The Relevance of Reggaeton
Soundcheck | May 3, 2010
Five years ago, Puerto Rican politicians criticized reggaeton music as base and immoral. Today the music has become the soundtrack of the nation and is studied in the halls of academia. On today’s show: we look at the poetry and politics inside the Caribbean hip-hop genre known as reggaeton. Also: Argentinean pianist Fernando Otero performs live.
Reggaeton: From the alleys of San Juan to academia. The rhythm that mixes hip-hop with Caribbean music was born in Puerto Rico in the 90s and became a continental phenomenon with irreverent songs about sex, race, and immigrants. We’ll talk to the editors of a new book that studies reggaeton’s relevance, politics and poetry.
Reggaeton: From the alleys of San Juan to academia. The rhythm that mixes hip-hop with Caribbean music was born in Puerto Rico in the 90s and became a continental phenomenon with irreverent songs about sex, race, and immigrants. We’ll talk to the editors of a new book that studies reggaeton’s relevance, politics and poetry.
