Power Posse. He rebranded in 2002 to fit with the new "Perreo" scene. It worked.

Johnny Prez was doing a photoshoot for his former www.johnnyprez.net(no longer active) website. Then "Vampireza" came on in the background. He was using a camera that also filmed video which was not as common back then. He had his guy just shoot a video then and there. They shot, edited and posted the vid right after. It was also on his MySpace... yea that was a looong time ago.

The reaction at first was... ridicule. Many people roasted Johnny online for being so daring. They were like "why?" But on the other hand there were a bunch of people thanking Johnny for he provided a visual for a very popular song. "La Vampireza" was one of the most popular songs from cult classic album "El Bando Korrupto 2", but it was not chosen for the video. And Mr. Notty's company, 'The Money Machine' only had money in the budget to shoot one music video.

Within time, the positive reaction overwhelmed the negative. The video became a hit on YOUTUBE during its early days. And the song became more popular than ever with the added visual. Johnny said he did that performance for his fans. And it goes to show you that people just like to see artists visually performing their material. The only thing that would have made it better is a proficient live performance but that takes much more technical know-how and the access to equipment. Not just anyone can do that.

But Johnny Prez gave us the next big thing and to this day people are grateful. The video still has millions of views across YOUTUBE. People still joke at the visuals and make fun of how cheap it is, but everyone likes the song, thus they like the video.

This should be a lesson to aspiring artists. You don't need a big budget, models with big butts or expensive backgrounds. Johnny Prez practically spent $0 on this video and probably made hundreds of thousands from it through show money over the years. If you have good music, now with all these Tik Tok filters added to it, you can do a visual that can captivate a viewer if you win over their ears first. I think what Johnny did here is a visual revolution 20 years in the making.

Tempo – Free Music (2013)

I know I’ve done several commentaries on this before but its just fascinating. You won’t understand unless you were there to witness Tempo’s 2001 when he seemed invincible in every facet. He had the girls, the money, the power, the image. He was the first to shoot a Rap music video on a golf course in a country club, where only the rich folk go to. It was a statement that Buddha’s Family was making with that. Tempo and Buddha were rich now. But of course, there was a stigma to that due to speculation on how Buddha got the money to fund the label he signed Tempo to.

Buddha was never convicted. There is no explicit documentation available why to us regular folks. But if you work in law, you probably could figure it out if you gain access to those documents. I don’t know how this stuff works. Tempo though got over 20+ years and did 13 behind bars and a decade under supervised probation which allowed him to tour and do shows. And there was no evidence directly linking him with the drugs except that Buddha had associations with some powerful people in the underworld.

Budda died while Tempo was in jail. So, when Tempo got out of jail, he went to Daddy Yankee to get the financial backing he no longer had in Budda. Yep, I bet you never knew “Free Music” is ‘El Cartel Records’ release. Supposedly Daddy Yankee spent $100,000 on that album while Tempo got features for free and paid “friend” prices for beats. Yankee must be pissed off at Cosculluela too because he never made his money back.

Daddy Yankee was Tempo’s enemy when he was free. He was part of the famous Pina Records campaign against him alongside Nicky Jam, Master Joe, OG Black, Lito & Polaco. Luckily Yankee left before Tego started riding on the Pina Records camp in hit songs like the “Desafio Intro” which features Tempo. And Tempo was still at odds with DY when he went to prison.

But something happened while Tempo was imprisoned that gained him the respect of the streets of Puerto Rico. I cannot enter into specifics because as a journalist I have no inference on the matter. But if you’re raised as a street guy there’s certain codes and morals you must abide by. The streets are sometimes hypocritical in that they don’t always protect those that hold up the code and often enough protect those that violate the code as long as they have enough money.

But it was well known that Tempo lived up to the ethics and morals of the streets. Even when Cosculluela dissed him, he could not accuse Tempo of dishonor in their world. But he cleverly made fun of Tempo treating his “ethics” as an “Adoy” moment with his burlish “Aplauso, Aplauso” as its common sense Tempo did what an honorable man is to do emanating from that world.

Many people gloss over this especially cuz of his Katy Perry association and “Despacito” days, but Daddy Yankee is a street guy. He’s more of that “put your life in tha hands of God” street guy, but Yankee is from the barrio. Everyone knew this back in 2004, but people forget many years later.

Daddy Yankee, Tempo’s worst enemy, was impressed with how Tempo carried himself during the whole ordeal. Especially the fact that Tempo held up the morals and ethics of the street world. Daddy Yankee said this precise thing during a press conference interview in Puerto Rico to announce the Free Tempo movement alongside Tego Calderon, Mexicano 777, Hector El Father and plenty of other luminary figures. It was a movement to have a petition signed in order to get Tempo an appeal.

The Free Tempo movement was a success. They garnered over several hundred thousands of signatures and sent them to the court system to show what a relevant figure he was. When Tempo was in prison, Daddy Yankee helped Tempo pay for the lawyers who managed to move his appeal to a court in Boston which actually reduced his sentence. There was never any direct evidence linking Tempo with drug money. He was a small time drug dealer in the 90’s but quit once he signed to Budda to not risk his artistic aspirations. There isn’t even any evidence linking Budda’s Productions being financed by drug money which is supposedly why Budda got off scot free.

The way they got Tempo was through his lyrics. He took on this “mafioso” persona as a rapper, and he dissed the Puerto Rican government in his songs. They wanted to make an example of someone influential which is why the authority persecuted Tempo and Mexicano. What was Mexicano’s big crime? Missing court dates for an armed robbery of a restaurant in the mid 90’s as he was feuding with someone who worked there. And Tempo’s lyrics of “Y en la corte hare un show de stripper/Cuando El Juez y El Fiscal Me Bajen El Zipper”... that got him over 20 years.

While in prison, Tempo still owed Tommy Mottola and Sony one more album. He was allowed to complete it while in prison. This was the well known “Free Tempo” album (RPM Rating: 9). Unlike “Free Music”, “Free Tempo” received near universal acclaim. It had features from Wisin & Yandel, Arcangel, Casa De Leones, Daddy Yankee, and production from the Mas Flow team, Live Music and Echo. But the album had low sales because this when the blog era was ruling and everyone’s sales were cut in half or more due to online piracy. It only sold around 60 thousand units when his “Exitos” album with Sony sold over 200 thousand units in 2002.

Thanks to Daddy Yankee’s financial help with the lawyers, Tempo got a successful appeal and got out of prison in October of 2013. But many had moved on even in Puerto Rico much less in the burgeoning country of Colombia which went on to become the capital of Reggaeton for the next 6 years thanks to the explosion of J Balvin.

It’s weird because Mexicano, Tempo’s musical Godfather is well known in Colombia, but Tempo himself is barely known there. That’s because in Colombia Mexicano either promoted his old school stuff with Playero and Guatauba or his newer collaborations with South American talent like Movimiento Original. The Tempo-Mexicano collaborations didn’t make most of the Colombia bootlegs. And that’s why he isn’t known over there.

There was a bidding war for Tempo b4 he got out. At this, time Reggaeton numbers and music as a whole was going through record low sales across the board. Offers were cut in half and many artists had their contracts rescinded. But Tempo was rumored to have received offers as high as $500,000 dollars (USD) for his comeback album. Tempo decided to hold out. And he decided instead to release a preview mixtape under ‘El Cartel Records’ with the hope of increasing his value to at least a million. It should’ve worked, but there was no contingency plan for someone as influential and popular as Cosculluela dissing him when he got out.

Cosculluela launched “Santa Cos” a day after “Free Music” came out and killed all of Tempo’s momentum. But I won’t focus on that battle aspect here. Ima save that for another entry. With all that preamble… ¿Is Tempo’s “Free Music” really that bad? Yes it is.

Verdict: Even before Cosculluela dissed, Tempo underwhelmed in expectations.

Again, you won’t understand unless you were there. But Tempo was the truth. Just look at Kendo Kaponi speaking on him. Everybody knows that before Tego took over the game, Tempo was #1, just before Reggaeton went mainstream.

It would have been fascinating had Tempo been around for Mas Flow 1, Mas Flow 2 and presented someone on "Sangre Nueva". It's not a guarantee he would have appeared on one of these albums but very likely because of his relevance at the time. Luny said he wanted Tempo on Mas Flow 1 but he got locked up before they could make it happen.

