A Timeline Of Perreo (1994 to Now)

 

What is Perreo?  Well, it has really evolved over the years.  It is actually becoming a culture.  It originally started out as a dance.  Then it was slang for “sexy times” and eventually came to represent a specific style of Reggaeton.  But today, you have feminists and LGBTQ groups adopting it as a form of expression and representation.  Reggaeton personality & historian “La Gata” traces Perreo’s origins back to Africa and Tribalist expression within dance to the evolution of today in mostly women expressing their comfortability with one’s self and body.  We aren’t gonna go back that far.  Many don’t know the origins of Perreo, I do however.  I guess you could say I was there when this whole thing was created.  I mean, I wasn’t at Club Holywood with Oakley but I was fully immersed within Reggaeton culture when Perreo became a thing.  Will Perreo continue to get bigger?  Possibly.  But right now it is an essential facet of Latin Urban culture and it would be good for people who want to be in tune to learn what exactly it is.  I will also do my best to give Perreo a dictionary style entry as best I can.

Perreo (N) - A dance often associated with Reggaeton music.  (1)  

It is also a subgenre of Reggaeton Music with lyrics often about explicit sex, and/or provocative dance. (2) 

It can also have sexual connotations though it often does not imply "Sex".  (3)  

Many countries and cultures such as Feminists groups and members of the LGBT community have made it into a subculture with its own unique traits and sounds such as "Neo-Perreo".  (4)

Origins

1994 -  Underground Reggaeton Music and the Bellaqueo Style of Reggaeton.  The origins of Perreo.

Before it was known as “Perreo” in later years, The Underground Reggaeton of Puerto Rico had many songs done in what has come to be known as the “Bellaqueo” style.  In Puerto Rico, “Bellaqueo” means “Raunchy” or straight up “Horny”.  In other countries it means being “Rowdy” or “Inordinate”.  Either definition fits the “Bellaqueo” style of Reggaeton really well. 

A song like “Oye Mira Nena” by Frankie Boy is very representational of “Bellaqueo” in Reggaeton.  The song had the lyrics “Mira Oye Nena/Menea Las Caderas/Y Preparate Para Chingar/Que Frankie Boy Mientras Te Canta/Te Sube Esa Falda/Y Te Da Mami Senda Clava”.  Some would call this misogyny.  But it was mostly females since way back when consuming this music and they enjoyed the “Bellaqueo” style of Reggaeton. 

The audience viewed it as just “fooling around” and never took the lyrics seriously.  Plus, initially, the music only appealed to people from the barrios and ghettos, first of Puerto Rico, then the rest of Latin America.  The lyrics shocked some conservative types.  But Barrio people just saw it as an evolution in their form of expression.  These kinds of lyrics would be scrutinized since then, but originally it was only people of governmental authority and concerned parents who condemned this kind of music feeling afraid it would pervert the youth.  In later years “Bellaqueo” lyrics would be scrutinized and labeled misogynistic by journalists, feminists, politcians, fans and even other artists.

The main subject is always “Sex” in “Bellaqueo” style Reggaeton which now is known as Perreo.  Dj’s like Chiclin, Playero, Joe among others made this style of Reggaeton of prevalent part of their Underground Mixtapes.  Artists of renown who specialized in this style of Reggaeton included Frankie Boy, Blanco, Maicol & Manuel, Baby J, Tito 3, El Vale, Los Boys, Las Guanabanas Podrias, MC Ceja among others…

1995 to 1999 – The Government of Puerto Rico censors and bans Bellaqueo Reggaeton for a time.

The government of Puerto Rico bans explicit lyric Reggaeton, specifically the Bellaqueo style of the music which had become real popular with audiences.  The problem was that because there was no explicit lyric warning on some of the early mixtapes, pre-teen youths were found by their parents consuming the music which led to rightful outrage.

Reggaeton’s answer to this was a phase of all clean/edited lyrics for about 4 years meanwhile the issue with explicit lyric Reggaeton was being resolved in local Puerto Rican courts.  The artists cleaned up their lyrics and showed that it was due to the quality of music why people consumed the culture, not because of the controversy.

