San Agustín, Puerta de Tierra, is on fire and people hesitate. Noon breaks and the road feels like a cauldron of sancocho on a wild stove. As beads of sweat drenched everyone’s face in line, those in charge of this special tour enter the room in t-shirts that read “Reggaetón is Culture.”
After you have made your entry, Patricia Velázquez And Natalia Merced They are placed in their respective locations to begin a journey through time. They are the official guides ofThe cradle of the reggaeton music tour‘, a guided experience that is part of the agenda of ‘Home page Spotify‘, one of this brand’s efforts to highlight Puerto Rican artists. This activity is part of the conclusion of a week of conferences and concerts. The young women cover their hair with colorful towels and as the minutes pass, luminous drops collect on their foreheads.
ADVERTISING
CONTINUE SEEING MORE CONTENT
Space is a strange place. A type of property that essentially serves as a long, wide outdoor hallway. A series of rod structures painted alabaster white occupy both corners of the space and cross in arches above. Behind their backs, a series of posters, banners and picture book clippings illustrate the story they will tell.
“Here we have the roots of reggaeton. What we mean by underground, where dancehall and other reggae-related rhythms mix with hip hop from the USA and what underground is, emerges,” Velázquez begins to explain, pointing to a collage of album covers and artists like “The Noise”. , “Playero 37” and Vico C.
“Here we have pictures of reggaeton’s roots with ‘The Noise’, we have what rap and censorship are, because many people don’t understand that this music has been censored for a long time, even decades of police persecution and supercriminalized.” And that’s very important to emphasize when recognizing this music as the history of Puerto Rico,” he continues as the volume of his voice competes with the background music echoing down the hall.
Velázquez and Merced are part of “Until ‘In the project‘, an archive dedicated to preserving the history of reggaeton. The initiative grew out of the desire of Velázquez, who serves as co-executive director, to create a space that emphasizes the importance of this genre in Puerto Rican culture. For her part, Merced is currently working as a content creator for the project’s digital platforms.
The tour continues and enters the decade of the 2000s, one of the golden era of the urban genre. This is how Velázquez explains it. “We have the 2000s. Here we see many plates hitting harder. For example, “El Abayarde,” an iconic, classical CD that marks a before and after in the history and music of reggaeton.”
Many people receiving the “guided tour” listen, nod in agreement, and many take pictures with their cell phones.
“Eventually these other records came out until ‘Barrio Fino’ hit the world with ‘Gasolina’, winning awards and breaking sales records. And that means thinking about distributing records, there wasn’t Spotify back then,” he explains, finishing his part of the tour and passing the baton to his partner Merced, who doesn’t waste time highlighting some of the tour’s key moments that Genre.
Tour of the Reggaeton Museum as part of the “Casa Spotify” event. In the photo Natalia Merced, content creator and Patricia Velázquez, co-director of the Hasta ‘Bajo Project. (Nahira Montcourt) The tour focused on different periods of the development of urban music in Puerto Rico. (Nahira Montcourt) Dozens of people came to the facilities to take part in the guided tour along with Patricia Velázquez and Natalia Merced. (Nahira Montcourt) “Here we have images of reggaeton’s roots with ‘The Noise’, we have what rap and censorship are because many people don’t understand that this music has been censored for a long time, even persecuted for decades.” 2000s was a golden age for reggaeton. (Nahira Montcourt) This decade saw the emergence of new artists and a greater presence of the genre in the ‘mainstream’. .(Nahira Montcourt) With the golden age of reggaeton came several musical successes such as the “Gasolina” phenomenon, as well as awards and wider recognition for artists in the urban genre. (Nahira Montcourt) In the photo Natalia Merced, content creator of the Hasta ‘Bajo project. (Nahira Montcourt) After the success of reggaeton in Puerto Rico, the music was heard around the world and gave way to new generations of reggaeton players. (Nahira Montcourt) According to Spotify data, Puerto Rican reggaeton artists are among the most listened to artists on the platform worldwide. (Nahira Montcourt) The tour ended with a look into the future of reggaeton. (Nahira Montcourt) “It’s great to recognize reggaeton and look at it from other perspectives, with other peripheries different from what has always been seen as something violent and negative, and that we also see it as a great cultural export of our time.” Island,” Patricia Velázquez said of the initiative. (Nahira Montcourt) When the tour ended, those present continued to explore the space and take photos while Patricia and Natalia prepared to receive the next group. ( Nahira Montcourt)
“There’s the 2005 Latin Grammys, where the ’12 Disciples’ performed. The ’12 Disciples’ was a hugely important moment in reggaeton because it brought together the most important voices of the genre of the moment and this presentation in particular, for us at the ‘Hasta ‘Bajo Project’, is hugely valuable because all the reggaeton singers , including Ivy Queen, wore a salsa shirt. It’s a way for them to concretely represent and affirm the bridge between salsa and reggaeton. Because salsa has a history very similar to that of reggaeton just a few decades earlier. And the same salseros are the musical references of reggaeton singers“, says.
Merced then explains the importance of the island as a venue for this music. How this country has become a symbol for artists who want to become legends. “You can see the importance that Puerto Rico has for reggaeton because one of the things we talk about a lot is that since we’re the cradle of reggaeton, we sort of have the highest standards of what reggaeton is.” “All reggaeton players want to visit Puerto Rico to confirm that they will be successful and that they are the strongest at the moment,” he explains, giving an example the recent presentations by Colombian Feid at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot.
Then, battling the intense heat of Puerta de Tierra, Merced points to a series of posters featuring images of some of today’s hottest artists. “And here you see the new era of reggaeton. We have the women who are now stuck in reggaeton like Villano Antillano, RaiNao, we also have Nesi. And that would be the presence of reggaeton, which I know you all know very well.
The tour ends and those present continue to explore the room and take photos while Velázquez and Merced prepare to welcome the next group. A canoe cart serves as the first line of defense against the relentless rays of the sun.
For his part, Velázquez reflects on the importance of such spaces, even if they are limited. “It’s very valuable because it’s found here in Puerto Rico. The mission is to promote the importance and cultural value of reggaeton and its influence on Puerto Rican culture. And give him space, even if he feels so small. It’s great to recognize reggaeton and see it from other perspectives, with other peripheries different from what has always been seen as something violent and negative, and that we can also recognize it as a great cultural export of our island.” , he says .
Meanwhile, in San Agustín, Puerta de Tierra, people continue to sway.