Tempo still could have hung in there, but he created an underwhelming project. Let's analyze track x track and see why.

1. Soy El Mejor En Esto - This is the lead single and is excellent. It is one of Tempo's best songs of his career. And one of his best performing songs ever. This is vintage Tempo. We were expecting more of this on "Free Music". 10/10

2. Adicto al Dinero Facil ft Daddy Yankee - People don't know that Daddy Yankee is a spitter! He's got bars for days. This is a good street song. Ladkani's beats and work overall on this album could have been better. 9/10

3. Llegaron los Super Estrellas - It was feeling like Tempo was back with the first few tracks. If I was Tempo, I would have made this a single and held back on the Coscu response a few more months. But they already booked the Choliseo and he must have felt pressure from the streets to respond soon. That was a mistake. The J Balvin fans did not know who Tempo was, but they knew Cosculluela and that made all the difference. Tempo lost the battle in international and online perspective first. Then he lost it in Puerto Rico. Once he lost Puerto Rico, it was impossible to get it back. Even though "Karma" is the best diss song in the battle. 9/10

4. Si o Si - Solid Rap song. Tempo still sounded hungry. 8.5/10

5. Estas Viviendo ft Jory - The best Reggaeton on the album. But its always a risk launching a single with Jory. In this timeframe, J Alvarez was the better choice. 9/10

6. El Tartaro y El Narco ft Tempo - Kind of underwhelming. A long awaited collab wasted for a common mixtape track. It has decent lyrics. Because of that it loses an extra point. I think Tempo produced it with Ladkani. They needed more of a symphonic Dr. Dre beat instead of hyped up NYC track. Sounds like a throwaway dipset song. They should've known we expected more. 7/10

7. Yo No Se Na - Electroflow was still hot in 2013. But no one wanted this from Tempo. Kind of catchy, but still... 5/10

8. Vuelve El Leon pt 2 ft Ñengo Flow - Again, I blame Ladkani. Tempo should have gotten more work from Echo. Ladkani was hit or miss back then. He got better later on. 7/10

9. Yo Me Enamore ft Farruko - This was where Tempo lost us. They did way better on "Vivir Mi Vida" but Tempo hopped on the trend of "Electroflow" and wasted one of his key features. Farruko was really hot and Tempo wasted him. A Malianteo or Perreo, even Romantiqueo would've worked and probably could have been a single. Then he could've introduced himself to J Balvin fans through Farruko, but not with this Techno-Pop bullshi!t. J Balvin already had "6AM" out and was going #1 in the USA and Puerto Rico. But he was already the King of South America long before that. Tempo needed to appeal to his fans to have strength in numbers. Then he could have won over the Canserbero fans with his lyrics and being the guy Can referenced in a track once. Tempo lacked strength in numbers to go against Cosculluela who was big in the Canserbero and J Balvin worlds. 0/10

10. Se Acabaron Los Hombres ft Arcangel & De La Ghetto - This one of the good Ladkani beats. Its trap influence works well with Arcangel & De La Ghetto's styles. This is a good song and what you would expect from 3 great MC's. 9/10

11. Soñar es Gratis - I think this is Ladkani and Tempo again. Kind of lackluster though the lyricism is there. People complained about a lot about the beats when this came out. And I personally blame Ladkani, though I think Tempo co-produced some tracks as well. 6/10

12. Mejor de los Dos Mundos ft Secreto El Famoso Biberon - Tempo never stopped being beloved in DR. Puerto Rico turned on him and only the old school that remembers values him. But DR gave him the biggest hit of his career with "Happy Birthday" ft El Alfa. This is pretty solid. Secreto is one of the more prominent artists from over there and does a pretty good job on the chorus. 8.25/10

13. Tu Me Encantas - Tempo is just at good at Reggaeton as he is at Rap. Good Perreo. 8/10

14. LV Don - A solid track. Nothing out of this world but Ladkani did a good job on this beat. 8/10

Overall Rating: 7/10

Worldwide Sales: Less than 50 Thousand Units

Record Label: Tempo Free Music/El Cartel Records

A "7" isn't a bad rating. Especially for today's standards. But this is Tempo we are talking about. For a more modern comparison he was like Gangsta Rap Anuel AA and Canserbero in one. He had the streets, the perreo, but he also had the elite lyrical ability with a socially conscious message. Every album of his before "Free Music" was a classic. So you can see how for Tempo's standards, a "7" is disappointing. That's how Cosculluela gained more ground on him. And in Puerto Rico they declared Cosculluela victorious over Tempo. But Tempo might get his win back as there are recent rumors the battle is restarting. But Tempo wants to battle the rumored architect who is Kendo Kaponi. Look at Kendo's Freudian slip when talking about how he smashed Tempo when he got out of jail https://youtube.com/shorts/FWhNukcj-Uc?si=zBAE8U8h9F3MTXOG but remember, Coscu is the victor. Yes Tempo lost in the classic handicap match, 2 on1, but Kendo worked his part from the background. And I don't think he lost. "Karma" is a KO track but not enough people heard it because we all remember Cosculluela being butt buddies with Balvin and Maluma at the time so he got the mainstream love and Tempo was ignored, Thanks for reading!

DJ Pablito presenta La Factoria (group version) [2002]

La Factoria had become really big internationally by 2002. It was originally a various artist album conceived by DJ Pablito and released by El Chombo's label 'Oilers Corp' in 1999. But the album surpassed all expectations at the time. It was not released through Chombo's deal with Sony Latin, but independently instead. It only sold 60 thousand copies, but its songs appeared on several bootlegs in New York, Miami, DR, Central and South America. You can read more about this incarnation of La Factoria here https://www.reddit.com/r/Reggaeton/comments/1esdhz2/classic_reggaeton_album_of_the_week_19_dj_pablito/

Then someone got the bright idea of turning La Factoria into a group concept. This was because Chombo was having much success booking shows with the branding of "La Factoria" just like he did with "La Cripta". I think Chombo tried this concept with his "Cripta" singers but several feuds and disagreements arose leading to many of Chombo's singers leaving on unfriendly terms to join other crews such as 'The Creation' and the Scaredem Crew (Panamanian Version). So I think that's why El Chombo never made 'La Cripta' into a group and would only book shows with its branding instead.

But Pablito did not have the same conflicts. He decided to turn "La Factoria" into a group. He did have another conflict though. In 2001, Pablito released the controversial "Sin Censura En Busca De Las Lanas Perdidas". 'Sin Censura' was a popular Panamanian Music Video show a la "YO MTV Raps!" that would showcase music from Panamanian "Plena" (what Panamnians call "Urbano") artists. They also had a series of albums with various producers, and artists including DJ Andy and El Chombo himself. The title "En Busca De Las Lanas Perdidas" was a direct reference on the accusations that El Chombo withheld royalties from "La Cripta" singers. And one of El Chombo's biggest singers, Cracker Jack, who sang one of El Chombo's biggest hits "El Gato Volador" dissed him on the intro.

Chombo shot back with 'Xpedientes 3 Gozando Las Lanas Robadas' alongside former rival DJ Andy Van A. But by 2002, he and Pablito made peace. I don't know if they ever went back to being great collaborators like they were for the Planet Ganja series, but El Chombo had to sign off on many of the songs that formed part of 'La Factoria' (2002 version) because he owned the publishing originally. And the lead single "Todavia" was originally a Reggae Dancehall Chombo and Pablito created for their 2001 joint album "El Imperio".

The only semi new song on "La Factoria" (2002 group version) was "Todavia" but now with an Electronic Dance influences over a Reggaeton *Tumpa Tumpa* beat. Every other song was previously released and mostly on Chombo's 'Oilers Corp' imprint. The chosen members for the group version of La Factoria were MC Joe (now known as Joey Montana), Joycee, Demphra, and Goodfella. Goodfella would leave the group in 2003 for undisclosed reasons and his contributions were removed from later reissues of La Factoria (2002 group version) but are now available via streaming and digital.

The good thing was that many releases of "Oilers Corp" were Panama exclusives. They could only be found in neighboring Central American countries and Colombia. Elsewhere they were sold as imports and El Chombo's releases were popular in burgeoning markets like New York, parts of Los Angeles, and Miami. But for the most part 90% of the audience never heard most songs on the 2002 version of La Factoria which was now a group concept rather than a Various Artists project. So they treated the album as it was brand new. And many people that were into Panamanian Plena scene also bought the album because it was convenient having hits from several albums on one single CD. They did the same thing with the first releases of Danger Man and Aldo Ranks which were compiled of mostly previously released material.

"Todavia" by Joycee (the new version) was an immediate success. I think it topped the charts in Mexico, Colombia and Panama. It was also very popular throughout Central and South America, the Dominican Republic, and parts of the U.S like Los Angeles, Miami and New York. It was a crossover success in Latin America and catapulted DJ Pablito & La Factoria into international stardom. The album was also very well received and other songs became popular as well including "Tilin Tilin" (with slightly different arrangements on this album), "Wepa", "No Voy a Llorar", "Que Me Maten" and several more which were already known thanks to their previously released nature.

MC Joe would join the group for one more album, 2004's "Mas Alla" which sadly is missing from streaming and is actually a quality release. He left in 2006 to pursue solo ambitions. But La Factoria reached bigger heights in 2006 with "Perdoname" ft Eddy Lover, which became an even bigger hit than "Todavia". The group is no longer active. And Pablito licensed the "Factoria" name and songs to a Mexican duo comprised of one male and one female with no previous Reggaeton experience in 2016. They perform the old "La Factoria" hits and have some songs of their own sold under the "La Factoria" branding.

Rating: 8.5/10

Sales: Over 500 Thousand units w/streaming

Record Label: Panama Music Corp

Listen to DJ Pablito presenta La Factoria (2002) on Spotify Dj Pablito Presenta- La Factoría - Album by DJ Pablito, La Factoria | Spotify

Tony Touch - The Reggaetony Album (2005)

This one is more of a hidden gem. Even in its day it did not get much recognition. It had underground appeal both in the Latin Urban and the American one. It got some airplay on Hot 97 and Mun2. It only had one single and that was the remix version of "Hey DJ" featuring Nina Sky and B-Real which was remixed by DJ Sonic. Sonic has the one with more commercial appeal as the beat is an activaera in the "Gasolina" style. I feel the original by DJ Blass is better but both versions are quite good.

The biggest complaints "The Reggaetony Album" had at the time was that it lacked the polished Luny Tunes sound and was too "Americanized" as many of the Latin audience did not like Pitbull, Beatnuts, and Thirstin Howl III rapping in English, though they are all of Latino descent. And yes, it lacks that classic mid 00's sound that was coming from Luny Tunes, Mas Flow associates and many of their imitators.

But Tony Touch, who handled all of the album's production, was smart enough to get DJ Blass to help him on the Reggaeton. Blass has a timeless sound, producing about 8 of the album's cuts, and many of his beats sound like they could some out today. Zion y Lennox's beat for example on "Tranquila" would probably be a hit in today's era without changing a thing. On the Rap side he gets help from The Beatnuts, who used to produce for Big Pun and Fat Joe as well as themselves. And he also gets a beat from the legendary DJ Premiere on the Tego Calderon collaboration "Gangsta Shit". One of Tego's best songs from the era.

Most of the songs here are good. And even the weaker songs like NORE's "Te Gusta" age better than when they were the first released. I think the best songs are the Alberto Stylee/Mexicano 777 collab in "Tu Eres", a Reggae Dancehall ballad that gets better with time; and Eddie Dee's contribution in "Tu Sabes Quienes Somos" a Hip Hop track with great lyrics very reminiscent of Vico C. Some might still deny this one for the lack of the "Mas Flow" beats, but if you get past that notion, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Rating: 8.75/10

Worldwide Sales: Over 100 Thousand Units

Record Label: EMI Latin/Touch Entertainment

Listen to The Reggaetony Album on Spotify

The Reggaetony Album - Album by Tony Touch | Spotify

And her dembow version sucks! Don't feel bad for Raphy. He said in his last interview with Chente that he sold the Pina Catalog (what he owns of it...remember Lito) for 10 milli. I hope that comes with revenue share cuz he got screwed if he sold it all that cheap. Plus he says just the Natti songs make him a boatload of money. I believe him. I don't like her music for the most part, but people from the pop world seem to. All the classic labels are gone. White Lion is practically DOA since Elias retired. VI Music, I don't know what the hell happened there except that Noah know owns a large portion of it like the Magnate y Valentino and Alex Gargolas stuff. BM Records is a shell of their former selves. Machete Music is on life support. The times they are a-changin'. Natti killed one of the most historic labels of all-time.

I was going through my old comments which inspired me to write this. You can check it out. It's a work in progress: Reggaeton Party Mane's Blog

I came up with the idea for this going through my old posts. I wanted to see how I reviewed certain albums. And I saw many artists who fell off. I mean they were literally hot 6 months ago, then their new records don't hit. I can not hit the nail on the head as to what's causing this. And some artists recovered their momentum through innovative ways. Like Jay Wheeler who has had a couple of hot singles and grown an audience through a podcast. IDK if he wants to be so revealing showing off his family. Reality shows are what separated Hulk Hogan's family b4 he died. It's clever, but I don't know if Jay wants to be so personal all of the time. But still artists seem to be falling off faster than ever b4. And it's not always due to lack of quality or output. I don't have the answer as to why but will attempt to solve this puzzle giving these 10 examples.

10. Clarent - Just as it appeared he was reaching new heights, his management announced a Choliseo. I'm seeing influencers reacting positively to it saying he can sell it out. IDK. This feels Jadiel esque to me and back then we didn't have influencers (more on that later). To be fair he sold out a Coca Cola music hall which is 4,000 people at full capacity. I don't know, maybe his promoters feel that they can sell it with guest stars? But it seems like his star has peaked with the announcement. He only has one song over 100 million plays on Spotify. And Omar has decided not to make "Suelta Gatita Suelta" a single. I know Dei V sold out a Choliseo... twice! Bu he had several songs over 100 million. And just when you thought it was over for him, Bad Bunny puts out the song which saves Dei V's career. My call may be off but it seems eerily familiar to me minus a classic album.

9. De La Rose - Wow I saw Spaniards document her for television like she was Shakira. They are the only reason I heard her album which I was gonna ignore. And honestly it wasn't bad. I'm not convinced she's the female voice for liberation and empowerment of this generation like that documentary tries to sell her. I do think she represents the average hood chick today trying to shine via Tiktoks. But her label oversold her to represent too much. It was clever, and it might work in the long run. But her first album flopped. And she's only had one or two hits since then and they are all collaborations. She needs cosigns from the heavyweight divas to make it to the next level either Shakira, Karol G, or maybe an unexpected like Natalia Lafourcade. With en EP released that no one appears interested in, her fortunes aren't changing anytime soon.

8. J Alvarez - People blame Daddy Yankee for this and I disagree. J Alvarez was putting out too much mediocre material and it caught up to him. "Otro Nivel De Musica" did Multi Platinum numbers and some label it a classic. But have you ever heard the whole thing? It's a C+ at best. That was the mid 2010's for you, labeling albums classics just cuz they're kind of good. Then he got 2 million from Sony to put out the dud that was "De Camino A La Fama" which flopped critically and commercially. He tried to solve this by putting out too much material. Look at his discography. He has like 20 albums and over 100 singles since "De Camino A La Fama". I think during "Otro Nivel De Musica" he should've just put out singles. but it seems he was meeting quotas. He should have waited until he had classic album material, no matter how long it took. His mistake was leaving DJ Nelson too early. Nelflow would have given him the liberty that he needed. Don't feel bad for him, he still sells out clubs in Colombia at decent prices, but he's worth a 10th of what he should've been and half of what he was at his peak in 2012, before Bad Bunny caused Reggaeton prices to go up. Just don't blame Yankee.

