The Greatest Years in Reggaeton and Hip Hop En Español Top 5

 

The Top 10 Best Years in Urbano History and The 5 Worst

#5 1999/2001 (tie)

1999

This year was almost dystopian.  1999 was such a fantastic year for those us that truly know and love Reggaeton and Hip Hop en Español.  1999 did feel like sort of a dystopian year, kinda like the end of the 80’s up until 1992 and the L.A riots.  Only it seemed like we were being destroyed by corporate consumerist culture and the eventual dot com bubble was its inevitable correction.

Reggaeton and Spanish Rap were on the cusp of a change.  In Rap from Spain and South America, social consciousness was at its peak but they began to expand sonically and fuse Rap with brand new sounds.  Latin Rap was becoming more eclectic.  Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, tiraera dominated Rap as much as Social Consciousness.  I think a peak example is Vico C dissing Cavalucci in Playero 41 part 2 this year.

Bailoteo was still around for Reggaeton but it may have been at its all time peak in terms of violence thanks to the tiraera music.  Rubio & Joel released their classic 'Gritos De Guerra' this very year with the backing of Daddy Yankee and honestly, it had Hector & Tito aguantando presion.  Two all time classics in "Game Over" by Tempo and "Aerolineas Makiza" by Makiza came out this year. 

And there were many more fantastic productions such as Gargolas 2, DJ Eric 6, Playero 41 Part 2, La Alta Escuela "En Pie De Vuelo", La Mision 1, Wise Da Gangsta Da Moda, The Cream 4, La Factoria New Era and many more...  It was the beginning of what would be a great transition in the decade to come.

2001

2001 was probably the most transitional year in the history of Reggaeton and Spanish Rap.  Both facets of Urbano music was moving away from samples into more original compositions for their beats.  Spain, Argentina and Chile would continue mostly sampling however in Puerto Rico and Cuba, acts like Orishas, Maestro, Lito & Polaco along with producers like DJ Dicky, DJ Magic, Echo, Maestro & others were bringing mostly original elements to Rap, rarely sampling melodies and often creating their own instead.

Reggaeton took the same route too.  DJ Blass introduced Fruity Loops to the game and changed how Reggaeton was produced forever.  Though Blass sampled like in Master Joe & OG Black's hit "Me La Imaginaba", he mostly created original melodies in classic songs like Speedy's "Hagamos El Amor Con La Ropa" & "Sientelo".  Blass would also create his own Reggaeton Drum Loops instead of sampling Jamaican Dubs like everyone used to do in the 90's.

This would open the doors for the generational shift that would be Luny Tunes & Noriega in the coming year.  Classic works of the year include DJ Blass Sandunguero, La Mision 2, Gargolas 3, La Conspiracion, Lito & Polaco "Mundo Frio", Buddha's Family, Boricuas NY II, El Cartel De Yankee 2, The Warriors 3, Wisin & Yandel "De Nuevos a Viejos" among others...

#4 2004

Of the old years, 2004 was probably the coolest popular one.  Reggaeton began to turn into a much more commercial product beginning in 2005.  Pop acts like Shakira, Paulina Rubio and Juanes began cashing into the culture making it less cool and less "ours".  But in 2004, Reggaeton was still underground and street.  2004 was more than the year of "Gasolina" though faux historians will try to make you believe otherwise.   Before Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderon and Don Omar broke open the doors for Reggaeton and Rap inside the mainstream Latino consciousness.

Spanish Rap had an incredibly healthy year too.  Many thought in 2004 that Nach was the best lyricist alive.  Mala Rodriguez released her classic "Alevosia" and Tres Coronas were ripping through the underground with their series of mixtapes.  Of course the big story was "Barrio Fino" by Daddy Yankee breaking sales records becoming the first Latin Urban album to sell over a million units thanks on the strength of "Gasolina".

