u/ReggaetonPartyManeP

Reggaeton Versus VI Maluma vs Alberto Stylee, Old School vs Modern School... Who is the better Pretty Boy Reggaetonero?

Case for Maluma: Maluma is an international superstar who has been going on 15+ years strong. Although he did have it better than most being discovered by music magnate, Walter Kolm and developed by him since Maluma's earlierst days. Maluma is the first artist who ever started in Reggaeton but made his bones with the Pop audience instead. He doesn't write, but most Pop acts don't. But he is a solid performer and vocalist. Maluma seems as if he came from some imaginary Ricky Martin Pop School for future megastars and graduated magna cum laude. His catalogue has been criticized by some as lackluster (I am one of them) but he knows how to perform those songs well and on occasion, some of those tracks are actually good. Maluma is like the prototype of what a Pop Reggaetonero should be and many feel he took the Pretty Boy style of Reggaeton to the next level.

Case for Alberto Stylee: I will start this rather unflattering. The few of you here who are familiar with Alberto Stylee might have gotten to know him in his 2010's Colombia era when he and Nicky Jam went to Colombia to resurrect their careers and help out new talent, like Maluma. But that Stylee was not his best, and if that is the only Alberto you know, I cannot fault you for placing Maluma above him. Unlike Nicky, Alberto did not have an artistic makeover. He scored some big hits in Colombia, notably "Te Imagino" but Alberto's best days were in the 1990's and early 2000's. Sadly that era of Alberto was at most, only seen by a few thousand while in Maluma it is hundreds of millions who saw his rise. But why the comparison? Many see Alberto as the first Pop Reggaeton star and the first "Pretty Boy" selling more of a Chayanne/Ricky Martin image instead of a tough street guy. He had one of the first international crossover Reggaeton hits in 1997's "Vengo Acabando". And his runs from 1995-1998, his comeback in 2002 releasing two platinum albums in 2002 and 2004 respectively, were all pretty legendary. He had plenty of down years too but always rose back to the top. He could do it again. Alberto Stylee was one of Reggaeton's first successful crooners and the original Pretty Boy.

Result: Alberto Stylee. This one is closer than most Old School fans would think. Maluma did a lot more to gain international recognition during Alberto's peak worldwide fame years in Colombia from 2010-2014. I dare say that musically post Colombia, Maluma and Stylee are pretty much even so had it just been those years, Maluma would have won due to his fame. Alberto never came close to the heights Maluma reached and 99.8% of Shakira fans have no idea who he is much less his influence on commercial Pop Reggaeton but they all know who Maluma is. But Alberto Stylee came out at a time when you had to be more street and had to be clever in finding a way to appeal to the underground and the first crossover audiences mainly from the tropical music scene. Alberto was originally going to be in a duo with legendary underground EMCEE Blanco Flake, before Blanco got locked up. Alberto did more than most artists in history and though he had a couple of down years from 1999-2001 due to losing his battle with Falo The Leader, he was still making great music even forming a temporary duo with Rey Pirin and they had so many good songs together like in Grayskull, La Conspiracion 1 and La Mision 2. Then Alberto made one of the greatest comebacks in history releasing a platinum album in "Los Dueños De La Disco" when most thought his career was over. That album is now viewed as a classic by those who know it. I know Alberto post Colombia was hit and miss, but he would have been a legend just for 1995-2002 alone. Without Alberto Stylee there might have never been a Maluma as he opened the first doors for Pop Reggaeton to become commercially viable. RKM & Ken-Y was probably more of a direct influence on Maluma, but it was Alberto Stylee who first opened those doors to begin with.

RIP Canserbero

Who is the better lyricist in Spanish Rap & Reggaeton? BTW before y'all say neither is a Reggaeton artist please listen to the literally dozens of Reggaeton songs Vico C did throughout his career. The Noise 7 is a good one. Mas Flow 2. "Calla" from Aquel Que Habia Muerto. "El Bueno El Malo y El Feo" with Tego & Eddie. "Se Escapa" with Yaga & Mackie. "La Vecinita" from Los Bandoleros reloaded. And there are literally dozens of more examples. And most don't know this but Canserbero started doing Reggaeton in his early days. There are snippets of lost songs of his where he flowed over Reggaeton beats when he first started. He emulated The Noise because they were huge in Venezuela. I also want to emphasize that this is about who is the better lyricist, not the better artist. Alright with that out of the way, let's get started.

Case for Canserbero - Many consider Canserbero as the best lyricist to have emerged in the past 25 years of Rap & Reggaeton placing him over lyrical titans such as Tempo, Mexicano, Nach, Tego Calderon and even the great Kase.O. Canserbero began his career as a battle Emcee, even participating in the local eliminators of the famous "Batalla De Los Gallos" in Venezuela. But his style of Rap translated better into the studio. He had an often introspective approach often touching on topics like social injustice, mental health problems and real street life in the barrios of Venezuela. He never battled anybody on wax, and is not proven beyond his amateur Rap battle career. He did however defeat Satan in the legendary "Es Epico". Songs like "Jeremias 17-5", "La Vida Es Como Una Pelicula De Comedia, Tragedia y Ficcion.", and "Maquiavelico" defined his trajectory as a lyricist cementing some of the best verses ever rapped in the history of Spanish Hip Hop.

