Get On The Reggaeton Bandwagon This #ReggaeFriday, Or Fall Behind

Volume 1, Issue 5

Reggaeton music and its culture has earned bad reputation among certain circles, but for me Reggaeton right now is like how Hiphop music and its culture was in the very early 1990s—the moment just before take-off and dominance. Marketers should get in on the Reggaeton culture and audience that it provides right now-- or risk connecting with or building relevance for brands with a fast-growing U.S. and global population. Or worse yet, spend more time and money later to catch up with competitors.

I was here in New York City in the late 1980s living in Manhattan on 34th Street attending school and working at United Colors of Benetton before I entered the world of advertising. I was surrounded by Hiphop culture through all the co-workers and friends I had gained through school and work coming from the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. I witnessed and experienced firsthand how pop culture and marketers rejected Hiphop culture then during the late 1980s and early 1990s. But, that was followed by the explosive hug and deep embracement in the early 2000s by the same pop culture and marketers. 

After I had joined Y&R in 1996, I got a reputation for being ahead of the curve to bring Hiphop culture to marketers including 7UP, LG Mobile and Colgate-Palmolive. Today, Reggaeton is where Hiphop was in the 1990s. I see it and feel it, again. Reggaeton is building-up momentum and ready to explode in a big beautiful way. Pop culture and marketers in the U.S. are just too slow to catch on.

I remember distinctly that back in the early 2000s I had stated that the sole reason that Latin culture had not crossed-over to spread among non-Hispanic audiences, like how Black culture had with Hiphop, is because their Hispanic culture was far too fractured and undefined for non-Hispanics to grab onto. What's the look? Which music? Who are our opinion leaders? Confusion. Today, that has changed with Reggaeton.

"This is your heads-up.

You’re welcome."

The reason that Reggaeton is now making waves beyond Latin audiences and rapidly growing in popularity is that it is going through a transformation. The genre’s sound, which draws from Jamaican dancehall reggae and rap, has softened and become more melodic in recent years. More specifically, Reggaeton was built upon a musical rhythm called "Dembow" which originated in Jamaica. A sample of dembow riddims can be heard, here,

The fashion and style is here. The language, beliefs, attitudes, and personality is here, too. The places to go and hang out is known. The role models and icons have emerged. The culture is here. Reggaeton music communicated that to its fans.

When And Where Did Reggaeton Take-off?

The genre, which is believed to have originated in Panama, draws its original aesthetic from the rough streets of urban Puerto Rico where Reggaeton took off in the 2000s. Puerto Rico became the true epicenter and launching pad to popularize Reggaeton music and culture. Like American Hiphop, Reggaeton has been male-dominated and has been accused of disseminating gang-related activity and misogyny. Like rap music of the 1990s, Reggaeton has been vilified by local politicians and organizations. Top artists in the earlier days of Reggaeton include Tego Calderón, Don Omar and Ivy Queen alongside early producers such as DJ Playero, DJ Nelson and DJ Eric.

Daddy Yankee's 2004 track “Gasolina” produced by Luny Tunes harnesses the vibe of early Reggaeton. Listen and watch it here: 

Today, the lyrics are far less misogynistic and machismo. Reggaeton artists are leaving behind that “broken” street image and make the concept of urban music a lot more stylish which Edmundo Bianchi believes comes as a natural result of the genre's musical evolution. Bianchi is a personal branding specialist at Axius, a Mexico-based consultancy firm. Reggaeton songs today are heavily weighted towards themes of self-achievement, love and lust. The music videos depict beautiful, sexy people socializing, dancing or partying. The key ingredients to many of the music videos supporting Reggaeton music. Great examples of this includes songs by Maluma, J. Blavin, Rosalía and Luis Fonzi.

Maluma’s “Felices los 4” has generated more than 1.6 billion views. Directed by Jessy Terrero, the video features actor Wilmer Valderama and Natalie Barulich. In real life, Maluma and Natalie dated for a few years, but recently split. Marc Anthony did a salsa-fied version of this song, too. Listen and watch Maluma's original version here:

The infectious sound "Mi Gente" by J Balvin featuring French DJ Willy William celebrates the people and music of Reggaeton culture. The original version (without Beyonce) has generated 2.7 billion views. The Beyonce version has drummed-up an additional 92.6 million views of that version. Listen and watch the original version here: 

Known for her ability to blend flamenco music with Reggaeton, Rosalía’s “Con Altura” has captured more than 1.5 billion viewers imagination and is about self-achievement. Flamenco has its roots based in Spain from hundreds of years ago. Listen and watch it here: 

Luis Fonzi’s song “Despacito” is about lust and features Daddy Yankee. The playful, vibrant music video (without Bieber) has racked-up more than 6.8 billion views to-date. Listen and watch it below if you haven't heard it in a while. It's still good!

Other songs and/or their music video counterparts take on more socially-relevant topics.

