Dalex’s new album, Unisex, opens with “Oh Ma,” a dubby cut that captures the upbeat, EDM-inspired direction that reggaeton has been moving toward — only the Puerto Rican vocalist, whose style has always been heavily indebted to R&B, smooths out the corners with his lighter vocal delivery. Across the rest …
Read More »500 Greatest Albums Podcast: Daddy Yankee's 'Barrio Fino' and the Rise of Reggaeton
In the mid-2000s, Daddy Yankee was a married father of three living in the Villa Kennedy public housing projects in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was about to change the world, though, with an album that did perhaps more than any other to turn reggaeton — an underground urban movement …
Read More »Ozuna Is Here to Represent
O ne August afternoon, several months into the deadliest pandemic of the century, Ozuna is striving for normalcy. Wearing a blue Lakers sweater, sneakers, long shorts, and a watch that looks more expensive than his Miami mansion, he readies himself for an impromptu basketball game with a few of his …
Read More »Here's What Else Happened in the World While Mueller Was Testifying
Robert Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees dominated the news cycle Wednesday, offering five-plus hours of testimony that marked the former special counsel’s first significant public appearance. But as Mueller testified on Wednesday, the rest of the world continued to turn. Here’s some of what happened: Puerto …
Read More »Ivy Queen Revamps Hit Song 'Yo Quiero Bailar' for International Women's Day
When Ivy Queen first recorded “Yo Quiero Bailar” in 2002, both she and her lyrics were total anomalies in the Latin music industry. With a title translating to “I Want to Dance,” the sweltering reggaeton cut reclaimed the club for women and championed the freedom to dance — not to …
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