7. Tempo - This I would chop it up to bad timing and bad luck. "Free Music" was just supposed to be a preview of what was to come. So it's ok, that it was no a classic (7.75/10)... that is unless if Cosculluela did the unthinkable and dissed him once he got out, which is what happened. No one could have prepared for that. But he got over it, united Coscu and Nengo on record and released a quality album in Back To The Game (8.5/10) which underwhelmed in sales but at least got a lot eyes on him. Then he dissed Residente and destroyed the album's momentum because Pop Urbano fans just know him as the guy sodomized on record by Residente Calle 13, much like he did to Lito back in the day, talk about karma biting you in the ass. And finally when his hit "Happy Birthday" becomes the biggest hit in his career, he is arrested in Chile and lost money on concert dates that were gonna be a comeback of sorts. His battle with Al2 has failed to reignite interest in either artists' careers outside of hardcore fans. He should have made a successful comeback long ago. Its almost as if he is cursed. Like Danhausen "You're Uncursed!" Hopefully that works.

6. PRESSURE 9X19 - Had a lot of momentum going into his first album but then it just dissipated. His album isn't bad but far from a classic (5.5/10). This malianteo without a conscience seems to have a limited appeal unless you got 4 big names featured.

5. Cosculluela - I won't judge but his personal life seems to have fallen apart. You can research it yourself, I won't delve deep into another person's real life matter without knowing all the facts. But if Coscu did all those things they accuse him of, it does not look good. And his comeback album "El Principe 2" is a classic in terms of quality (8.75/10) but no one heard it due to the overwhelming backlash over his divorce.

**4. Ele a El Dominio -**This one appears to be because he has gotten into feuds with the biggest artists at the worst possible time, Anuel AA and Bad Bunny. Some artists and producers refused to work with Dominio to not get on El Conejo's bad side. And his cousin Jon-Z seems to be at odds with him too. Regardless, he always gets booked in South America with no mainstream records, moreso than some mainstream artists. But people view him as someone who hasn't achieved all his potential and derailed his momentum when he was on the verge of becoming one of the biggest artists.

3. Eladio Carrion - A message to the labels, you have to stop offering such big advances for several albums because artists will just meet quotas and not make music from the heart. We saw that with De La Ghetto's "Light" series. He could have made one good 10 track album but instead we got 3 mediocre ones. And Eladio seems to have been a victim of this putting out 2 subpar albums in a row after peaking creatively and artistically with 2023's "Sol Maria". Some artists can do 10 songs in one studio session and come out with 8 classics, others have to take up to 3 months on just one song. Some do both, point is, no one works the same. But these people are just human. You can't put hundreds of thousands of dollars in front of them, and in some cases millions, to deliver multiple albums in a limited timeframe. They have shows, obligations and a personal life. You can't blame them for taking the bag and delivering subpar work when the label might probably stiff them out of additional royalties claiming their investing in promo and other cheats they use to rob you out of your royalties. Half these artists are owed backpay in royalties and don't realize it. So because we all know what Eladio is capable of, I'm guessing he's rushing product so he's not taxed on due dates or something like that. The label is better off signing an artist for a 5-7 year deal for an undisclosed sum, collecting a percentage off shows and giving the artist the time he/she needs to produce the best work possible. Because if you release too much inferior product you can damage your artists reputations apart from sales. And if he hasn't built up a legacy, he's screwed. Maybe Eladio f'd up all on his own, but I suspect his inferior output is due to the label politics I went over. He'll still have an album or two to make it up to the audience so don't count him out yet.

2. Cris MJ - This one I think there is a nefarious intent. Cris MJ is super young and has already made more money than 80% of the relevant artists in Colombia and Puerto Rico. He finally puts out a competent work... and it flops! This doesn't make sense. But when you find out he is 100% independent artist, last I checked, even though he is managed by Rimas, it gets suspect. To be fair Cris MJ has been putting out mid level works for too long, and didn't capitalize when he was on top, but "Las Filtradas" should have been his coronation as a new top star and it went nowhere. There's a lot of jealousy when they see a young guy Cris MJ come up and be owner of his masters and publishing. When he was hot, too may were leeching off his success. Now that he's cooled down, their true colors come out and other guys knock him out position. Trying to vote Sinaka or Easky Kid because they''re cheaper though inferior where it counts. And though Kidd Vodoo is decent substitute and Pablo Chill-E is highly regarded in Chile, none come close to MJ's commercial peak just two years ago. But they knock him down when he finally does a quality album? It doesn't make sense. I think many envy him because he earns too much and they're trying to put him in his place. Chile will put themselves out of business if they keep making moves like that. How you take your biggest earner and sabotage him when he does his greatest work.

1. Jadiel - This one is shame. Who knows what could've been. Jadiel appears to not have been liked by power brokers like Don Omar. And the rest of the game turned his back on him too. But he made an even bigger mistake a year before. Jadiel thought he would have had the backing of industry power EMI Latin on his side during the release of his now classic album "Lo Mejor De Mi". He didn't. The album only sold 60 thousand which is ok, but not what was expected from Jadiel. But before he knew this he convinces his management to book a Choliseo for him in September/October of 2008, about 6 months after his album came out. By August it was cancelled due to low ticket sales. Everyone made fun of him. And he had a tough time getting booked elsewhere due to public perception. People had a bad feeling about this one and they expressed their feelings online in the days b4 Westcol was telling people what to like. Then a year later the beef with Don Omar happened and Jadiel struggled for years. He recovered nicely in the mid 2010's thanks to his collabs with Imperio Nazza, but sadly passed away before his comeback album was released.

Thanks for reading!

We are gonna include albums heavy on the bellaqueo. It has to be at least 50% bellacoso to qualify. The more hardcore the better.

Honorable Mention: Nicky Jam - Haciendo Escante (2001), Daddy Yankee -ELCANGRI.COM (2002), DJ Joe - Fatal Fantassy 3 (2002), Karol G - Mañana Sera Bonito (2023), Sech - 42 (2022), Los Matadores Del Genero (2002), MVP 1 (2002), Los Anormales (2004), Trebol Clan - Los Bacatranes (2004) & DJ Nelson - The Flow Sweet Dreams (2001)

10. Guatauba xXx (2002) - This one was a big deal when it came out. It not only brought Perreo to the fore front but it brough back the sound of the underground too. Plan B, Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, Hector & Tito, Jon Eric & more participate. (8.5/10)

9. The Godfather (2002) - Hector El Father's first compilation was Maliantoso but equally Perreo. Standout Perreo songs from Hector y Tito, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, Las Guanabanas & more... (9/10)

8. DJ Blass Sandunguero 1 (2001) - This one is a classic and definitely took the Reggaeton Sex sound to the next level. (9/10)

7. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG (2020) - The one to reintroduce Hardcore Perreo to a new generation and the best Perreo album in recent memory. (9/10)

6. DJ Blass Sandunguero 2 (2002) - I have the controversial opinion that Sandunguero II is superior. It's orange and apples, but I feel the production here is superior. (9.25/10)

5. Plan B - El Mundo Del Plan B (2002) - A Plan B solo album is actually better than a various artists DJ Blass project. And it's all about f#cking. And this was before they cleaned up their act on 'House of Pleasure'. (9.25/10)

4. Mas Flow 1 (2003) - This is commercial Perreo album and one of the best. An all-star list of participants. This one changed the game. (9.25/10)

3. The Noise 1 (1994) - This one classifies as Perreo album. Playero 38 almost made the cut but I found it to be only 40% bellaqueo. The Noise 1 is one of the nastiest albums you'll ever hear. And its one of the best too. (9.75/10)

2. Wisin & Yandel - De Nuevos a Viejos (2001) - A lot of new fans don't know this but El Duo De La Historia made an album with Blass during the height of his Sandunguero era. And it's perfect. (10/10)

1. Hector & Tito - A la Reconquista (2002) - This is the pinnacle of Perreo. It's Sexy and Classy without being degrading. Yea, somehow this is Perreo the whole family can enjoy? But I'm not talking about modern day step family adult films... It was Perreo that crossed over to the mainstream. And with good reason. (10/10)

Reggaeton Party Mane's Blog

Top 5 Artists (In terms of Popularity and Quality of Work)

1. Saiko - He has the album of the year thus far... Whoever thought it would be Spain to bring the Mas Flow (kind of) concept back. Very good job. Time will tell if it could get crossover love outside of Spain.

