Censorship on Reggaeton Genre: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba

Censorship on Reggaeton Genre: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba

Mik Aidt Freemuse.org - February 11, 2006 - The Dominican Republic
contemplated to place a nation-wide ban on reggaeton, reports
Reggaetonline.net in January 2006. Because of controversial lyrics the
genre has been banned on radio, and albums were boycotted, in Cuba as
well as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic

You don't know what 'reggaeton' is?
No need to be embarrassed about that.
It is still a relatively new music genre which had its world-wide
breakthrough in 2005 which saw reggaeton quickly gaining popularity at
Salsa dance clubs all over the Western world. It is a mix of Spanish
rap, Latino samples and reggae dancehall with a modern digital sound. US
rap artists such as Wyclef Jean and 50 Cent brought it into the
mainstream as part of their constant search for a fresh sound, and the
reggaeton song 'Gasolina' became a massive club tune throughout most of
Europe.

Blacklisted in Puerto Rico
The story of reggaeton goes back to Panama where Panamanians of Jamaican
descent started a movement of playing "Spanish reggae" in 1977. But
during Manuel Noriega's regime the music was having "some trouble with
the government" - as the Panama music producer Ramon Bustamante puts it.
In short, they were ordered not to play Spanish reggae anymore. Artists
such as El General and Nando Boom left the country and migrated to New
York City. There, they became quite successful, introducing 'La Piena'
music to mainstream, and it quickly spread throughout Latin America.

The Puerto Ricans fell in love with the music style and started to do
their own versions. In the beginning of the 1990s, as it was gaining
popularity there, again it was blacklisted by the authorities.
"If the police saw you with a reggaeton CD they would take it away. It
wasn't allowed in stores either," 27-year-old Puerto Rican singer Master
Joe recalled in an interview with Eddie 'Nino Brown' Rosas which is
written by Quinée 'Princesa' Butler on Reggaetonline.net.

Banned in Dominican Republic
When Master Joe began his career at the age of 14 in 1993, it was as a
way to express himself when no one else in society would listen.

'Princesa'writes in the article:
"The demand for Reggaeton in Puerto Rico was enough to turn this new
genre into a self-propelled vehicle of expression for the underclass
youth of Puerto Rico. Poverty and harsh living conditions were everyday
life for reggaeton artists, and it showed through the lyrics of their
songs. Young artists found reggaeton was a means to share their
experiences in life, raw and uncensored, which has made reggaeton's
lyrics hard for much of the upper class of Latin America to digest.
Those who could not relate to the lyrics of the music saw reggaeton as
vulgar, and claimed that the music was a negative representation of life
in Latin America.

Reggaeton's reputation has suffered severely in several Latin American
countries due to the derogatory nature of its lyrics. Reggaeton artists
were not allowed to perform concerts in a few Caribbean countries. It
was banned on radio, and albums were boycotted in countries like Cuba
and the Dominican Republic. The governments of these countries often
criticize reggaeton because they feel its lyrics are too violent,
vulgar, sexual and derogatory towards women."

The reggaeton singers felt they were misunderstood, in particular on the
issue of women: "We will never put any woman down, they are the base of
reggaeton," says Master Joe.
However, reggaeton was banned in Puerto Rico until in the end of the
1990s where new reggaeton artists came along who began to "clean up" the
lyrics to ensure that their music would be played on the radio.
Eventually, the ban was lifted and became available to the public
through regular music stores.

Sources:

Reggaetonline.net – 9 January 2006:
'O.G. Black and Master Joe do their part to ensure the future of Reggaeton'

The Independent – 9 September 2005:
'The rise of reggaeton'

The Jamaica Observer – 25 December 2005:
'Jamrock and reggaeton - revisited'

http://www.reggaetonline.net/reggaeton-censorship-02102006_news