1998 – The word “Perreo” is invented.  But who invented it?

A popular staple of the early days of Reggaeton were live concert albums.  On a specific one known as “Club Hollywood Live”, the word “Perreo” was uttered and made up on the spot by legendary MC Oakley (RIP) who was in the duo with the equally important OGM “Omar Garcia”.  Oakley’s uttering of the word is used in the intro to the album, although the actual performance is lost.  But OGM has told the story during interviews since.

What had happened was that during OGM & Oakley’s performance, a couple, boy and girl, got up on stage to dance together to the duo’s live act.  They would dance in a fashion that used to be known back then as “Bumpin’ and Grindin’”… this is what your grandparents called “Perreo”.  The girl bent over while dancing in front of the guy who grinded right behind on her backside with his pelvis and because it looked like when dogs make love, only with clothes on, Oakley invented a legendary phrase by shouting “Perreo, Perreo, Perreo” into the microphone inciting the crowd and couple.

Oakley had no idea when he said it, but on that night, he literally invented a word that would change Reggaeton and Latino culture forever.  Listen 3 mins into the intro to hear it.

1999 – Xtassy Reggae and the precursor to Perreo

It appears that the government of Puerto Rico had lessened up on their lyrical restrictions for Reggaeton.  The case would eventually be thrown out of court.  A couple albums in 1998 dropped with the Explicit Lyric Parental Advisory label.  These were Mexicano’s “Entre El Bien y El Mal” and Hector & Tito’s “Violencia Musical”.  But the overwhelming majority of Reggaeton music continued to be made with edited/clean lyrics.

Near the end of 1999 however an album known as ‘Xtassy Reggae’ was released.  The album consisted of private party remixes created by DJ Goldy & DJ Nelson that were stolen from their studio and made widely available in the underground market.  DJ Goldy & DJ Nelson were uncredited and never made a dime off the sales from that album.  They did however create an official Xtassy Reggae 2 in the year 2000 with the support of local radio station Mix 107 who got the permissions from Major Record Labels to do the album only within Puerto Rico.

The original Xtassy Reggae is an illegal album in every sense of the word.  Nobody knows who made it available.  But it must have been someone who worked at Mix 107 where DJ Nelson & DJ Goldy made their music back then.  That was also the original home for Luny Tunes & Noriega pre- Barrio Fino.

There was one song however that became a sensation.  It is known as “La Puta”.  The song samples a sketch from New Yorican Radio Show “El Vacilon De La Mañana” about a man lamenting over his unfaithful wife and calling her the Spanish word for “Bitch”.  Many people misconstrue this as a DJ Blass creation to this day, but it was actually DJ Goldy & DJ Nelson who made that beat.

People found “La Puta” infectious and it circulated across the bootleg scene throughout all of Latin America.  This song prompted artists and dj’s to start making Bellaqueo songs again.  DJ Joe and DJ Blass specifically saw this trend and began incorporating it to their music with much success.

2000 – The Year Perreo Was Born

In early 2000 when DJ Blass saw the sensation “Xtassy Reggae” was he decided to copy the idea from DJ Nelson to give exposure to his crew of singers known as “@ria 51”.   Blass made an entire mixtape of remixes along with dirty bellaqueo mixes and songs from his singers Plan B, Speedy, Great Kilo and Guelo Star.  The mixtape was titled “Xtassy Reggae 2” to capitalize off the success from the first one.

Thousands of copies were sold in the first week of the original, now lost, pressing (not even Blass has it and no one has ever uploaded this lost version).  Blass and Genio from Genio Records also a member of el Escuadron Del Panico had received notices to stop all production of the album.  The notices came on behalf of Mix 107 who was already working the ‘real’ “Xtassy Reggae 2” album with DJ Nelson and DJ Goldy. 