2. Bad Bunny/Rawayana (tie) - Bad has put out nothing new but he won the gringo grammy and headlined the super bowl. And he's breaking new records. Rawayana had one of the best albums. They are slowly creeping their way through and having the biggest sleeper hit of the year.

3. Karol G - Luckily she's got a great a single because her album is ass. Will it be enough to carry her through the end of the year? We'll see.

4. Alvaro Diaz - He did not put out a dud, but his album disappointed. It's still better than most of the crap out here. And he has more eyes on him than ever b4.

5. El Alfa - He's some of the most impressive work of his career near its end.

Top 5 Singles

1. Karol G - Matadora

2. Fanta Rosario & Vei Habache ft Varios - Si Me Hace El De La Lengua

3. Saiko ft Tito El Bambino - Dios Los Bendiga

4. Rawayana ft Manuel Turizo - Ingles En Miami

5. El Bogueto, Anuel AA, Fuerza Regida & Yung Beef - Cuando No Era Cantante

Top 5 Albums

1. Saiko - Los Angelitos (8.5/10)

2. Rawayana - Donde Es El After? (8.5/10)

3. Sech - Secho Gang (8.5/10)

4. Tokischa - Amor y Droga (8/10)

5. Yandel - Infinito (8/10)

Comeback Of The Year: Tito El Bambino

I haven't gotten through some albums. I didn't include end of the year albums from 2025. But Alvarito disappointed me (5.5/10) and Karol worse (3/10). Eladio was awful too (2.75/10) but that song with Coi is hot. This has been a terrible year thus far.

DJ Pablito - Planet Ganja 3 (2000)

When Pablito was still known as Dee-Novo, he teamed up with El Chombo to produce the first 2 Planet Ganja albums which are also classics. But by 1999 he came unto his own with "La Factoria" (Various Artists version) and began headlining his albums on his own rather than getting an "El Chombo presenta" label to help sell the material. He was a big enough name to sell on his own by then.

"Planet Ganja 3" starts off with plenty of Dancehall and has some impressive showings from the likes of Red Boy, Negro Jettro, Demphra, Dicky Ranking and Aldo Ranks. It is a very danceable album through out. We get some Romantic Style within the Dancehall and then the beat changes to a more Movie Style Riddim with more Romance. Goodfella has stand out with "Bala Perdida", originally a salsa written by Mickey Perfecto, who worked on fellow Panamanian dj, Andy's "The Creation 3 Noticia De Guerra" with Baby Shabba.

But then we kick into high gear with some Reggaeton around track #20, there are 33 in total, by Principal and his big hit "A Mover El C*lo". Some of you may heard the more well known Chombo Remix on his Cripta albums. Pablito allowed Chombo to sell his songs on La Cripta compilations, and Planet Ganja 3 was released with "Oilers Corp", Chombo's label. That's how they remade "Papi Chulo" by Lorna which debuts here, and is much shorter with a different beat. However I think Pablito's version is superior.

The Reggaeton part of the album is the best part but it is great from start to finish. You have more hits from Joey Montana, Los Brujones and Barbero. With a great DJ Pablito Mix like he did on La Cripta 3. You have to appreciate a more Jamaican sounding Plena that the Panamanians are going for but its magnificent. It is probably Pablito's greatest work though La Factoria remains more well known. This definitely worth a look if you love old school Reggaeton.

Rating: 9.5/10

Record Label: Oilers Corp

Worldwide Record Sales: 30 thousand units+

Listen to Planet Ganja 3 (2000) on Spotify

My bad should've created a Special Reddit Version from the beginning...

1994 - Bellaqueo Reggaeton Is Born With The Underground. DJ Playero, DJ Eric, The Noise and DJ Chiclin were just some of the cassettes released with this raunchy xxx material. As Blanco would say "Chocha Con Bicho, Bicho Con Nalgas".

1995 - The government of Puerto Rico bans explicit lyric Reggaeton, putting an end to bellaqueo... for now.

1998 - Oakley says "Perreo" onstage for the first time. It is sampled by DJ Davey in Club Hollywood Live released the next year.

1999 - "La Puta" by DJ Nelson and DJ Goldy is released on Xtassy Reggae. Bellaqueo Reggaeton is back!

2000 - DJ Nelson inspired DJ Blass to create Reggaeton Sex II. This creates the subgenre of "Perreo Music". It becomes the new wave of Reggaeton from here on through. Blass also borrows from Oakley chanting "Perreo" on record using his own voice instead of Oakley's.

2001 - Perreo takes over the Reggaeton genre but gains intensive scrutiny from concerned parents and politicians over its explicit sexual themes.

2002 - The bill to censor Reggaeton, spearheaded by Senator Velda Gonzalez is defeated. Luny Tunes & Noriega commercialize Perreo with their Diego Torres/Dr. Dre influences combined with heavy Reggaeton rhythms.

2003 - Perreo goes international with Reggaeton becoming popular in multiple Spanish speaking countries.

2004 - "Gasolina" happens and Reggaeton becomes a pop culture phenomenon introducing "Perreo" to a new generation. At this point "Perreo" means dancing sexy to Reggaeton music and is sometimes used to describe a sub genre of a more explicit sensual Reggaeton with equally revealing content.

2005 to 2007 - Artists begin cleaning up their lyrics and content for more mainstream audiences. "Perreo" is no longer at the forefront.

2008 to 2014 - Its official, Reggaeton is dead in the mainstream. You have to go to underground blogs to find "Perreo". Meanwhile "Limbo" and "Danza Kuduro" light up the charts. But "Perreo" stays Underground.

2015 to 2018 - Reggaeton makes a comeback in the mainstream thanks to J Balvin and the Colombia movement. A new generation learns how to "Perrear".

2019 to 2025 - Neo Perreo emanates from the newfound Feminist influence on Reggaeton and the LGBTQ community. It is Reggaeton Sex Perreo meets Skrillex. Its more prominent artists include Isabella Lovestory, Arca, and Rosalia. "YHLQMDLG" brings back hardcore Perreo to the mainstream. Thanks to Bad Bunny even Pop Stars like Karol G and J Balvin sing nasty sex songs mainly due to the hits "Safaera" and "Yo Perreo Sola". Hardcore Perreo is here to stay! And the classic "Yo Quiero Bailar" by Ivy Queen becomes the feminist anthem to Reggaeton.

Now - "Perreo" has become more than a subgenre, it is now a subculture. The most important element is the dance being a form of freedom of expression and empowerment through sexual liberation.

Read the more complete entry here A Timeline Of Perreo (1994 to Now)

Sorry I couldn't fit it all into Reddit.

A Timeline Of Perreo (1994 to Now)

Here is a preview

Perreo (N) - A dance often associated with Reggaeton music.  (1)  

It is also a subgenre of Reggaeton Music with lyrics often about explicit sex, and/or provocative dance. (2) 

It can also have sexual connotations though it often does not imply "Sex".  (3)  

Many countries and cultures such as Feminists groups and members of the LGBT community have made it into a subculture with its own unique traits and sounds such as "Neo-Perreo".  (4)

Origins

1994 -  Underground Reggaeton Music and the Bellaqueo Style of Reggaeton.  The origins of Perreo.

Before it was known as “Perreo” in later years, The Underground Reggaeton of Puerto Rico had many songs done in what has come to be known as the “Bellaqueo” style.  In Puerto Rico, “Bellaqueo” means “Raunchy” or straight up “Horny”.  In other countries it means being “Rowdy” or “Inordinate”.  Either definition fits the “Bellaqueo” style of Reggaeton really well. 

A song like “Oye Mira Nena” by Frankie Boy is very representational of “Bellaqueo” in Reggaeton.  The song had the lyrics “Mira Oye Nena/Menea Las Caderas/Y Preparate Para Chingar/Que Frankie Boy Mientras Te Canta/Te Sube Esa Falda/Y Te Da Mami Senda Clava”.  Some would call this misogyny.  But it was mostly females since way back when consuming this music and they enjoyed the “Bellaqueo” style of Reggaeton. 