For example, Daddy Yankee’s song “Si Supieras” featuring both Wisin and Yandel was released in June 2019 as a well-crafted uptempo (deep) love song that is beautifully captured in the music video. "Si Supieras" was directed by Venezuelan director Nuno Gomes and follows two teens who fall in love-- thanks to these 3 guys. Listen and watch it here: 

Bad Bunny’s March 2020 release of “Perreo Sola” is an anthem for dancing alone while social distancing. That's timely! Well known for fighting gender norms through nail art and fashion, Bad Bunny appears in drag in the opening scenes of this music video. Listen and watch it here: 

One of the many things I appreciate about Bunny is his fierce love for Puerto Rico and its people. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny and from the Vega Baja area of the island, has grown increasingly outspoken about Puerto Rican politics in recent years, has also voiced his displeasure at Puerto Rico’s handling of the pandemic. Reacting, in part, to Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced lack of press conferences during the crisis, he called the government “a herd of clowns” on Twitter.

Rita Indiana a Dominican artist who vocalizes on topics important to the LGBTQ+ community is an author and musician more associated with merengue music, but most recently dropped a new Reggaeton track “Miedo” in celebration of Pride month. Listen to it here:

“For the LGBTT community, fear (miedo) is something to be conquered every day, fear of violence, rejection and injustice,” she tells Billboard. “This song is for my community, for whom love has always been a heroic trait.”

Where Is Reggaeton Growing?

A question I wanted to know is where is Reggaeton thriving? At a global level, Google Trends reveals that interest in “Reggaeton” in 2020, thus far, lies predominantly in South America, Caribbean and Central America. No surprise. But, interestingly, Mexico ranks #16 and U.S. #23 with Brazil at #25. Did that surprise you like it did me? We'll come back to Mexico later on. See the list of top-30 countries below:

Within the United States, we see the states that are known to have heavy populations of Hispanic audiences rise to the top of the list including Florida, California and Texas. But, there are many more states among the top-20 which have smaller populations of Hispanics that suggests that many non-Hispanics are interested in Reggaeton. See the list of top-20 states below:

Who consumes Reggaeton?

Reggaeton is now making waves beyond Latin audiences, but it’s nearly impossible to quantify. There is no readily accessible research study on Reggaeton consumers that I can find. Much like there isn’t any research on Hiphop audiences either. But, the coincidence in the rise of Reggaeton and social media is no coincidence. It is there we shall focus. 

Speak with any Reggaeton artist or Latin record label and they will confirm that Instagram followers; YouTube Subscribers & video plays; and number of plays on music streaming services including Spotify and Pandora are collectively one big measurement part of the artist’s success. This is more so among Reggaeton artists than rock, rap, etc. Let’s take a look at a few of them here which are sorted by Instagram followers (as of July 3, 2020). The takeaway I have is that so many Reggaeton artists have amazing, large fan bases.

I wanted to try to understand size and some basic demographics of who is consuming Reggaeton in the U.S. besides me and my Ecuadorian colleagues. I used ComScore to examine U.S.-based users in a moment of time by measuring an artist’s VEVO Channel on YouTube. This is to help me to better understand and share who is consuming these artists and naturally the greater Reggaeton genre and culture. We included a couple of other Latin and English language pop artists for comparison. As reported in May 2020 on ComScore and sorted by unique visitors, we see large youthful audiences and a lot of time spent consuming artist content.

Granted, this can be argued as an unfair measure because the data is from a single source in a moment in time and can be skewed heavily one month to a next if an artist won an award or released a new album. But, the point remains that Reggaeton artists and their Latin music contemporaries, who are leaning into Reggaeton (i.e., Shakira, Fonsi), deliver attractive audiences and have staying power.

As Hispanics account for more than 18% (59,763,631; all ages) of the U.S. population (327,167,439; all ages), I wanted to try to understand if those who are of Mexican descent are consuming Reggaeton music, too. My curiosity is piqued in knowing this because I know that Caribbean Hispanic culture, attitudes, and dialects of Spanish language are not the same as those of Mexicans.  

• Would Mexican youth follow those of the Caribbean, Central and South America? 
• Should marketers lean into Reggaeton music, artists, and culture with an expectation of connecting with Americans of Mexican descent?  

The focus on Mexican Americans is of interest to me and marketers because they account for 62% (36,986,661; all ages) of the total U.S. Hispanic population.

The answer is unclear. After doing some fairly extensive desktop research online, there are mixed messages. The takeaway I get after reading all of the material is that the popularity of Reggaeton is modest in Mexico. Reggaeton is growing in Mexico and among Mexicans in America, but it lags far behind other Latin cultural groups. Brazilians follow behind Mexico in the lag, too. The core of that lag rests in a general vilification of Reggaeton music by Mexicans and Brazilians. Said more plainingly, there is a strong feeling of "you can't like Reggaeton if you are Mexican or Brazilian." 

As youth often does, they go in the opposite direction of their elders. Expect Reggaeton to grow among Mexican and Brazilians in time.

Marketers Linked To Reggaeton

They have swag, sex appeal and their infectious music videos secure billions of views. No wonder brands including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Tag Heuer, Hublot, Buchanan’s whisky, and Hennessy have reacted to the influence of these Latin music megastars. Fashion and beverages mostly. There is so much more opportunity.