DJ Blass’ version of Xtassy Reggae 2 was full of unauthorized remixes.  It had several original songs from the @RIA 51 crew but Genio was given good advice to take off the remixes and only sell the originals.  If he did that then MIX 107 would promote the album.  Therefore DJ Blass released the now well known version of Reggaeton Sex II which is in fact @RIA 51 II but because people did not know who that was, they promoted it as “Reggaeton Sex 2”… the unofficial sequel to Xtassy Reggae.

The final version of Reggaeton Sex II has gone on to become a cult classic.  Its lead singles are internationally known with “Que Es Plan B?” from Guelo Star and Plan B going on to become a big hit.  But its biggest hit is “El Amor Con La Ropa” by Speedy, often cited as one of the best Reggaeton/Perreo songs in history.  Despite all that Reggaeton Sex 2 only sold 30 thousand units. 

Don’t misinterpret the numbers which are misleading.  These songs were heard in virtually all Spanish speaking territories around the world.  The problem was Reggaeton Sex 2 was a victim of its own success.  People saw the correlation between Reggaeton Sex 2 and Xtassy Reggae, and bootleggers took advantage.  There were many unauthorized versions of these albums.  Particularly for Central and South America where these albums weren’t available.  Though these bootlegs originated from NYC.  They were appealing to consumers as these versions would include songs from Xtassy Reggae and Reggaeton Sex, and later on Reggaeton Sex 3.

But how did Perreo become a phrase?  Well, that was Rapper Oakley on the Live album titled Club Hollywood Live from 1999.  There has been some dispute as to who came up with the phrase.  Rocky ‘The Kid’ from Mix 107 can be heard using it on his skits around the same time.  But Oakley immortalized the phrase when it was sampled on Reggaeton Sex 2 a year later.

The story goes… Oakley was in a duo with OGM, Omar Garcia throughout the 90’s.  They were a fairly successful duo for those days.  They appeared on several compilations of note such as El Cartel de Yankee, The Noise 7, DJ Adam Mad Jam 1 & 2, U Records and Mansion Crew among many others…  During their performance at Club Hollywood for the album, a couple got on stage and began bumping and grinding.  During the whole commotion Oakley shouts “Perreo, Perreo, Perreo…” into the mic.  And a legendary catchphrase was born which then took a whole new meaning of its own.

The original unedited audio is lost.  All that’s left is DJ Davey sampling it in the intro mix of Club Hollywood Live.  The song went mostly unnoticed until DJ Blass reused Oakley’s phrase with Blass’ voice instead.  Then some historians noticed the original when Perreo became part of the everyday lexicon.  However it may have been that the word came to be, it was Oakley that first spoke it on record, but Blass popularized the word and soon it was used to describe a whole new subgenre of music.

 

2001 – Perreo Is The New Wave

In 2001, the sound captivating the underground in Puerto Rico was hardcore.  Tiraera and Malianteo were the norm.  However, the clubs wanted something new and that was Perreo.  At the end of the century Electro Reggaeton was all the craze.  By 2001 if you weren’t rapping about murdering someone on record or doing the rare socially conscious track, then you were singing about f#cking.

And that was what the audience wanted to hear.  For the first time ever, Panama followed Puerto Rico’s lead and began making Perreo music of their own.  The thing was that in the 90s music with explicit lyrics was banned by the govt of Puerto Rico.  Well, kind of…  There wasn’t anything signed into law.  And when it went to the Supreme Court in Puerto Rico, it was soundly defeated.

The problem wasn’t that the lyrics were explicit, it’s that they were being sold to minors.  Since there wasn’t any way to circumvent underage kids listening to explicit lyrics, the govt tried to ban everything under obscenity laws.  You were pulled over if you were listening to underground and had your tape confiscated.  Shops were raided and there was a ban on explicit lyric music.

However slowly the banned cassettes and Cd’s started to make their way back into stores.  Artists tested the waters in 1998 with Hector & Tito and Mexicano releasing unedited albums with parental advisory warnings.  But for the most part many didn’t want to take the chance of having their music kept off radio or tv.  So, the ban continued until Xtassy Reggae at tail end of 1999.  Then in 2000, when the attempted ban loss the first time, artists started making music more freely with no censorship.  They appealed with the backing of senator Velda Gonzalez in 2002, but they would lose again.