But there were other landmark achievements for Rap & Reggaeton that year.  Let's not forget Angel & Khriz put out "Ven Bailalo" that year.  Don Omar released "Pobre Diabla".  Hector El Father & Tito El Bambino went solo.  There was the classic socially conscious track "Julito Maraña" by Voltio ft Tego Calderon.  Zion & Lennox came strong with "Motivando La Yal".  Other classic works include Divino "Todo a Su Tiempo", Angel & Khriz "Los MVP", Voltio "Voltaje AC", Luny Tunes "La Trayectoria", La Mision 4 "The Takeover", Tres Coronas "NYC Mixtape", Chosen Few El Documental, The Noise Live The Beginning, Tego Calderon - El Enemy De Los Guasibiri among others...

#3 1997

The mid nineties was thriving time to be a Reggaeton.  Of course, not everyone knew about it even if you were from the hood.  You had to be from the right kind of location with specific cultural influences to know what The Noise and Playero was in the 90's.  And if you did, you were most likely a really cool kid, or a nerd.  Either way 1997 was one of the key years to be a fan of the culture.  That was the peak period during the greatest battle in the history of Latin Urban music 'The Noise' vs DJ Eric's "La Industria".  The dj's began transitioning out of the spotlight while stars like Ivy Queen, Daddy Yankee, Frankie Boy, Baby Rasta & Gringo,  Aldo Ranks, Kafu Banton, Glory, Eddie Dee, Polaco, Maicol y Manuel and so many others made a big name for themselves.  The singers were now becoming the stars over the dj's.

And the list of classic productions is so long:  DJ Nelson "The Flow", Baby Rasta & Gringo "The New Prophecy", The Noise vol. 7 Bring The Noise, Playero Exitos 97, Wise La Vieja Escuela, DJ Joe 5 "El Escuadron Del Panico", DJ Dicky 2 "Killer Rhythmz", Boricua Guerrero "First Combat", Tiro De Gracia "Ser Humano", DJ Adam Mad Jam 2 Da Comeback, The Legend, Cuentos De La Cripta 2, Planet Ganja 2, The Creation 3 & 4, Don Chezina "Bien Guillao De Gangster", DJ Chiclin 5 "Sin Clemencia" among several others... 

The Worst

#1 2017 – Peak Pop Urbano, not all hailing from Colombia, but mostly.  Yes, I did support the narrative that Colombia ruined Reggaeton, from an artistic perspective.  They just stayed stuck on that crappy Pop sound for about a decade, but Feid changed that.  I no longer consider Colombia the bane of Reggaeton.  And to be fair, CNCO was a multinational creation based out of Puerto Rico.  They did as much as Maluma to nearly kill Reggaeton, from an artistic perspective.  O yea and Spanish Trap was good… not great, thus, not enough to make up for Pop Urbano’s dominance of crappiness.

#2 2019 – The 2^nd peak year for Pop Urbano.  Need I say more?

#3 2018 – I saw lists around this time… lists I tell you of the Top Urbano artists made by supposed fans.  #1 and #2 were always Balvin and/or Maluma.  A lot of these guys were the effeminate type, but still.  I also saw some with El Alfa as #1, mostly by over fanatical Dominicans.  Half the audience had no idea what they were talking about at the time and were just brainwashed by the Pop Urbano craze of the time.

#4 2008 – This was the year Reggaeton fell out of favor in the mainstream.  It was really major record label execs that forbade any joint venture contracts or better to new Reggaeton acts, even if they were hot.  They only allowed this kind of deal for those that already received them and who could reach the status of Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Wisin & Yandel at the time which were very few.  They would only sign new artists if they agreed to 360 slave deals during this time.  And they did not stop there.  The major record label execs shelved sometimes completed projects from the likes of Eddie Dee, John Eric, Alberto Stylee, Danny Fornaris, Randy Nota Loka, Arcangel and more to purposefully hurt Reggaeton then if those artists did not agree to sign new 360 slave deals, the major labels would cut their contracts and pocket any money potentially earned.  Arcangel circumvented this by signing with Luny Tunes, though Sony shelved his debut “La Maravilla”.  And White Lion Records went to Machete Music after Sony shelved Randy, Arcangel and Cosculluela in the same year and then stole Calle 13 from Elias on top of that!  Soon however, White Lion began having the same problem with Universal Latino/Machete Music and have been independent since 2013.  I remember people from the Pop crowd saying Reggaeton was dead in 2010, of course they had no idea about the Imperio Nazza mixtapes and did not know who Nova y Jory were.  The 2^nd Underground era of Reggaeton had begun.

#5 2013 – This was the last year Reggaeton was mostly back in the underground.  It would slowly start making a comeback in the mainstream consciousness in 2014 thanks to J Balvin.  And contrary to what some might believe, he did not sign a 360 slave deal.  Around this time the labels created what is known as a 360 joint venture deal.  It is the same as a joint venture where you get to keep your masters, publishing and can even book your own shows.  Only the labels now get a percentage of your merchandising, concert money and any other earnings you make above the record sales.  J Balvin, J Alvarez and Farruko were the first Reggaeton guys to get these kinds of contracts where its usually a 60-40 split in favor of the artist.  Farruko got $3 Million (USD) in advance, J Avarez got 2 and Balvin got 1 milli.  Now these are the common contracts offered to artists of renown.  Many artists still sign slave deals where the labels get everything, even your masters!  But a lot of artists that are worth their weight in salt get the 360 joint venture like Arcangel for example.  The only contract above this is a distribution deal which is an 80-20 split in favor of the artist and/or their label but almost no one gets these.  Not even Bad Bunny nor Karol G have that type of contract.  But Beyoncé, Jay Z, Daddy Yankee and surprisingly, Myke Towers have this kind of contract.  I won’t be surprised if that’s why Myke Towers’ recent albums appear to have been sabotaged though they are the best in his career.   They want Mikey to step down a level and sign that 360 joint venture instead is what I hypothesize.  The labels want a bigger piece of the pie, as they always do.  They pretty much never give out the old traditional joint venture contracts anymore as it is now customary for an artist to give a percentage of their concert earnings to the label.  Back in the day, they didn’t have to.  Even Jay now has to give 20% to Live Nation.  Everyone does.

Dishonorable Mention: 2023, 2016, & 2012.

#2 1994  

In my personal opinion, 1994 was the best year.  Now I was a babe back then, but the energy and vibe in 1994 was so transcendental.  Playero 37, Playero 38, The Noise 1 & 2, DJ Joe 1, DJ Chiclin 1 & 2, DJ Stefano 1 (which I never heard entirely but is supposedly a masterpiece), DJ Crane vol. 1, DJ Eric & Master Mitch "Street Style", Spanish Oil vol. 1, The Creation vol. 1, MC Non Stop Reggae ... the genre transitioned that year into what we know today.

Playero basically did what the Panamanians were doing except with a couple of key differences.  On the Playero 33-36 series he mixed several Panamanian classics from the likes of Nando Boom, Rude Girl, Rigo Man, El Comandante, El General, Gringo Man and others but sped up the beat by about 6-10 bpm.  The Jamaican Riddims back then were often at around 93-96 BPM.  And Playero sped them up to an average of 106 BPM.  

Then when it came time for the likes of Ranking Stone, Maicol y Manuel, Blanco and others to rhyme over the Jamaican dubs, Playero kept the Tempo sped up at 106 bpm, giving it a whole new feeling vs what the Panamanians did as they mostly kept the Riddims at the same pace as the Jamaicans.  A little known fact which was confirmed by Chombo in his YOUTUBE channel; Chombo who worked with Ramon Pucho Bustamante and Dennis D' Menace Haliburton (Nando Boom's producers) on those early Panamanian Reggaeton records is said in a video that the Panamanians used to pay the Jamaicans in New York for the rights to use those songs and make Spanish language versions.  It is unknown if the Puerto Ricans paid.

However by Playero 38 which came out in Summer of 1994, Nico Canada chopped up the Jamaican Dubs and fed them through a drum machine/sampler to produce the first original Reggaeton dembows (drum patterns).  Playero 38 was a blend of Jamaican dubs along with original production elements by Playero & Nico Canada rather than just sped up Jamaican and Rap beats.   

Playero knew how to use drum machines and keyboards to make original beats.  But Playero 37 was never made with commercial mass distribution in mind.  It was only until everyone in the barrio copied the tape that BM Records owner Don Pedro Merced (RIP) came with an offer to Playero for vol. 37 and every future Various Artist album he would make.

But the innovation made by Playero as to why Puerto Ricans lay claim to being the founders of Reggaeton over Panama (which is untrue btw) is that Playero in vol. 37 blended Rap with what came to be known as Reggaeton beats, whose pure foundation are the same Jamaican dubs the Panamanians were using.  So Playe would throw a Mad Lion Rap dub or a Wu Tang beat with the Reggaeton and have OG Black Rap on it.  That is all that the Puerto Ricans brought that was new.  There is a new narrative that Reggaeton wasn't invented until DJ Blass Sandunguero, but that is for another day.

Regardless of who can lay claim to the foundation built upon Reggaeton, 1994 was definitely the year the shift began into the genre we all know today.  The street themes about real life in the barrio.  The explicit lyrics about sex, drugs and violence.  But most importantly that unique flow and touch us Latinos brought to what was then just Dancehall Reggae in Spanish.  

Latinos brought our flow from Salsa, Merengue, Cumbias and Bachatas and injected that into Rap & Reggaeton which is why it sounds so different from what the Jamaicans did.  Even though back in 1994, 80% of us were just copying the Jamaicans in one form or another.  But Alton Ellis and Bob Marley did covers of the Doo Wop music of their era, so nothing is new under the eyes of the sun, everything came from something else, even Hip Hop which was born out of Funk, R&B, Jazz and Reggae.

I think what is missing the most in today was the fact that all the artists from 1994-1997 made the music out of love.  There was basically no way to make money off of this once Vico C fell off.  And those few who did make money, it wasn't enough to live on nor quit your day job.  That's probably why this is the purest period in the history of this music and its greatest in my opinion.

One key difference between then and now is that the dj's were the star.  People would decide what album they bought based on the dj making and/or mixing the beats.  Through that dj, the audience would be able to tell what kind of rappers appeared and what style the music was.  It wouldn't be until 1998 that the artists started becoming the stars of the music.

#1 2002

This was the best year ever in history to be a fan of Spanish Rap and Reggaeton.  If you were a commercial Pop head in love with the Shakira/Ricky Martin sound, Luny Tunes & Noriega made the music palpable to you by combining elements of that sound with the Reggaeton beat.  Before this year, most of you Shakira fan types were ashamed of even liking Reggaeton, much less listening to it.

But the genre was still street and underground.  Tempo was still #1 to start off the year.  Lito & Polaco were the lyrical kings.  And Tego would bring everything full circle at the end of the year keeping the hardcore sound popularized at the time but combining it with commercial Reggaeton and street Reggaeton too like “Guasa Guasa.  This was the year Reggaeton became what we know it as today.  And Hip Hop en Español was the strongest it had ever been.

Classic works of this year include La Mision 3, Tego Calderon "El Abayarde", Hector & Tito "A La Reconquista", Getto y Gastam "Vida Eterna", Master Joe & OG Black "Francotiradores 2", SFDK "Odisea En El Lodo", Kilates 1, The Majestic 1, Yaga & Mackie "Sonando Diferente", Orishas "Emigrantes", Tempo "Exitos", Los Matadores Del Genero, The Noise La Biografia, DJ Dicky 4 Sin Miedo, Daddy Yankee "ElCangri.com", Reggaeton Sex Crew, Fatal Fantassy 3 and even more.  It was the best year to be a part of this music both for the excitement as a fan and the quality of music.