Case for Vico C - Being the first does not automatically make you the best in anything. But being the first Rapper in the Spanish language of significance, Vico C may be the exception to that rule. With a career that began way back in 1986 when Vico first made obscure odd Raps about being a Viking and fighting Jason from Friday The 13th, the latter which became one of his first big hits.... Vico C matured and evolved over the years but since day one, he was always a very potent lyricist. "La Recta Final" was created in 1989 when Vico was just around 17 years old and it has some of the most poignant lyrics speaking out against corruption ever performed in Spanish. Vico also is proven in the battle scene having had lyrical rivalries of note with Baby Rasta, Cavalucci, Polaco, Gerardo Mejia and Ruben DJ (I don't include DY because he never responded not even subliminally). But it is songs like "5 De Septiembre", "Desahogo", "Explosion", "Se Te Apago El Blin Blin", "Me Acuerdo", "Cosa Nuestra De Barrio", "Aquel Que Habia Muerto" and a plethora of more classic songs where Vico has showcased vulnerability, empathy, versatility and wisdom as an Emceee. He can do it all very well. He even has several party songs where the lyricism is more advanced than most also.

Conclusion: Tie. Though they are both very different in their Rap styles, both excel so much in the various specialties that you really cannot put one above another. Canserbero is a better freestyler, improviser, battle emcee, and more introspective in his songs about mental health and social injustices than Vico. But Vico is more versatile, arguably has the better flow, is less complex, therefore more relatable and can keep up with Canserbero on his best days. Canse is the more modern punchline driven Rapper, while although Vico is capable of delivering punchlines, he is more of a storyteller in his Rap songs. Both Emcees are on par when it comes to storytelling ability. And when you strip down their lyrical ability, they are almost even with Canserbero having a slight edge as he has more complex wordplay, metaphors and themes.. But Vico C edges him out with more versatility and variety in themes and styles. Vico did tropical music, party songs, Reggae and Reggaeton. Canserbero does not have one song that can make you dance. It is a deadlock because of these factors and I have to rate this one a tie. I do feel Vico C is the better artist overall though. Thanks for reading!

Ranking Every Daddy Yankee Album

S tier (Elite) – El Cartel De Yankee 1 Los Intocables (1997) & Barrio Fino (2004)

great – El Cartel De Yankee II Los Cangris (2001), ElCangri..com (2002), Los Homerun-Es De Yankee (2003), Barrio Fino En Directo (2005),  El Cartel The Big Boss (2007), Talento De Barrio (2008), King Daddy (2013)

listenable -  No Mercy (1995). Mundial (2010), Prestige (2012), Legendaddy (2022) & Lamento En Baile (2025)

meh – Ahora Le Toca Al Cangri Live (2005)

dogshit –

Analysis:  El Cartel 1 and Barrio Fino in my honest opinion are the only masterpieces in Daddy Yankee’s catalogue.  I don’t recommend El Cartel 1 to those of you new school listeners who hate electro Reggaeton and/or the 90’s flow, especially the post Playero era when people started copying less from the Jamaicans.  Only people who love 90’s Reggaeton are capable of understanding El Cartel 1 and why it’s so great. 

“Barrio Fino” on the other hand is DY’s commercial magnum opus.  Most people, even old school fans feel it is superior to El Cartel 1, I disagree but undeniably it is one of the best produced albums in Urbano music history and the beats are certainly more well composed than El Cartel 1.  The great thing about “Barrio Fino” is that it could reach Nach fans and Shakira fans as much as the Reggaeton core base.  It was an album designed for all tastes and that is pretty rare to find.

The great tier I think will be inarguable for most.  I know some will think ElCangri..com belongs in the S tier but I think that album is too dumbed down.  It has some great songs, but the Rap songs are just alright and this is Reggaeton Sex DY which was cool, but his songs on various artists albums of the day like 9 Plagas 2, La Conspiracion 1 and Gargolas 3 was better than everything on ElCangri.com.  The best song was “Son Las Doce” but that song hasn’t aged well because of it’s near misogynistic lyrics which can be perceived that way by feminists and the sort… “El Gistro, El Gistro”… but Reggaeton parties really do get that wild so...

The album I almost left out from the great section was “El Cartel II Los Cangris”.  It’s good, but not great, yet I kept it in the great tier because the stand out songs are better than most stuff ever made.  The Karel y Voltio malianteo is God Mode for malianteo songs.  Daddy Yankee & Nicky’s tracks for “Ritmo De La Calle” and “Tu Cuerpo En La Cama” are underground classics.  MC Ceja’s “Nigga What What” is one of the greatest Spanish Rap songs in history.  What’s good here outweighs the forgettable such as Memo y Vale’s disappointing “Striptease” which is just an average song.  Some people like “69” by Las Guanabanas but I always felt it was just ok.  But what’s good in El Cartel II far outshines the mediocre thus I included it, although it almost made the “listenable” tier.

“Los Home-runes” remakes are not as good as their originals but are still very good remakes.  People who never heard the original versions from the 90’s think it’s one of the best Reggaeton albums ever.  And the new songs including collabs with Don Omar, Nicky Jam and Voltio are quite good.  “El Cartel The Big Boss” would be on the listenable for many, but I just think it’s a preference from people of the time and how your life was going.  Some expected “El Cartel The Big Boss” to be the end all of Reggaeton, and they were greatly disappointed when it wasn’t that. "The Big Boss" album has probably the most negative reviews of DY’s entire career.  But a new generation appears to be warming up to it, but the sound on “…The Big Boss” is more akin to the blog era of Reggaeton (2009-2015) rather than the Mas Flow era (2002-2008) which is what I think turns most people off.

“Talento De Barrio” was like “Barrio Fino” in its universal appeal with commercial Vallenato-Pop Reggaeton, Soca with Pop and it’s a very Pop album overall.  But it’s also very Reggaetony and street enough to not turn off hardcore Reggaeton fans.  It’s the album Plan B fans and Shakira people can equally enjoy.  It’s just not nearly as good as “Barrio Fino”.

I want to add an interesting note that as few may know, “Talento De Barrio” was originally supposed to be a various artists type album.  Yankee was still going to be all over the production but there were leaks including a Yaga y Mackie collaboration and a song by Arcangel, De La Ghetto & Randy, “Corazon a la Calle” without DY as well as the collaboration “Talento De Barrio” which were kept off the final tracklist.  Angel & Khriz supposedly recorded for it and in the movie you can hear a Trebol Clan song which no one has heard anywhere else.  “El Cartel The Big Boss” was also originally going to be “El Cartel III” until Interscope said no to the idea because Jimmy Iovine wanted a solo Daddy Yankee project instead.  There was promotional material for El Cartel III and it was announced until Interscope said no.

I am of the unpopular opinion that “King Daddy” is DY’s 3rd or 4 best album in his career. People wanted him to do a real Reggaeton album which he did with this one after going uber Pop on “Prestige”.  But the album was poorly promoted by Capitol who did not believe in it and had 0 big hits, scoring only a minor one with “La Nueva y La Ex”.  “King Daddy” was originally supposed to be part of the Musicologo & Menes “Imperio Nazza” series of albums, but Capitol upon hearing of the idea, chose to keep it for themselves.  It might have done better as an “Imperio Nazza” album.  Musicologo & Menes still did about 80% of the beats and are credited as "Los De La Nazza".

I don’t think that Daddy Yankee has a single album that could be considered “Meh” or “Dogshit”.  The closest however is “No Mercy” which is Daddy Yankee’s weakest album, my personal rating is 6/10.  I know the legendary publication “In The House Magazine” posted an image on their website listing classic Reggaeton albums including “No Mercy”.  But I believe the editor made a mistake and confused the album.  There are several notable errors in that list.  And one of the Daddy Yankee songs mentioned isn’t even on “No Mercy”.  So I think either the editor remembered wrong or posted the wrong album. 

But the universal opinion has always been that “No Mercy” is Daddy Yankee’s worst album.  It was a flop even for its day, only selling 6 thousand units which even for 1995 was bad numbers for someone of Daddy Yankee’s status.  DY was already a superstar in Puerto Rico because of his appearances on Playero’s albums where he had the biggest hits from volumes 37-39.  Even Elias White Lion who executively produced “No Mercy” said the album was a disappointment in sales and not DY’s best work compared with what he later did.  But apparently things were so cheap back then, Elias claims he broke even with only selling 6 thousand units.

“Mundial” failed in its day because of Daddy Yankee’s desperate attempt to crossover.  It only sold 100,000 units in its day.  The album was marketed as a soundtrack to the World Cup but DY’s song wasn’t even selected at the end as FIFA wisely went with Shakira’s “Waka Waka” instead.  Apparently some FIFA officials made DY think his song was being chosen which is what led to the album’s terrible marketing plan.

But over time, “Mundial” has done incredibly well on streaming thanks to the singles “Descontrol” and “La Despedida” doing incredible numbers.  It actually isn’t bad in retrospect but it was definitely an overt attempt at DY going Pop which annoyed many people, me included.  But as bad as that was, I feel “Prestige” was worst.

“Prestige” yielded one of Daddy Yankee’s biggest hits in “Limbo” which it appears he knew would be a ginormous song because of how his then young daughter loved the track.  I always hated “Limbo”.  The song isn’t terrible but to me it sounds like one of those corny songs El General did at the end of his run on top like “Jingle Bele Bele”.  “El Funkete” was in the same vein, but at least it was catchy and I personally liked it.  But “Jingle Belele” killed El General’s career and he never fully recovered.

I think “Limbo” would have done the same had Yankee not lucked out and managed a partnership with Zumba which became very big around this time.  That was the main reason “Limbo” was such a big hit because it’s as corny as “Grito Mundial”, DY’s rejected World Cup single.  The song is ok, but well below his best standards, I feel.

But the rest of “Prestige” was pretty disappointing too I felt.  This was during the blog era of Reggaeton.  During that time only Pop Urbano tracks were getting mainstream exposure and real Reggaeton went back to the underground.  Because of this, the underground Reggaeton being made at the time became real street and dirty again since there was no major labels telling artists what they could and could not do.  Daddy Yankee was fully aware of this wave and though he released songs like “Pose” and “Limbo” for the mainstream crowd, he was doing dirty Perreos and street collabs with the likes of Kendo Kaponi and Benny Benni in the underground.

“Prestige” tries to balance the “Limbo” side of Daddy Yankee with his “Imperio Nazza” side and I found it a let down.  At least “Mundial” was intentionally commercial but with “Prestige” he tried to please everyone and I think that’s why it disappointed.  The album wasn’t bad (7/10) and there are several good songs on it but I think DY not finding a steady direction and being pulled in several instead of one clear direction leads to the album being an overall artistic failure despite being very successful commercially.

I don’t hate “Legendaddy” (7/10) but I did feel that this was half assed Daddy Yankee riding off into the sunset on his high horse.  He was basically telling us he was just here to cash a check, and he doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks about it.  And that has been pretty much his M.O post Barrio Fino.  The Daddy Yankee who wanted to be the best Latin Rapper on earth hasn’t existed for about 2 decades.  And “Legendaddy” was just a pitiful reminder of that.

“Lamento En Baile” (7/10) sounds like it was half AI.  There is literally a song that sounds like it was Don Omar but replaced with Daddy Yankee AI vocals. Don might have co-written and not received credit though.  I think it was the second track.  Some of the messages were good, but Christian DY is too inorganic overall to be good for a long listen.  There are some brilliant songs and a couple that I felt were DY’s best in years.  But he could have included those songs on “Legendaddy” and given a better full product I feel.  There is no reason why DY couldn’t have made a regular album and balance them with socially conscious themes or Christian material like Tito El Bambino sometimes does.  Unless it somehow conflicts with his personal religious beliefs, he would have better served listeners that way.  A whole Christian album was kind of a force though.

Editor’s Note:  I remembered “Ahora Le Toca Al Cangri” which was DY’s first show as a headliner in El Coliseo Roberto Clemente which happened in 2003.  It was during that weird phase where DY and Nicky Jam were no longer on speaking terms, but it was unknown among the public at this time.  Yankee’s show disappointed many, including attendees.

There was plenty of things wrong with “Ahora Le Toca Al Cangri”.  First off, DY used the same live band Hector & Tito and Don Omar used for their live albums/shows.  But for some reason the live band concept failed with DY.  Probably because prior to Barrio Fino, DY’s songs had little melody and no orchestra arrangement unlike Don and Hector & Tito’s songs.  The live band was pretty much pointless and took away from the music instead of adding to it.

Also, DY had possibly gotten too used to Nicky Jam performing with him and seemed to be having a hard time doing a live show without Nicky.  Around this time, Daddy Yankee was using Guelo Star as his hype man.  And though you can hear Guelo Star doing choruses in the background, it was probably a mistake not having him up front as he was very good at motivating the crowd. 

DY would improve his live show without Nicky tenfold over the next year as by the time “En Directo” drops he was one of the best live shows in all of Latin Music.  “Barrio Fino En Directo” and “Ahora Le Toca Al Cangri Live” is night and day different with “En Directo” being vastly superior.  Daddy Yankee also did an American MTV live special in 2006 which showed how much better he had gotten performing.  It was most likely the absence of Nicky Jam and a useless live band which caused “Ahora Le Toca Al Cangri Live” to fail.

The album also failed sales wise.  Only selling about 100,000 units of the DVD and CD combined which were sold separately at the time.  It was due to the poor reviews.  Originally VI Music had shelved the album because they knew how bad the performance was.  But since “Barrio Fino” became so huge and CEO Juan Vidal was angry that DY left VI Music for Interscope, they released the album without DY’s permission and paid him 0 royalties.  DY was pissed but moreso because he knew how bad the performance was and did not want people to see it.

Thanks for reading!

Every Reggaeton Editorial Written by Reggaeton Party Mane 1 & Reggaeton Party Mane P (Updated July 2026))

https://youtu.be/YVAZjW87MOs?si=quLExj5EhRF5Bjdi

Reggaeton Hidden Gems #24 Daddy Yankee – Me Quedaria (2007) Daddy Yankee’s Anti ICE song is more poignant than ever almost 20 years later

It was Summer 2007, and arguably the most awaited album in the history of Latin Urban Music came out, “El Cartel The Big Boss”… to mixed reactions. The hype was there. It broke the record for first week sales of a Reggaeton album at the time with 110,000 units sold in PR and the United States alone.* But by the second week, sales had dwindled and the album struggled to sell 500,000 units, less than half what “Barrio Fino” sold. It was never certified beyond that.

Because of the underwhelming response at the time, pretty much to this day, the rest of “El Cartel The Big Boss” remains unknown to most Reggaeton fans, except for the singles which were “Impacto” ft Fergie and “Ella Me Levantó”. Meanwhile “Barrio Fino” today has non singles doing crazy numbers like “Tu Principe” ft Zion & Lennox, “Dale Caliente” ft Blacka Nice, “Santifica Tus Escapularios” and many other songs from the album besides “Gasolina” are in the dozens of millions of plays.

“Ella Me Levantó” has done nicely however, but sadly people don’t go beyond that song for the most part. Thanks to “Ella Me Levantó’s” newfound success, “El Cartel The Big Boss” is now at around 1.5 million units sold in total. Interscope was rumored to have paid Daddy Yankee an advance of $7 million (USD) for “El Cartel The Big Boss” and “Barrio Fino En Directo” which was unheard of back then for Reggaeton. And it was a distribution deal, meaning it was 80-20 split in Daddy’s favor, if the albums ever made a profit, which they probably finally did in the streaming era as the accumulated streams for both albums are somewhere upwards of 2 billion plays.

Despite all this success, a song that would most likely cause waves if released today, has mostly been swept under the rug. This song is known as “Me Quedaria”. And it is as much as an Anti-ICE song as there could be. Now this song doesn’t attack the ICE directly. However, Daddy Yankee takes on the role of an illegal immigrant struggling to make it in the United States, suffering many of the conditions associated with that choice.

Daddy Yankee Raps from the perspective of an illegal immigrant who has been shot at by border patrol agents, something that some people have to endure in real life, sadly. He expresses the sentiment many feel in coming to this country. The overwhelming number of immigrants from Latin America would have never left their country if they could and DY Raps from this point of view.

This is why I feel the perspective of possibly racist people is so glib at times, as they lack understanding in being aware that people literally have no choice. It is either starve to death or come to the US to earn a better living to feed your family. Most of those overprivileged Republicans who vilify illegal immigration don’t even feel the effects of immigrants coming over and would never work the jobs that they do. This country would fall apart without immigration, which is a fact backed up by evidence and stats.

Yankee has some very impressively poignant lines such as “Toy hecho con raíces sinceras/No te equivoques, yo vivo por mi bandera/Pero no aguanto el abuso del gran tirano/Es un demonio disfrazao' en cuerpo de humano/El pensamiento no es libre/Pa' buscarnos el pan hacemos hasta lo imposible/Como mi gente en Quisqueya/Nos fuimos en balsa, no se pongan flojos/Que en el Caribe se encuentra el mar rojo/Cae la sangre, Señor, por galones”. He literally paints the bloodshed endured by immigrants coming into this country seeking a better life. And he admonishes the corrupt authority of his country of origin which forces him to seek a better life in the United States, like what most real life illegal immigrants are going through right now.

A somewhat related yet little known story is that of Cuban Reggaeton legend Elvis Manuel, famous for his hit song “La Tuba” which has been sampled multiple times since first coming out in the mid 2000’s. Sadly, back then the opportunities that now exist for Cuban Reggaeton, also known as Reparto, were not a reality. Because of this Elvis Manuel tried to emigrate into the United States via a raft, and sadly lost his life in the travel. RIP.

This stuff is real. People everywhere from all facets of life endure these tragedies on some scale and us the Latinos of this country are directly connected to its overall effects on our culture. We cannot escape it. This is reality.

On a personal note, this is the Daddy Yankee I miss. People call me crazy when I say Daddy Yankee is better than Canserbero, but I feel songs like “Me Quedaria” prove me correct. DY used to be a true lyricist before he sold out for the “Despacito” fame. I doubt people will ever adopt “Me Quedaria” as the Anti-ICE anthem it deserves to be, unless this post blows up beyond here. But I hope more people become aware of the existence of this hidden gem.

Plus, the rest of “El Cartel The Big Boss” really jams. Tracks like “En Sus Marcas Listas Fuera”, “Ven Damelo”, “Tension” ft Hector El Father, “Mensaje De Estado”, “Plane To Pr” FT Will I Am of the Black Eyed Peas, are all awesome songs. People dissed Musicologo y Menes for going against the grain and producing beats that did not sound like Luny Tunes, but their minimalized and electrified sound was the future and where Reggaeton was headed. Rating: 8.75/10

* I previously erroneously stated before that “Barrio Fino” had the first week record for many years, but I forgot it was actually “The Big Boss” that held that record from 2007 to 2022, when Bad Bunny broke it with “Un Verano Sin Ti”.

Listen to Elvis Manuel - La Tuba Here: https://youtu.be/QByQWvqfvl0?si=NBhAADBRv4fqP_OU

Listen to Daddy Yankee - El Cartel The Big Boss (2007): https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nsb7CoC2uMrkV9SYwSLfZ1I_mi50rbLf8&si=Eb654NFKM0FfbPBJ

Review of every Playero album ever

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Reggaeton Hidden Gems #23 Falo, a Reggaeton legend and arguably the genre’s most homophobic Rapper in history

Sorry guys, but Reddit's filters limit links which is why I did it exclusive for the blog. Thanks for the support! There are plenty more exclusives too.

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Reggaeton Old School vs New School Part IV

Which Slow Jam is Better?

Feid & Maisak -No Se Me Olvida vs Trebol Clan ft Hector & Tito - No Le Temas A El

Let's go

Case for Feid & Maisak - Se Me Olvida

When I first heard "Se Me Olvida" I thought, the producer deserves an award for this. He made a Romantiqueo for a new generation. It had the acoustic guitar, strings and slow motion dembow essential for a Reggaeton Slow Jam. But they made it minimalist like modern day Reggaeton and the chords were programmed in melodies aligned with today's modern sound. It was the best of both worlds.

The song became a smash hit and besides Feid's collab with Karol on "Tropicoqueta" it was his last big hit. Yea, it's been over a year since a Feid song was everywhere. I think it's because Blessd is doing more street sounding songs which is what the public wants especially with his multiple Anuel AA. It is always a mistake to be at odds with the next new big star because if he/she wants to, they could dim yours a little bit.

The song is great and deserves to be a big hit. Sadly, it's too novel and did not cause anyone to ride its wave. People rode Blessd's Malianteo-Romance wave he borrowed from PR, everyone then tried to do their best Beele imitation but no one followed Feid & Maisak's line. Probably because modern producers and writers aren't used to making music in this fashion. It is going to take the rest of the genre awhile to catch up. I dare say Feid & Maisak are 5 years ahead of the curve on this one.

Listen to Se Me Olvida by Feid & Maisak Here

Case for Trebol Clan, Hector & Tito - No Le Temas a El

This song is about a man coming in to rescue a woman from an abusive relationship. People loved it back in the day. I will confess, I always found it overrated. The song is good. But it was nothing special to me personally. I feel the same way about "Duele". But "No Le Temas A El" is the more famous of the two.

Regardless, to Romantiqueo and Classic Reggaeton lovers, it is considered a standard. The beat was made by Luny Tunes & Naldo Sangre Nueva. The song continues to do respectable numbers and it has achieved over 150 million streams across all services.

This one is hard for me to not show any bias with. I liked some of the Romantiqueo/Romantic Style back in the day, but to me the music was often a downgraded version of actual Pop ballads. I always thought "Vuelve" from Don Omar kind of sucks and sounds like a rejected Ricky Martin song over a Dembow beat. But people liked it so much, it grew on me and so did "Vuelve". I understand why people like it so much.

Reggaeton needs a soft Romantic side and though it had shown it before, the Romantiqueo era was the first time Reggaeton brought that Cristian Castro sound into the culture. And people loved it. Though I feel songs like "No le Temas a El" and "Vuelve" are downgraded unsophisticated versions of "Vuelveme a Querer" or a really good Luis Miguel ballad, it has emotion and sensitivity that a lot of people latch onto.

Listen To Trebol Clan, Hector & Tito - No Le Temas a El (2004)

Verdict: The winner is Feid & Maisak - Se Me Olvida

I know I am going to piss some people off with this, but I feel Feid's version of Romantiqueo is lightyears ahead of yesteryear's. I was always annoyed that Reggaeton ballads from back then paled in comparison to a good R&B from the likes of Joe, Aaliyah and/or Beyonce. It was Romantic but musically retarded in my opinion. It was just so behind the times like if those songs were made by children instead of actual adults.

What Feid is doing with Romantiqueo today is what I wanted it to be back then. And for some reason, the more sophisticated and technically impressive Romantiqueos never hit it big with audiences. Like "Solo Una Noche" by Yandel and "Cuentale" by Daddy Yankee were the least popular ones and in my opinion they were among the best Romantiqueos. "La Locura Automatica" I think was the best Romantiqueo of those days and one of the few that in my opinion is truly a great song. Had that one been here instead, it would have defeated "Se Me Olvida".

But I wanted to give "Se Me Olvida" a fair fight. I personally think it's also better than "Vuelve" by Don Omar. But "Vuelve" strikes such a chord with people. I did not choose it because of that, as most fans on this sub probably would not have forgiven me if I picked Feid & Maisak over that one.

And it makes sense. Don supposedly cried during the recording of the original song and the music video as well. That song was supposedly about a true love he lost. IDK. I always felt "Vuelve" was the anthem of the repentant cheater who will continue to repent... and cheat. That's just my opinion.

I think the mistake Feid made with 'Sagrado X' is that he took it too towards the future instead of bringing it back to the past. He should have done more songs with sounds from 2007 instead of 2027 and slowly accustomed the audience to it. I think had he done that, the music would have done better with listeners. Instead people were perplexed.

You have to understand, Latin Americans from Central and South America don't listen to R&B. They don't even know what R&B is as we don't have a title for it in Spanish and Latino media presenters rarely use the term. They just call it "Balada Pop", that's what Beyonce is in Mexico.

To me, Feid borrowed a lot from the likes of Beyonce and The Weeknd then fused it with Reggaeton and 10% Romantiqueo of the mid 2000's. I think people were thrown off. Though Bad Bunny borrowed from The Weeknd too, it was mostly his party stuff. Feid borrowed from the sensitive Romantic "The Weeknd". I think next time Feid needs to add at least 25% more mid 2000's Romantiqueo and it will work better. He also should hire Predikador and Eliel to make him those types of beats for his next album.

I saw no one made a good one. I will use this profile to share music and stuff with folks. I also include stuff from him as The Majestic and famous tracks Playe produced for other albums like Viernes 13 and La Quimica. May update in the future.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4GUPpZBDQk64VjiTYhqt9T?si=_x29zphyT0G6jfispFnM-w

https://archive.org/details/side-a-dj-chachi-mas-flow

Enjoy!

I don’t personally believe these are either artist’s best album.  I think “Barrio Fino” is DY’s 2nd best album.  Meanwhile I feel that “Un Verano Sin Ti” is Bunzo’s 2ndo or 3ero.  But these are both’s most universally acclaimed works, respectively.  They are also each other’s highest selling one.  “Barrio Fino” is at around 7-8 million units.  Despite conflicting reports, “Un Verano Sin Ti” is somewhere between 18-23 million units sold worldwide.  But people have to understand that when “Barrio Fino” peaked music was mostly physical and music used to be measure differently back then.  Had “Barrio Fino” come out around the same time as “Un Verano Sin Ti” with the same measured success as in 2004, translated, it would be somewhere around 20 million units.