J Balvin can be spotted sitting front-row at Louis Vuitton and Chanel, and last year he became one of New York Fashion Week: Men’s ambassadors. He’s fronting the Guess Spring/Summer 2019 ad campaign and is also representing Buchanan's whisky and Tag Heuer, among other lucrative deals. Former colleague Diego Saldeno used to make me laugh with his explanation, “…[Balvin] looks like he rolled out of bed and put on whatever was on the floor closest to him…” in describing Balvin’s dress style.  

“I was extremely impressed with his knowledge of contemporary art, fashion and culture,” says Paul Marciano, co-founder and chief creative officer of Guess Inc. Guess created a capsule collection to coincide with the release of his most recent album “Colores.” Watch behind the scenes: GUESS x J Balvin 'Colores' Campaign 2020:

Colombia native Maluma— dubbed the “pretty boy” of Reggaeton — has been leveraging fashion to “push his entertainment factor,” says celebrity stylist Irma Martinez, who has worked with Shakira, Ricky Martin and Sofia Vergara among many other Latin superstars. Maluma’s good looks and charisma, coupled with his Instagram following, have made him a Dolce & Gabbana favorite. He not only walked in and performed at their Autumn/Winter 2018 show, but the designer duo provided over 200 looks for his entire tour, a first for an artist of his kind. 

In June 2018, Nicky Jam became the first Latin music star to be associated with luxury watch brand Hublot. Three watches that are as colourful as the his records were unveiled earlier this year. The Big Bang Meca-10 Nicky Jam models are available in three different versions.

Music video film director Jessy Terrero directed a biographical series on Nicky Jam called "El Ganador" which is currently available on Netflix. It's a story about coming from nothing and winning everything, only to lose it and be reborn from the ashes, and the life of an artist with more than 5 billion views on YouTube, first places in the Billboards and Grammys, but for whom the road has been anything but easy. Emerging Reggaeton artist Darkiel portrays the younger Nicky Jam as Nicky plays himself in more present scenes. Watch the "El Ganador" Netflix trailer here:

There is no doubt that Reggaeton stars are providing luxury brands with a new gateway into a lucrative market. As Karla Martinez, editor in chief of Vogue Mexico and Latin America put it to writers at Business of Fashion, “brands want to reach new audiences and these artists not only have a massive engagement, but they have an enviable ‘cool factor.’”

What makes them unique as musician influencers, however, is that, “they get the attention of different generations, from Z through to X,” she explains. It is this cross-generational appeal that adds to their bankability for certain fashion and luxury brands.” I would extend that to beverages, liquors/spirits, automobiles, tourism, and so many other categories.

Final Thought

The best part about writing this piece is reminding myself that despite how much I consume and follow Reggaeton music and culture, I don't speak or understand Spanish language at all. I love the vibe, feeling, attitude, and flashback images in my mind of being in the Caribbean. I bet that is the same for many others who are like me.

#ReggaeFriday Weekend Soundtrack

As mentioned last week, we are adding a new extension to #ReggaeFriday. I am helping you to identify great artists and albums to add to your weekend soundtrack. Following up on last week's #ReggaeFriday Weekend Soundtrack post: Warning! Be careful with Black Eyed Peas. It's a full-fledged Reggaeton album of singles-- big hits and bangers! Each song on its own is fun and rocks the room. An entire album's worth might shake your nerves to the core. Also, as mentioned last week, Buju Banton dropped a new album. His first since getting out of jail. I was a little skeptical because Buju's voice is not delicate on your ears.

What I didn't know is that Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is the executive producer of this new album. The album in whole is diverse and enjoyable just as much as a Damian Marley album of his own. See Junior Gong's own "Stony Hill" (2017) and "Welcome To Jamrock" (2005) for reference. No track is the same which makes for a thoughtful listen. Musically, everything from gospel to dancehall are incorporated. Current favorite tracks include: "Yes Mi Friend" with Stephen Marley, menacing and moody "Trust" and the incredibly eclectic "Cherry Pie" featuring Pharrell Williams. Listen and watch "Trust" below:

Although released March of this year, I urge you to add J Balvin's "Colores" album-- in its entirety-- to your weekend playlist and soundtrack. The album is a concept album of sorts. The ten tracks are named after colors such as "Amarillo" (yellow) and "Rojo" (red). A music video has been created for each song. Yes, each music video picks up on the color theme. A YouTube playlist of all of the videos has been created for it which you can find, HERE. Listen and watch "Amarillo" here:

Balvin collaborated with the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami for the music videos and album and single artworks, which notably feature Murakami's flowers, as well as American clothing brand Guess on a capsule collection inspired by the album.

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My #ReggaeFriday posts are part of a self-created commitment (and a self-indulgence) that started in early June 2020 with the intention to expose, elevate, celebrate, and expand an appreciation towards the people, culture and music of reggae and reggaeton.

Sources:

• ComScore, May 2020
• U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov)
• "Summary by language size". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
• The Business of Reggaeton Style, Graciela Martin, 11/15/18