2002/2003 – Hardcore Perreo is Dead, Say Hello to Commercial Mainstream Perreo and other controversies

During its peak in 2002, hardcore Perreo came under scrutiny after a mother saw her underage daughter in a music video.  I believe it was for “Pegate” by Point Breakers which is lost media.  And there was also another video with minors in it, although I don’t remember who the artist is in that one.  I’ve heard Wisin y Yandel but I cannot confirm.  But I do know who the director was and it is the famed Flaco Figueroa.  Because they took the proper procedures and the girl used a fake id, there were no charges.  She was reportedly 16 years old.

But this reached all the way to Senator Velda Gonzalez.  It not known what music video her secretary although if it was the Point Breakers one I would understand as it’s practically softcore porn and would have to be flagged 18+ on YOUTUBE if anyone has it.  Velda was shocked and outraged, especially because of the underage girl in one of these videos.  She decided to take on Reggaeton and tried to censor it.

Needless to say, Velda failed.  By the end of the year, she was dancing Perreo with Hector y Tito onstage to get re-elected.  There was a shift in 2002 and it was due to a production team’s sound, Flow Music with Luny Tunes & Noriega being the key creators.  They brought a Universal commercialism never before seen to Reggaeton. 

The drum pattern stayed the same but melodically the shift was so vast that it grew the genre tenfold.  The was because the melodies were no longer minimalist and weird or sample based.  And it strayed far away from the electronic sound of the previous years.

People compare Luny Tunes to the Neptunes and Timbaland along with the production used on a Destiny’s Child record.  And it’s partially true.  But they borrowed more from the Latin Pop sound at the time, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and Ricky Martin.  Luny Tunes have more in common with the slick production of a Diego Torres record than they do with a Dr. Dre song. 

This is thanks to Noriega who is actually a Pop Rock musician with his band Zorro Viejo when he’s discovered by Baby Rasta, then DJ Nelson who put him to work with Luny Tunes.  I doubt Hector & Tito would have reached as many people if they sounded like Snoop Dogg rather than Chayanne.

People went crazy for that sound.  It wasn’t just the kids in the hood listening to that but also los chicos fresas from more privileged areas because it sounded familiar now.  I had a friend who was fresa and she told me that everyone had been talking about Mas Flow 1 and she loved when she first heard it.  I however was disappointed with Mas Flow 1 the first weekend it came out. 

I thought Luny Tunes and Noriega were gonna revolutionize Reggaeton like Dr. Dre did with Hip Hop in 2001, taking the genre to next level… they did but not in the way I expected.  It wasn’t outright Pop but that opening Hector y Tito track sounds like Victor Manuelle when he does a Pop song… and I was thrown off when the whole album was like that except for Yankee, Nicky Jam and Las Guanabanas.  I was like “This sounds like the Backstreet Boys, but hood and in Spanish.”  By the 3^rd time I liked it, but I did not like the Diego Torres fusions at first.

And everyone followed suit.  I skipped ahead to Mas Flow 1 next year to tell a personal story but the album that first shifted Reggaeton into a more Pop friendly sound was Hector y Tito’s “A La Reconquista” from 2002.  That album had an actual Pop song by Diego Torres’ producers at the end with “En La Disco”.  Some of it had Gangsta Rap tones like in “Caserios”.  But overall, it geared towards a Pop-friendly sound and was a preview of things to come.

Tego Calderon’s “El Abayarde” was more a traditional ‘Underground’ album and some Reggaeton fans don’t like it.  I give it a 10/10.  It busted open more closed doors for  the genre than any album before.  It sold more than “A la Reconquista” but some fans say it has too much rap, politics, and rapping instead of singing.  This was new type of fan going against the traditional ways of Reggaeton and Rap, but today they are the norm.

But it was their lyrics where Reggaeton cleaned up its act.  The change was subtle but noticeable.  The lyrics in 2000 and 2001 were so explicit that you couldn’t play those songs on commercial mainstream radio.  “Girla Te Bese” by MJ y OG Black ft Rey Pirin, “Rompe Condones” by Geniokila y La Gringa Xtasy, “Sexo Quieren Tener” by Fatal Fantasy & Reggaeton Sex Crew, “Bellaqueo” by Plan B, “Deja Que La Nota Se Te Suba” by Ñejo, “Déjala” by Don Omar among many others were examples of big hits that could no longer fly once Reggaeton started signing with the majors.

In 2002, the major labels started making deals with all the reggaeton labels inside of Puerto Rico as they were making record breaking sales at the time.  And because of this the genre made a conscientious decision to clean up their lyrics a little bit.  It still caused controversy however when this music became a worldwide phenomenon.  And y’all got the clean version of Perreo.  Imagine if y’all got it raw as we did in 2000 and 2001.

2004 – “Gasolina” happens, Perreo is now worldwide.

What does Perreo mean?  Some just consider it a dance.  Others use it for slang to engage in sexual activities.  But to others, it's a culture.  It really is.  The culture isn't defined mind you.  And it is only in the past 10 years that Perreo has transformed into a culture.  But its roots start here because this is a worldwide movement and if it wasn't for "Gasolina", no one would know what we are even talking about.

It’s funny how people worldwide just figured out the Reggaeton culture through music videos and the lingo used on record, pretty much how it happened with Hip Hop and Rock.  No one teaches anybody these things, they just pick it up when they become immersed within the culture. 

And now 20 years later we have worldwide Perreo culture with every country sprinkling its influence and giving its own unique takes on “Urbanoism”.  But before all that there was the phenomenon that was “Gasolina”.  Its true, Reggaeton had already reached mainstream status and platinum success when the record came out and there obviously could have been another song that took things the next level.  But we live in a world where “Gasolina” resonated the most and grew the audience tenfold.

There was controversy, however.  Just like Velda Gonzalez took offense at Reggaeton’s perceived misogyny, parents worldwide and even politicians share her sentiments.  It was labeled as smut and filth.  Feminist groups accused the artists of misogyny and sexism.  Many countries have restricted Reggaeton such as Venezuela, Cuba and Ecuador though none have outlawed it outright.

There is still selective outrage against Reggaeton.  But once Shakira did “Hips Don’t Lie” it mostly died down and people saw there was a more “tasteful” way to present ‘Perreo’.  There is always a backlash of some sort every few years but once it moved past this point there was no looking back.

2006 – Pop Urbano Nails a Death Blow To Perreo

Nothing specifically pushed ‘Perreo’ into the background.  It gradually lost its sexual connotation (for the time) and became more about the dance.  It wasn’t even about dancing sexy anymore it was just about the vivrant rhythms and whatever movement you did was ‘Perreo’ now.  Your grandma’s awkward hip movement was now considered ‘Perreo’ if it was done to a Reggaeton beat.  And this definition has pretty much stuck.

Reggaeton was getting more commercial than ever in 2006, and it would peak around 2008.  Although nothing specifically pushed the Sexy Reggaeton into the background, RKM y Ken-Y’s Romantic Pop Ballads had a lot to do with it.  Sure, it was a Reggaeton beat, but if you put Romantic Pop beat behind Ken-Y’s chorus and verses, there’s little to differentiate it from The Backstreet Boys.

In 2004 when everybody was still doing nasty Perreos, RKM y Ken-Y were hitting out of the park with “Nena”, their hit single off ‘The Noise El Comienzo’ which sounded like a boy band in want of a girl with non-threatening clean lyrics though their image showed they were straight off the block. 

See the video for The Warriors 4 if you don’t believe me, Ken-y looks like the meaner one, surprisingly.

Eventually their image would match their music as they made more money.  And their Modus Operandi of Pop Hits over a Reggaeton Beat backdrop was on full display when they charted their first single on Billboard single in 2005 "Y Tu No Estas".  And as commercial as these singles were, they were first being adopted in the "barrios" before going mainstream.  It was the new wave and everyone followed suit.  Wisin and Yandel recorded with Enrique Iglesias, DY's biggest hit of his follow-up to "Barrio Fino" was a Cumbia Pop in "Ella Me Levanto", "Pasarela" fused Mariachi with Reggaeton with no explicit lyrics about sex.  People still wanted 'Perreo' but they wanted it in the background meanwhile the more classy Reggaeton for all audiences was front and center.