Case for Un Verano Sin Ti:  This album is the greatest selling Reggaeton and Spanish language album of all-time.  It is the second highest selling album by a Latin artist only behind Santana’s 1999 album “Supernatural”.  It received widespread acclaim throughout several publications being listed as a Top 10 album on multiple respected lists and even topping Time Magazine’s list of best albums for 2022.  It received several accolades, nominations and awards.  This album took Reggaeton to another level of recognition beyond what Daddy Yankee in 2004.  There is no disputing that.  But most importantly, the music was great.  Top to bottom, “Un Verano Sin Ti” was a versatile album in tone and sounds.  Its Reggaeton was creative enough to refrain from being monotonous like in some albums.  The content was diverse as well.  Bad Bunny even had some socially conscious themes like in “Andrea”.  It is a really great work which has become timeless.

Case for Barrio Fino: Up until now, "Barrio Fino" may possibly be the most influential Reggaeton album of all-time. It's definitely Top 5. let's just say this, without "Barrio Fino" there would be no "Un Verano Sin Ti". It wasn't the first album to catch such a big international audience. "El Abayarde" was the first in 2002. The "The Last Don" in 2004 which sold over 500 Thousand units in its first year. But "Barrio Fino" surpassed them both by leaps and bounds becoming the first Reggaeton album to sell over a million units worldwide.

"Barrio Fino" was much more than just "Gasolina" although many in the mainstream media paint it otherwise. Singles like "Lo Que Paso Paso", "No Me Dejes Solo" ft Wisin & Yandel, "King Daddy", "Salud y Vida" & "Corazones" were all big international hits and continue to do impressive numbers on streaming services all these years. Not just that, but deep cuts like "Dale Caliente", "Tu Principe" ft Zion & Lennox and "Sabor a Melao" featuring Salsa Legend Andy Montañez all hit big.

Daddy Yankee's 4th studio album, 6th overall (El Cartel 1 & 2) in "Barrio Fino" was a landmark piece of work. It has left an everlasting legacy that will continue to be felt across generations.

Reggaeton Party Mane's Verdict: Even.

Both of these works have an equal outstanding legacy. Who knows what time will bring, but as of this time both albums have an equal impact on music and culture overall. I will give my best educated guess as to where things go. I think because DY's exit is fresh and he technically never left; he just shifted gears into Christian Rap & Reggaeton. People feel like he's still a part of everything. He just did a Bizzarap sessions like 6 months ago. But I think that no matter where Yankee decides to go, "Barrio Fino's" legacy will only grow. I think more new fans will be introduced to it over the next few years. And I see it surpassing "Un Verano Sin Ti" in overall legacy because of this.

I think "Un Verano Sin Ti's" legacy has already peaked. It is only the Reggaeton crowd that by the majority consider it Bad Bunny's best album. Some prefer YHLQMDLG, but the majority of the general audience prefer DTMF over "Un Verano Sin Ti". "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" will be Bad Bunny's everlasting legacy in the years to come because of its crossover status and accolades. On top of all this I see Bad Bunny branching out into fashion & design. I also could see him expanding sonically and alienating many fans with a new sound thus creating a backlash towards his old material.

People that listen to "Un Verano Sin Ti" will still outnumber "Barrio Fino" 2 to 1 in those days, but I believe the impact of "Barrio Fino" will be more respected in the future meanwhile Bad's "Una Verano Sin Ti" will stand as it is now. No more, no less.

Reggaeton Versus #2 Old School Vs New School – Yesterday’s Legend or Today’s Legend, who is better Don Omar vs J Balvin

Like, do we even have to continue this?  Y’all know it’s easily Don right?  All jokes aside, there is a generation today who are aware of Don Omar, but actually put J Balvin ahead of him.  Though I comprehend their perspective, I really do, from an old school guy’s view, they come across as a little insane.  But regardless, I will articulate the J Balvin fan’s “insane” perspective as best as I can.

Case for J Balvin:  J Balvin surpassed everyone in Reggaeton history when it comes to numbers and hit singles except for Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, and surprisingly, Karol G.  This includes Don Omar whose biggest hit to date remains “Danza Kuduro”.  Were J Balvin’s albums universally acclaimed?  No.  But he has 5 albums that sold over a million units each.  His biggest album “Vibras” sold over 6 million units.  And Balvin is the guy that put Reggaeton back on the map at a time where the mainstream had completely forgotten about the genre.

Who cares if J Balvin writes his songs or not.  He had some of the biggest hits of all-time in songs like “6 AM”, “Ahora Dices”, “Ay Vamos”, “Mi Gente”, “No Es Justo”, “Bonita”, “Otra Vez”, “Si Tu Novio Te Deja Sola”, “Rojo” and so many more…  He is a Bonafide Reggaeton legend and one of the biggest Latin artists in history.

Case for Don Omar:  The Last Don.  That’s it.  Case Closed.  For real though, it’s hard for someone post the 2010’s to understand Don’s significance, especially if they weren’t there for “The Last Don” era.  First off, J Balvin doesn’t even have one album that comes close to “The Last Don”, not one.  Next, before Don, singing and harmonizing in Reggaeton was fairly uncommon.  Don Omar was the first mainstream star in Reggaeton who did it via crooning.  He could flow and Rap too, but were he not such a gifted singer with a great voice, Reggaeton as a whole may not have become half as big as it was.

There’s no need to mention he ghostwrote big hits for Hector & Tito like “Baila Morena” and “Si Estoy Facil”.  He would continue to transcend the genre for over two decades and did in so many styles.  There’ the Electro Soca hit of “Danza Kuduro”.  The Hardcore Rap of “Bandoleros” where he hangs in there with the great lyricism of Tego Calderon.  The Bachaton club banger “Dile”.  The Underground style Perreo Anthem “Hasta Abajo”.  The timeless Reggaeton ballad “Vuelve”.  Balvin wishes he were half as versatile.

Reggaeton Party Mane Verdict:  Don Omar over J Balvin

Sorry for making the result so obvious.  To be fair, if it were from “Danza Kuduro” forward I would have J Balvin and Don Omar as even.  But his “Last Don” run was so legendary it cannot be denied.  And even Balvin’s “Vibras” era which was pretty historic doesn’t quite come close to matching Don’s 2002-2006 run.

I decided to do 3 out the gate so people understand the concept.  And if it gets a good reaction, I will make some more in the future.  2012 will be the dividing year.  Anything before will classify as Old School and vice versa.

Floy Menor & Cris MJ – Gata Only (2024) vs Plan B - Bellaqueo (2001)

Now we have to pick songs in similar categories for the contest to be fair.  Both tracks were done by a duo, one a temporary and the other lasted for a long time.  Both songs were singles.  “Bellaqueo” by Plan B was the biggest song off Fatal Fantassy 2 by DJ Joe, meanwhile “Gata Only” was the biggest Reggaeton song of 2024.  The key here was content.

I originally picked “Mujeres” by Trebol Clan as I think it was the biggest song of the year 2000 and it had a similar “Perreo” theme.  There was one problem, “Mujeres” has no explicit lyrics.  For a song about “Perreando” (and though this word can mean “sex”, its original meaning is just dancing while bumping and grinding with a partner to a song) “Mujeres” is pretty clean.  Too clean. 

“Gata Only’s” chorus is about screwing and kidnapping a girl, no kidding, use google translate… but it’s somewhat metaphorical.  Latinos know, it’s how Frikitona girlies like to be talked to.  I am even guilty of being driven to that sort of language, and always to a positive result; you gotta know who you can do that with however.

So, I decided to go with a song that was equally dirty in Plan B’s “Bellaqueo” to represent the old school.  And finally, I decided to choose songs that were similar in theme and production.  Both contain minimalist Electronic music elements supported by hard driven dembow patterns with a strong bassline at a 93-97 BPM rate.  And both are horny Perreo songs.

Case For Gata Only:    The song is so incredibly catchy.  So catchy, I am convinced that Floyy Menor stole it from some viral Freestyle vid of a much more talented Rapper.  Floy Menor was never this good again and he never will be.  The beat is phenomenal.  But the real standout is Cris MJ.  For those that don’t know, Cris MJ was on his way to becoming the Bad Bunny of Chile when this song dropped.  He’s quieted down somewhat after accusations of selling out and forgetting about Chile.  Kidd Voodoo is hotter than him over there now.

Cris MJ is the reason why this song works.  It may have still been a hit with only Floyy Menor, but Cris MJ is a very talented, but still underdeveloped (I feel) talent.  He is like Chencho without a DJ Blass, Noriega or Naldo Sangre Nueva coaching him along the way which Corleone had.  The talent in Chile just isn’t strong enough to make the most out of a raw talent like Cris MJ, they don’t have great producers like that.  Cris MJ is essentially doing it all on his own, and that’s real tough but impressive.

Case For Bellaqueo:  The beat here is very simple.  If it were a beat contest, “Gata Only” wins hands down.  But Chencho’s chorus is timeless, just make sure you don’t play it at a Quinceañera in front of the abuelitas or you will look like you have 0 class.  But Maldy’s phenomenal flow is what truly makes the song.  Maldy may be the best verse guy in Perreo music history.  He has somewhat of a chopper style flow over a Reggaeton beat and the guy just knows about fucking.  You can tell that’s what he loves the most in the world, besides his wife and kids.

Reggaeton Party Mane’s Verdict:  Gata Only wins.

This result will certainly piss off old school fans and Plan B fans, most of all.  But “Gata Only’s” chorus is definitely superior.  Whether it was a fluke, AI, or most likely Floy stole it then ran it through an AI… it is a “HOT” chorus despite the lyrics being poor.  But they recaptured that feeling from that stolen freestyle good enough (not exact however) with the help of AI that it is supremely catchy.  But imagine what the original freestyle must have been like in person.  The original freestyle dude definitely got some action that night.

Maldy’s part is better than everything in “Gata Only” except the chorus, but Cris MJ is competitive enough to give “Gata Only” the edge.  90% of readers here won’t have ever heard “Bellaqueo” anyways.