Reggae en Español
Stylistic origins	Reggae - Dancehall - Ragga - Latin Music
Cultural origins	Panama, mid 1970s
Typical instruments	Drums - Bass guitar - Guitar - Organ Spanish dancehall: Drum machine - Sampler - Synthesizer - Organ
Mainstream popularity	Panama, Spanish Caribbean
Derivative forms	Reggaeton
Regional scenes
Panama, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras
Other topics
Music of Panama

Reggae en Español (Reggae in spanish) is reggae and dancehall music recorded in the Spanish language, and by artists of Latin American origin. It originated in the mid 1970s in Panama.^[1]

[edit] History

When reggae began to travel worldwide during the 1970s, it was embraced in the Spanish speaking world first by Panamanians of Jamaican descent. Many began to develop a spiritual bond with Kingston, Jamaica which was considered the mecca of reggae.^[1]

In the 1980s, Panamanians like El General, Nando Boom and Chico Man began taking dancehall songs and beats and singing over them with Spanish lyrics. They also sped up riddims, and added Hispanic and Latino elements to them. This style was called Reggaeespanol, Reggae en Espanol, or La plena.^[2] The music continued to grow throughout the 1980s, with many stars developing in Panama. El General has been widely regarded as the "Padre Del Reggae en Español" or "Father of Spanish Reggae", due to his unique sound with Latino rhythms.

[edit] Reggaeton

Reggae en Español is the direct predecessor of reggaeton, however the paternal relationship between the two genres has been the cause of some confusion. The most notable difference between Spanish reggae/dancehall and reggaeton is that reggaeton is a percussion-based music genre. Reggaeton is based on a percussion/drum pattern known as Dembow. Reggae en Español, on the other hand, comes to resemble Jamaican reggae and dancehall in most aspects. Musicians who play reggae en Español have long abandoned the use of Dembow (Poco man jam riddim), and have adopted newly imported or newly created Jamaican-inspired riddims.^[2]

[edit] References

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