Reggaeton

Reggaetón (/ˌrɛɡeɪˈtoʊn/ or UK /rɛɡeɪˈtɒn/, Spanish: reguetón [reɣeˈton]) is a music genre with roots in Latin and Caribbean music. Its sound is derived from the Reggae en Español from Panama. This rhythm was born in Puerto Rico and achieved a greater worldwide popularity. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European, Asian and African audiences.

Reggaeton blends musical influences of Jamaican dancehall and Trinidadian soca with those of Puerto Rico, such as salsa, bomba, Latin American hip hop, and electronica. Vocals include rapping and singing, typically in Spanish. Lyrics tend to be in a hip hop style.

While it takes influences from hip hop and Jamaican dancehall, reggaeton is not precisely the Hispanic or Latin American version of either of these genres; reggaeton has its own specific beat and rhythm, whereas Latin hip hop is simply hip hop recorded by artists of Latino descent. The specific "riddim" that characterizes reggaeton is referred to as "Dembow". The name "Dembow" is taken from the dancehall song by Shabba Ranks that first popularized the beat in the early 1990s, and appears on his album Just Reality.

Daddy Yankee

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known by his stage name Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, songwriter, producer and actor. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was raised in the neighborhood of Villa Kennedy Housing Projects.

Ayala aspired to be a professional baseball player, and tried out for the Seattle Mariners Major League baseball team. Before he could be officially signed, he was hit by a stray round from an AK-47 rifle while taking a break from a studio recording session with reggaeton mix tape icon DJ Playero. Ayala spent roughly one and a half years recovering from the wound; the bullet was never removed from his hip, and he credits the shooting incident with allowing him to focus entirely on a music career. Since then, he has sold over 18 million albums.

Musical career

1992–2003: Early music career

Daddy Yankee first appeared on the 1992 DJ Playero's Mixtape, Playero 34, with the song "So' Persigueme, No Te Detengas". Ayala was originally going to become a professional baseball player but he was shot in his leg while taking a break from a studio recording session. The bullet was never removed and he credits this incident with allowing him to pursue a musical career. He made a few songs talking about the shooting incident, but his most "complete" song about it was "6 De Enero", released in 2012. His first official studio project as a solo artist was No Mercy, which was released on April 2, 1995 through White Lion Records and BM Records in Puerto Rico. Early in his career he attempted to imitate the style of Vico C. He went on to emulate other artists in the genre, including DJ Playero, DJ Nelson, and DJ Drako, taking elements from their styles in order to develop an original style. In doing so, he eventually abandoned the traditional model of rap and became one of the first artists to perform reggaeton.

Don Omar

Don Omar (born William Omar Landrón Rivera; February 10, 1978) is a Puerto Rican reggaeton recording artist and actor. He is sometimes referred to by his nickname El Rey (In Spanish: "The King").

Early life

Omar was born and raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the oldest son of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. From an early age, he showed interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC. During his youth, he became an active member of a Protestant church, Iglesia Evangélica Restauración en Cristo in Bayamón where he occasionally offered sermons. However, after four years, he left the church to dedicate himself to singing.

Career

His first public performance in a night club was accompanied by disc jockey Eliel Lind Osorio. Afterwards he appeared regularly on compilation albums from popular DJs and producers including Luny Tunes, Noriega, and DJ Eric. He also worked as a backup singer for the duo Héctor & Tito. One of the members, Héctor Delgado, helped him produce his first solo album.

Wisin & Yandel

Wisin & Yandel are a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo, composed of Juan Luis Morera Luna (Wisin) and Llandel Veguilla Malavé (Yandel). They started their career in 1998 and have been together since, winning several awards during that time, including a Grammy award in 2009, being the first and the only reggaeton artists who won it. In late 2013, they announced to take a pause in their careers as a duo, after their Líderes tour. According to Yandel, they have not disbanded.

Music career

Beginning (1998–2004)

In 1998, Wisin & Yandel participated in the album No Fear 3, produced by DJ Dicky as well as on the compilation album La Misión Vol. 1, edited by Fresh Productions label. The success of this collection (which was certified gold) led the label to produce Los Reyes del Nuevo Milenio, the first album by Wisin & Yandel.

From that moment the duo started a successful career. They continued posting new topics in the successive editions of La Misión and recorded three new albums: De Nuevos a Viejos (2001), Mi Vida... My Life (2003) and De Otra Manera (2004), all of which were certified gold. The duo also received the Tu Música Award for Best Rap/Reggaeton Duo in 2002.

Little Mix

Little Mix are a British girl group formed in 2011, consisting of members Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson. They were formed exclusively for the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011 and became the first, and so far, only group to win the competition. Following their victory, they signed with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music and released a cover of Damien Rice's "Cannonball" as their winner's single.

Little Mix released their debut album DNA on 19 November 2012. It charted in the top 5 in eight countries, including number two in the UK and number four on the US Billboard 200. This made Little Mix the first girl group since The Pussycat Dolls to reach the U.S. top 5 with their debut album, as well as earning the highest debut U.S. chart position by a British girl group, breaking the record previously held by the Spice Girls, whose 1996 debut Spice debuted at number five. In 2015, they won Breakout Artist at the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles.