The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Dul-Sayin': The History of Reggaeton

Episode Date: October 24, 2022

Spanish words over dancehall music? That's too sexy to handle. Dulcé Sloan dives deep into the history of Reggaeton from pioneer El General to current mainstream artists like Karol G and Luis Fonsi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter's smart technology. Sip Recruiters' smart technology identifies to the talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, zip recruiters powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use zip recruiters pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner.

Ditch the other hiring sites and let zip recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on zip recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day Try it for free at this exclusive web address zip recruiter dot com slash zip Zip recruiter the smartest way to hire You're listening to Comedy Central Central. HENRY BENTON HENDRICKS HENDRICKS HENDRICKS HENTERXHRITH'OBRATT but before we go, I want to talk about reggaeton.

And if you don't know what it is, you've probably heard the unmistakable beat of reggaeton especially if you have upstairs neighbors. Can you keep it down up there? I will not! Like this song! The roots of this music go back as far as the 70s and as far south as Panama. It could have started further south, but the Beasts are so big they don't fit to the canal. It was here in the 1980s when music artists started plating Spanish lyrics over Jamaican dance hall songs, creating a new sound of regga and Spanish. And honestly, I'm glad I wasn't there because watching Spanish words and dance hall music

coming together for the first time, that'd have been too sexy to handle. There's no way you didn't leave that dance for too pregnant. It's like being the jelly and Diego Luna and Bad Bunny sandwich. Two of Reggaeton's earliest pioneers were Leonardo Renato Alder and Edgardo Franco. Franco would later be known as El General and even look like if the fresh prince got sent to military school instead of Bel Air. These two and other artists grew their new sounds by giving tapes to bus drivers who would bump their music. It's basically the way rappers in Atlanta give their singles to strip club DJs. Except in this case you hope people jam out to your music while running late for work.

In 1985, El Henaral moved to New York City, where he began spreading early reggaeton in the club. It almost didn't happen though, because while he was in New York, El Henanadale also pursued a degree in business administration in an effort to get a real job. You have to wonder, what if that path had worked out out He'd beat in office going, Ernst and Young, this is El Hennardale speaking, how may I direct your call? Thankfully, he was sucked back in the music, hosting parties and performing. In 1990, he put out the song, To Boom Boom Poo, a tribute to the power of the pussy.

Well, And El Hennonado's cover blew up. It was a hit in mainland America in Puerto Rico and spread to Central and South America. The music was spreading so fast it would have made COVID jealous. Not too far from Brooklyn on Long Island, the defining beat of reggaeton, the Dembo the Demboe rhythm was popularized by Panamanian rapper Nando Boom. The sound was originally created by Jamaican dance hall musician Sharper Ranks, who looks like if Blade became a DJ instead of fighting vampires. From there the sound moved to a different Long Island, Puerto Rico. And here is where all the Panamanian and New York ingredients finally mixed together to

make something special, like Sofrito for your ears. It took off at a club called The the Quency Jones Regga the to the to the too reggaeton DJ Negro. He had been selling hot dogs on the street to get by and then had an idea to start a club. It was there that the genre became known as El Underground and created a whole new generation of artists like E.D. Queen. They also popularized Reggaeton's most famous dance, Ferrello. Oh I know this dance this this is just me in 2005! This is the dance you do when you don't want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thooooooo.a.eaton.a.a.eat.eat.a.a.a.a. tho.a. tho. tho. the the the the is a dance you do when you don't want to pay for drinks. At one point, Puerto Rico's government cracked down on El Underground and tried to regulate the lyrics and Betteel Dance Moose. But all that did was make El Underground more popular.

This was like when your parents tell you not to date somebody, but then that person gets ass. I'm sorry, Mama, you make some good points. But I can wash clothes off his stomach. Later, the genre exploded all over mainstream with the release of the hits of Gasolina by Daddy Yankee in 2004. And Daddy Yankee was everywhere. MTV, Time Magazine, even the campaign trail. I just want to say, thank you, Daddy Yankee. That's right. You know a genre is a tha is tha is a tha is a tha is a tha is a tha is a tha is a tho tho tho tho thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, tho, tho, th. thi, tho, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. theea. thea. thea. thea. that. that. that. that. to say, thank you, Daddy Yankee. That's right. You know a genre is big when the old white Republicans start calling.

For a little while, reggaeton was huge. But then record companies moved on and it disappeared in much of America, which basically means most Americans thought it didn't exist anymore. We're like a baby who falls for peekaboo, but with Latin music. But even as America forgot about it, reggaeton. The city you recognized from Narco. Colombian artists like Jay Balvin, Ray Khan, and Carol G gave Reggaeton a new, more mainstream sound with lyrics that focused less on violence and more on sex and romance.

Like if Neo became Neo. It grew and grew in popularity until America caught on again with Despacito. That's right. Luis Fonzie and Daddy Yankee took over the globe with Despacito. It was number one for 16 weeks. This song was so popular, even a racist for learning Spanish. Come o' say, D'E say, go back to your own country. And since Despito, Reggaeton has kept its hold in America, which is great, because this is a genre that is still evolving and becoming more inclusive. You know, it grew out of a rich Hispanic heritage of... Oh, seriously, that neighbor again?

Hey, sorry about before, but can you actually turn it up? Everyone downstairs started dancing, and I just want to keep the party going. Okay, I don't know how you got in here, but sure. Can we time it up, please? Thank you. No, thank you. You can get out now. Woo. Whoo.

Wo. Watch the Daily Show, week nights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.