Happy Saturday, everyone! I’m going to have fun talking about this particular subject, Reggeaton. Share my opinion on the differences between old school and new school Reggeaton. The artists from past to present.
I love Reggeaton. I’ve been following consistently with the genre since 2002. My love for Reggeaton exploded in 2004 because of Daddy Yankee’s Barrio Fino album and the Luny Tunes’ Mas Flow songs. Luny Tunes production was off the charts.
I like the old school Reggeaton more because of the sound and lyricism, and it had a blend of hip hop and tropical. Reggeaton used to be a genre that people used to criticize, and now it has come a long way. Daddy Yankee, in my opinion, is the King of Reggeaton. Daddy Yankee, alongside Tego Calderon, Nicky Jam, Don Omar, Ivy Queen, have broken those doors and made it easier for the new school artists like Bad Bunny, Ozuna, J Balvin, Anuel AA, Karol G, and many more.
People don’t understand how massive Daddy Yankee’s Barrio Fino album was. It took Reggeaton to a whole different level. Hip Hop artists began working with Reggeaton artists. It was beautiful to witness that during my teen years.
At some point, Reggeaton was declining, but then the new generation of Reggeaton helped bring the genre back to a higher level. Today’s Reggaeton’s sound is with a Latin Trap mix, which Anuel AA is one of the leaders. I have no problem with that as long as the music sounds good. I love listening to Ozuna and Bad Bunny. In my opinion, Ozuna and Bad Bunny are like Magic and Bird. Ozuna is sitting on one throne, and Bad Bunny on the other throne. However, I realized how substantial Bad Bunny became once he put Stone Cold Steve Austin in one of his music videos. What makes it more impressive is that he will be wrestling at Wrestlemania. Bad Bunny always loved wrestling, and for him to accomplish this is a dream come true. Ten, fifteen, twenty years from now, we will say that we witnessed Bad Bunny at his peak.
Ozuna is a magnificent artist. Very consistent, and I love the messages of his songs. He’s my guy. His debut album, Odisea, is by far my favorite Ozuna album. As for Bad Bunny, Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana (I Could Do Whatever I Want) is my favorite album from him. I would love to see a collaboration between Ozuna and Bad Bunny someday. In this new generation, you have many artists who collaborate on each other’s songs, especially in remixes, making the song about 7 or 8 minutes long. I’m not saying that the old school didn’t collaborate much, but I will say that more artists could get easily discovered because of streaming service. Less feuds, more collaboration!
I can talk about this subject all night, but I’m going to end this here. I won’t be mad if some people prefer the new school over the old school. As long as we appreciate great artist and great music. Less feuds, more collaboration!
I want to shout out to some of the architects of the genre like Vieja Guardia and Playero. They were key figures in the 1990s for Reggaeton. Of course, and I can’t forget the best duo of the 2000s, Wisin y Yandel.