The audience viewed it as just “fooling around” and never took the lyrics seriously.  Plus, initially, the music only appealed to people from the barrios and ghettos, first of Puerto Rico, then the rest of Latin America.  The lyrics shocked some conservative types.  But Barrio people just saw it as an evolution in their form of expression.  These kinds of lyrics would be scrutinized since then, but originally it was only people of governmental authority and concerned parents who condemned this kind of music feeling afraid it would pervert the youth.  In later years “Bellaqueo” lyrics would be scrutinized and labeled misogynistic by journalists, feminists, politcians, fans and even other artists.

The main subject is always “Sex” in “Bellaqueo” style Reggaeton which now is known as Perreo.  Dj’s like Chiclin, Playero, Joe among others made this style of Reggaeton of prevalent part of their Underground Mixtapes.  Artists of renown who specialized in this style of Reggaeton included Frankie Boy, Blanco, Maicol & Manuel, Baby J, Tito 3, El Vale, Los Boys, Las Guanabanas Podrias, MC Ceja among others…

1998 – The word “Perreo” is invented.  But who invented it?

A popular staple of the early days of Reggaeton were live concert albums.  On a specific one known as “Club Hollywood Live”, the word “Perreo” was uttered and made up on the spot by legendary MC Oakley (RIP) who was in the duo with the equally important OGM “Omar Garcia”.  Oakley’s uttering of the word is used in the intro to the album, although the actual performance is lost.  But OGM has told the story during interviews since.

What had happened was that during OGM & Oakley’s performance, a couple, boy and girl, got up on stage to dance together to the duo’s live act.  They would dance in a fashion that used to be known back then as “Bumpin’ and Grindin’”… this is what your grandparents called “Perreo”.  The girl bent over while dancing in front of the guy who grinded right behind on her backside with his pelvis and because it looked like when dogs make love, only with clothes on, Oakley invented a legendary phrase by shouting “Perreo, Perreo, Perreo” into the microphone inciting the crowd and couple.

Oakley had no idea when he said it, but on that night, he literally invented a word that would change Reggaeton and Latino culture forever.  Listen 3 mins into the intro to hear it.

2000 – The Year Perreo Was Born

In early 2000 when DJ Blass saw the sensation “Xtassy Reggae” was he decided to copy the idea from DJ Nelson to give exposure to his crew of singers known as “@ria 51”.   Blass made an entire mixtape of remixes along with dirty bellaqueo mixes and songs from his singers Plan B, Speedy, Great Kilo and Guelo Star.  The mixtape was titled “Xtassy Reggae 2” to capitalize off the success from the first one.

Thousands of copies were sold in the first week of the original, now lost, pressing (not even Blass has it and no one has ever uploaded this lost version).  Blass and Genio from Genio Records also a member of el Escuadron Del Panico had received notices to stop all production of the album.  The notices came on behalf of Mix 107 who was already working the ‘real’ “Xtassy Reggae 2” album with DJ Nelson and DJ Goldy. 

DJ Blass’ version of Xtassy Reggae 2 was full of unauthorized remixes.  It had several original songs from the u/RIA 51 crew but Genio was given good advice to take off the remixes and only sell the originals.  If he did that then MIX 107 would promote the album.  Therefore DJ Blass released the now well known version of Reggaeton Sex II which is in fact u/RIA 51 II but because people did not know who that was, they promoted it as “Reggaeton Sex 2”… the unofficial sequel to Xtassy Reggae.

The final version of Reggaeton Sex II has gone on to become a cult classic.  Its lead singles are internationally known with “Que Es Plan B?” from Guelo Star and Plan B going on to become a big hit.  But its biggest hit is “El Amor Con La Ropa” by Speedy, often cited as one of the best Reggaeton/Perreo songs in history.  Despite all that Reggaeton Sex 2 only sold 30 thousand units. 

Don’t misinterpret the numbers which are misleading.  These songs were heard in virtually all Spanish speaking territories around the world.  The problem was Reggaeton Sex 2 was a victim of its own success.  People saw the correlation between Reggaeton Sex 2 and Xtassy Reggae, and bootleggers took advantage.  There were many unauthorized versions of these albums.  Particularly for Central and South America where these albums weren’t available.  Though these bootlegs originated from NYC.  They were appealing to consumers as these versions would include songs from Xtassy Reggae and Reggaeton Sex, and later on Reggaeton Sex 3.

But how did Perreo become a phrase?  Well, that was Rapper Oakley on the Live album titled Club Hollywood Live from 1999.  There has been some dispute as to who came up with the phrase.  Rocky ‘The Kid’ from Mix 107 can be heard using it on his skits around the same time.  But Oakley immortalized the phrase when it was sampled on Reggaeton Sex 2 a year later.

The story goes… Oakley was in a duo with OGM, Omar Garcia throughout the 90’s.  They were a fairly successful duo for those days.  They appeared on several compilations of note such as El Cartel de Yankee, The Noise 7, DJ Adam Mad Jam 1 & 2, U Records and Mansion Crew among many others…  During their performance at Club Hollywood for the album, a couple got on stage and began bumping and grinding.  During the whole commotion Oakley shouts “Perreo, Perreo, Perreo…” into the mic.  And a legendary catchphrase was born which then took a whole new meaning of its own.

The original unedited audio is lost.  All that’s left is DJ Davey sampling it in the intro mix of Club Hollywood Live.  The song went mostly unnoticed until DJ Blass reused Oakley’s phrase with Blass’ voice instead.  Then some historians noticed the original when Perreo became part of the everyday lexicon.  However it may have been that the word came to be, it was Oakley that first spoke it on record, but Blass popularized the word and soon it was used to describe a whole new subgenre of music.

2001 – Perreo Is The New Wave

In 2001, the sound captivating the underground in Puerto Rico was hardcore.  Tiraera and Malianteo were the norm.  However, the clubs wanted something new and that was Perreo.  At the end of the century Electro Reggaeton was all the craze.  By 2001 if you weren’t rapping about murdering someone on record or doing the rare socially conscious track, then you were singing about f#cking.

And that was what the audience wanted to hear.  For the first time ever, Panama followed Puerto Rico’s lead and began making Perreo music of their own.  The thing was that in the 90s music with explicit lyrics was banned by the govt of Puerto Rico.  Well, kind of…  There wasn’t anything signed into law.  And when it went to the Supreme Court in Puerto Rico, it was soundly defeated.

The problem wasn’t that the lyrics were explicit, it’s that they were being sold to minors.  Since there wasn’t any way to circumvent underage kids listening to explicit lyrics, the govt tried to ban everything under obscenity laws.  You were pulled over if you were listening to underground and had your tape confiscated.  Shops were raided and there was a ban on explicit lyric music.

However slowly the banned cassettes and Cd’s started to make their way back into stores.  Artists tested the waters in 1998 with Hector & Tito and Mexicano releasing unedited albums with parental advisory warnings.  But for the most part many didn’t want to take the chance of having their music kept off radio or tv.  So, the ban continued until Xtassy Reggae at tail end of 1999.  Then in 2000, when the attempted ban loss the first time, artists started making music more freely with no censorship.  They appealed with the backing of senator Velda Gonzalez in 2002, but they would lose again.

2004 – “Gasolina” happens, Perreo is now worldwide.

What does Perreo mean?  Some just consider it a dance.  Others use it for slang to engage in sexual activities.  But to others, it's a culture.  It really is.  The culture isn't defined mind you.  And it is only in the past 10 years that Perreo has transformed into a culture.  But its roots start here because this is a worldwide movement and if it wasn't for "Gasolina", no one would know what we are even talking about.

It’s funny how people worldwide just figured out the Reggaeton culture through music videos and the lingo used on record, pretty much how it happened with Hip Hop and Rock.  No one teaches anybody these things, they just pick it up when they become immersed within the culture. 

And now 20 years later we have worldwide Perreo culture with every country sprinkling its influence and giving its own unique takes on “Urbanoism”.  But before all that there was the phenomenon that was “Gasolina”.  Its true, Reggaeton had already reached mainstream status and platinum success when the record came out and there obviously could have been another song that took things the next level.  But we live in a world where “Gasolina” resonated the most and grew the audience tenfold.

There was controversy, however.  Just like Velda Gonzalez took offense at Reggaeton’s perceived misogyny, parents worldwide and even politicians share her sentiments.  It was labeled as smut and filth.  Feminist groups accused the artists of misogyny and sexism.  Many countries have restricted Reggaeton such as Venezuela, Cuba and Ecuador though none have outlawed it outright.

There is still selective outrage against Reggaeton.  But once Shakira did “Hips Don’t Lie” it mostly died down and people saw there was a more “tasteful” way to present ‘Perreo’.  There is always a backlash of some sort every few years but once it moved past this point there was no looking back.

2008 to 2014 – The Back To The Underground Era, The Rebirth of Perreo & Colombia's Role in Reintroducing the concept to the mainstream.

Everything coincided as if these things were meant happen.  The housing crisis occurred the same time as the music industry was in crisis.  Many artists were cut from their deals and had albums shelved because the record labels could no longer afford their contracts.  And for some reason the major labels took an anti-Reggaeton stance.  For the few Urbano artists left with major deals, they had to make Pop songs as their lead singles or they would receive no promotion.

Every artist on a major label played ball.  That's when you saw songs like "Te Regalo Amores", "El Doctorado", "Pose", "Que Tengo Que Hacer", "Danza Kuduro", "Me Estas Tentando", "Gracias a Ti", "Por Amar a Ciegas", "Cuando Es" and many more... As the popular mainstream singles at the time.  Some had Techno, some had Soca, some were straight up ballads, but the one thing missing was Perreo.  For that you had to go Back To The Underground.

Perreo was virtually non visible in the mainstream during these years except for a few singles like "Si No Le Contesto". "Llegamos A La Disco", and "Hasta Abajo" with the latter 2 being only minor hits when they came out while "Ven Conmigo" ft Prince Royce was the main single with promotion from the label and charted high on the charts.  Ironically now, "Llegamos A La Disco" has 3x the views on YOUTUBE when compared to the Prince Royce assisted single which shows how times have changed.

So where had all the real Reggaeton gone now?  The blogs.  Around this time music blogs were all the rage across all genres and Reggaeton was no different.  And 2008 was a key year because now that the labels were dropping artists like flies, those who could, released their material via blogs.  But they weren't new, even to Reggaeton.

In 2005 and 2006, Arcangel and De La Ghetto leveraged the freedom in their contract with their label Baby Records which allowed them to release free music instead of waiting for their label to do it.  This made them into a phenomenon with no major label backing and they were the first big success story of the blogs.  Then Jadiel and Lapiz Conciente followed as they were the first to utilize the blogs in their favor.

Because the blogs were a proven commodity, many artists would further exploit the medium in 2008 and forward because major labels rejected the genre.  Perhaps the biggest success story of this era was Ñengo Flow as he used the blogs to start his Real G 4 Life movement which is now worldwide.  Then came J Alvarez, Farruko, Musicologo and Menes, the revival of Nicky Jam, Cosculluela, J Balvin and others who utilized the blogs to their favor and cultivate an organically grown audience.

There were literally thousands of songs on the blogs that you could not find nowhere else.  Some have disappeared forever.  And even if you were a major label artist, if your single wasn't getting love on the billboard charts, it could find a second life if it was discovered on the blogs and the underground audience adopted it.  But most importantly to the subject at hand, the Perreo was in the Underground, because the major labels no longer supported it.

DR had its own movement going on which never went mainstream but garnered a lot of recognition thanks to the blogs.  But the movement that definitely revived 'Perreo' in the mainstream consciousness was the Colombian Reggaeton movement of the 2010's.

2015 to 2018 – Perreo goes mainstream pt 2…somewhat

There are 2 principal reasons Perreo is becoming a culture.  1 is Latina feminists who have adopted the music and its dance as sexual liberation.  And the LGBTQ community that pretty much adopt it in the same way, but from distinct point of view.  And that pretty much happened here, but first we must take a look back at the history of these two forefronts.

First let's talk about the LGBTQ community in Reggaeton which has pretty much been there since the very beginning.  I won't deep dive into homophobia within Reggaeton culture and Latin American Machismo culture as a whole.  But yes, there were a lot of inflammatory remarks against them as recently as the 2010's.  Things have gotten much better but this is not what the subject is about.

It is a little known fact but there were pioneers that were inside the closet during Reggaeton's earlier days.  According to Gringo and Tito El Bambino those inside the industry know who they are but they have never made their orientation known to the public.  Baby Rasta & Gringo proudly state that they were the first Reggaeton duo to take bookings in gay clubs.  And whenever the mainstream would reject Reggaeton the LGBTQ community deeply supported it.

There are a few known queer artists today and some who everyone speculates about (we all know who).  But the pioneers in queer Reggaeton are Pato Gay and La Gringa Xtasy.  You who don't know the Underground might think I am being spurious but they are well known although no longer active.  They were part of the Reggaeton Sex Crew and their infamous live set can be heard here.  La Gringa Xtasy had a pretty big club hit with "Rompe Condones" alongside Geniokila.  It was gimmicky but their songs opened plenty of doors for Queer Reggaeton history.

On the other side, feminism has always had soft representation until Ivy Queen came out on "The Noise 5".  There were other females such as Jelly D, Lisa M, Rude Girl La Atrevida, Keribel, Jackie La Original, 2 Sweet, Fransheska and Glory among others...  But none challenged the male hierarchy quite like Ivy did.  Ivy would battle the male rappers on stage and defeat them!  While other females were rapping about how pretty they were, or how men had to pay to get with them or lovelorn songs about needing companionship, Ivy was touching more controversial subject matter such as domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, and safe sex.

2026 – Perreo’s Future…  Is it Really a Culture Now?

You know I thought Reggaeton would be a culture by now but it really isn't.  Urbano isn't a culture either.  Even though the phrase "Urbano" was coined by Tito El Bambino at famous "pitch" meeting with EMI Latin execs, while coming up with marketing material for his impending album in 2005.  It is much a corporate design which is why the audience rejects Urbano and will never adopt it.  So that's not a culture either.  Hip Hop is a culture but its not ours (Latinos/Hispanics) though we did take a part in creating it in New York during the 1970's.  But if anything "Reggaetony" is a culture, it's Perreo.

I never thought I'd affirm this but yes, "Perreo" is becoming a culture.  It is a subculture, but a culture nonetheless.  Nothing in Reggaeton is original except "Perreo".  Its style is taken from Hip Hop.  Its sound was born in Jamaica.  And every evolution that it goes through comes from something else whether it is Trap or Afrobeat.  Its lingo is just street slang from diverse Latin American Countries with Puerto Rico being its primary one, I'd say DR is a close 2nd.  Reggaeton is not a culture.

But "Perreo", moreso "Neo Perreo" is.  It has a unique look and aesthetics.  It has its own unique sound.  Its dance is its prime representation.  It has a scene that is all its own while if you noticed Reggaeton is often grouped with everything else that is popular.  That's why Reggaeton always goes back to the underground and I suspect that will happen soon.  

The Underground is a culture and that's when Reggaeton resembles a culture the most when it is underground.  The only time in its history Reggaeton was a culture was when it was called "Underground" from 1994 -2004.  Ever since "Gasolina" forward it hasn't been a culture.

I honestly thought it would but it became so corporate and Reggaeton sold itself out.  Then Vallenato Pop became Reggaeton, then magical forest critters like Camilo became Reggaeton, it's ridiculous.  Reggaeton is just a leech that sucks the lifeblood off of whatever's popular nowadays.  It can still be great sometimes but as a culture its best years are behind it.  It will have to evolve into something new in order for Reggaeton to become a culture.

But Perreo right now is at its proving stage if it's gonna leave an everlasting mark and become a permanent part of the overall culture spectrum.  I think it will.  It has well defined boundaries.  The dance is its key into its cultural definition and it just leaves space for it to evolve in freaky new ways if it wants to.  Reggaeton has none of that.

To read it the complete version click here: A Timeline Of Perreo (1994 to Now)

Always check out the blog for exclusives Reggaeton Party Mane's Blog

La Mision 3 - A Otro Nivel (2002)

La Mision 1 was a successful project by Yomi Fresh within the confines of Puerto Rico at the time. La Mision 2 achieved even more success with the single "La Makina" by Yaviah gaining much traction. But it wasn't until vol 3 that it achieved its first modicum of international success. This was partly in thanks to lead single "Dembow" by Yandel which became an international sensation thanks to being featured on Telemundo's Jamz TV.

The album continued to build Wisin & Yandel as one of the top duos in Puerto Rico. It prepared listeners for the arrival of "De Otra Manera" later in the year. DJ Blass produced their songs "La Vaquera", "Dembow" and "Sigue Bailando Con La Lenta". In fact Blass produced 90% of La Mision 3 only having help from Luny Tunes (uncredited, but they are shouted out) & Dj Nelson on the Baby Rasta & Gringo song, Echo on the Tego and Cavalucci songs and Coo-Kee produced his own track. Also Blass Co-produced MC Ceja's track with Echo, one of the few times they have ever worked on a beat together.

The album also features a debuting Alexis fresh from his stint in the DJ Raymond co-signed group, Boricua Selecta. He wasn't in a duo with Fido yet, but Wisin promised to put him on if he ever got on. IDK what happened to the rest of Boricua Selecta.** Same thing happened with Fido who was friends with the duo but serving time in the army. He was a veteran of the underground and appeared on one or two really obscure albums. Wisin & Yandel promised they would put him on once he got done serving in the military. Alexis has 2 solo songs which are really good and Fido has a banger too.

Rounding out the album are appearances from Edgar & Josue, who we never hard from again, but they did a good job here and where signed to Yomi at the time. And also Eddie Dee who is in the 2nd video and has a nice Perreo filled with clever wordplay. The album had limited distribution at first but then got a multinational release by Lideres. It would end up selling over 100 thousand units during its physical run. It is a highly acclaimed album and one of the best in 2002 which in my opinion is the greatest year in Reggaeton history.

** According to a YOUTUBE post, the other members of Boricua Selecta were Wisin and Small from Los Yetzons.

Rating: 8.75/10

Record Label: Fresh Records then Lideres/Fresh Records

Worldwide Sales: 200,000 w/ streaming numbers included

Watch the 2nd video of La Mision 3 featuring Wisin & Yandel, Eddie Dee, Alexis & Tego Calderon

Calle 13 (2005)

Album Cover

Back Cover

Residente Calle 13 has a love-hate and sometimes polarizing relationship with the Reggaeton community. He hates every worst facet of Reggaeton. The perceived misogyny, simplistic lyrics, repetitive themes of sex and violence and basic overall ignorance in Reggaeton music which makes those of us who follow this music seem like a bunch of poorly educated savages. And he comes from one of the most savage barrios worldwide, La Perla, in Puerto Rico so he can speak on the subject with credibility.

Around 2008, I remember Residente lamenting in an interview that the genre was going away from its underground roots. He spoke about how artists were abandoning creativity and originality in favor of commercial mainstream acceptance. He was defending dissing mainstream artists Ivy Queen, Wisin & Yandel on "Que Lloren". Though in spoken words, Residente often makes poignant points, in recent years his sleeping pill disguised as music has poorly defended his seemingly wise, but often less impactful anti-Reggaeton stance because of the underwhelming music.

But back in 2005, Residente and the forgotten Visitante, Grammy Award Winning Eduardo Cabrera, who makes the majority of Calle 13's beats to this day,... Residente Calle 13 had none of his current qualms about Reggaeton so this self titled debut of his remains his most "pure" product to date.

Residente made waves in early 2005 by being part of an obscure Puerto Rican compilation (I don't recall the title) which was very political. His song, however was the only one that made international waves. The song was known as "Querido FBI" and became viral within the Puerto Rican community first, later the rest of Latin Americans. The song spoke out against the FBI's presumed assassination of Filiberto Ojeda, a political party leader who spoke out in favor of Puerto Rican independence. It was "Lo Que Le Paso A Hawaii" 20 years earlier.

The song was critically acclaimed and became an instant sensation in the Underground. Famed record exec Elias White Lion sought Rene Perez, also known as Residente, upon hearing the song and signed him the week it came out. Arcangel, De La Ghetto and Residente would often talk about coming up together in the slums of La Perla during this time, following the same dream.

Residente was considered for the classic compilation "Sangre Nueva" around this time but White Lion artists Tego, Zion and Voltio were too busy already presenting new artists. Jowell & Randy did not appear for the same reason. Meanwhile, RKM y Ken-Y were left out because of Tego and Voltio's beef with Pina Records.

But Elias had so much faith in Residente, that he cleared White Lion's plans and placed Residente to release right after Zion & Lennox's Special Edition of "Motivando La Yal" with "Querido FBI" being Residente's only previously released song. This was unheard of! Standard procedure for introducing new Reggaeton artists is either having them presented by an established artist and/or placing them on a coverted various artists compilation album like Gargolas or Mas Flow. Elias felt Residente needed none of that because his talent was strong enough to persevere on its own. This is the only time this has ever been done and worked.

Just to be safe however, Residente was featured on Voltio's lead single "Chulin Culin Cunfly" from his upcoming album. The single was released around the same time as Calle 13's debut came out. The lead single was "Se Vale To", a catchy Reggaeton track with creative wordplay and lyricism a la Tego Calderon yet with the bellaqueo-perreo flow the Reggaeton audience was accustomed to. It was the best of all worlds and the song became a huge international hit.

Calle 13's self titled debut album was 80% produced by Visitante. He would receive help on a few tracks from acclaimed producer Danny Fornaris who if I'm not mistaken had been part of White Lion since the 1990's and was a pupil of Nico Canada. Danny achieved his first big hit producing "Mambo" from Voltio's debut solo album "Voltaje AC" in 2004. The legendary DJ Blass also remixed "Suave" into a catchy Reggaeton song which became the album's 4th and final single.

The hype surrounding Calle 13's debut in Puerto Rico was enough to have the album debut at #6 on the Top Latin Albums chart in Billboard. Fans noticed the album's eclectic nature. Although it had plenty of Hip Hop elements and some Reggaeton, Calle 13 injected elements from Funk, Rock, Bomba and Plena as well to create a very uniquely sounding album. It received universal acclaim from those that understood the intent, though there was always the one or two listener who complained "There's not enough Reggaeton!". I was not one of them, but understood their sentiment.

There are only 4 pure Reggaeton songs on the entire 16 track album, yet 3 of the 4 singles were Reggaeton. It was purposefully misleading. Clearly, the Reggaeton was the bait for the listener to stay and hopefully check out the rest of the album, and most did as this album many years later is now considered an all-time classic of the Reggaeton genre. Even Complex included it in their list of Greatest Reggaeton albums ever and they got so so much wrong there.

What really took Calle 13 to the next level was the album's 2nd single "Atrevete-te". The Danny Fornaris co-produced track alongside Visitante was a mainstream crossover sensation. People really gravitated towards Residente's all inclusive message of freedom of expression urging people to just be themselves. It was atypical of most Reggaeton songs, even today. The catchy Cumbia-Reggaeton beat with danceable bongo percussions and Tropical horns also helped the track reach a large audience. To this day, it remains Residente's biggest hit of his entire catalog.

The album had plenty of other memorable tracks like the jokey "La Madre De Los Enanos" backed by a circus type beat. 3rd single "La Jirafa" remains a popular deep cut among fans and the album's only Romantic track. "Suave Remix" also lit up the dance floors. Voltio's clever feature on "La Aguacatona"is filled with storytelling, wordplay and wit, making it a marvel. Another memorable track is the controversial "Pi-Di-Di" where Calle 13 imagines a story of beating up Puff Daddy while he's visiting the island of Puerto Rico for disrespecting labelmate Tego with a lowball offer of $5,000 to model for Sean John back in the day.

All in all, Calle 13, might be the greatest debut in Latin Urban history. Even in the modern school, Ozuna and Bad Bunny cultivated an audience via underground releases for years before putting out their respective debut albums. Calle 13 is one of the few to do none of that and just straight up debut. And thankfully, he hit it out of the park.

Rating: 9.5/10

Record Label: White Lion Records/Sony Latin

Worldwide Sales: Over 1 million units worldwide w/ streaming numbers included; 200,000 units during its initial physical/iTunes run.

Listen to Calle 13 (2005) on Spotify