2008 to 2014 – The Back To The Underground Era, The Rebirth of Perreo & Colombia's Role in Reintroducing the concept to the mainstream.

Everything coincided as if these things were meant happen.  The housing crisis occurred the same time as the music industry was in crisis.  Many artists were cut from their deals and had albums shelved because the record labels could no longer afford their contracts.  And for some reason the major labels took an anti-Reggaeton stance.  For the few Urbano artists left with major deals, they had to make Pop songs as their lead singles or they would receive no promotion.

Every artist on a major label played ball.  That's when you saw songs like "Te Regalo Amores", "El Doctorado", "Pose", "Que Tengo Que Hacer", "Danza Kuduro", "Me Estas Tentando", "Gracias a Ti", "Por Amar a Ciegas", "Cuando Es" and many more... As the popular mainstream singles at the time.  Some had Techno, some had Soca, some were straight up ballads, but the one thing missing was Perreo.  For that you had to go Back To The Underground.

Perreo was virtually non visible in the mainstream during these years except for a few singles like "Si No Le Contesto". "Llegamos A La Disco", and "Hasta Abajo" with the latter 2 being only minor hits when they came out while "Ven Conmigo" ft Prince Royce was the main single with promotion from the label and charted high on the charts.  Ironically now, "Llegamos A La Disco" has 3x the views on YOUTUBE when compared to the Prince Royce assisted single which shows how times have changed.

So where had all the real Reggaeton gone now?  The blogs.  Around this time music blogs were all the rage across all genres and Reggaeton was no different.  And 2008 was a key year because now that the labels were dropping artists like flies, those who could, released their material via blogs.  But they weren't new, even to Reggaeton.

In 2005 and 2006, Arcangel and De La Ghetto leveraged the freedom in their contract with their label Baby Records which allowed them to release free music instead of waiting for their label to do it.  This made them into a phenomenon with no major label backing and they were the first big success story of the blogs.  Then Jadiel and Lapiz Conciente followed as they were the first to utilize the blogs in their favor.

Because the blogs were a proven commodity, many artists would further exploit the medium in 2008 and forward because major labels rejected the genre.  Perhaps the biggest success story of this era was Ñengo Flow as he used the blogs to start his Real G 4 Life movement which is now worldwide.  Then came J Alvarez, Farruko, Musicologo and Menes, the revival of Nicky Jam, Cosculluela, J Balvin and others who utilized the blogs to their favor and cultivate an organically grown audience.

There were literally thousands of songs on the blogs that you could not find nowhere else.  Some have disappeared forever.  And even if you were a major label artist, if your single wasn't getting love on the billboard charts, it could find a second life if it was discovered on the blogs and the underground audience adopted it.  But most importantly to the subject at hand, the Perreo was in the Underground, because the major labels no longer supported it.

DR had its own movement going on which never went mainstream but garnered a lot of recognition thanks to the blogs.  But the movement that definitely revived 'Perreo' in the mainstream consciousness was the Colombian Reggaeton movement of the 2010's.

Colombia was in its own little bubble.  Everywhere else Reggaeton had declined in popularity, even in Puerto Rico, but in Colombia it was getting bigger.  That was because they had vivrant movement of their own artists who are now big stars like Karol G, J Balvin, Reykon and Maluma, but they also had lesser known talents who were known locally like Yelsid, Golpe a Golpe, Leka El Poeta, Andy Rivera among others that kept their scene relevant.  

Other countries had Reggaeton movements as well, but none as vivrant as Colombia to the point that Reggaeton Legends like Nicky Jam, Yaga y Mackie, Alberto Stylee, Ñejo y Dalmata, DJ Nelson and others to seek greener pastures in Colombia.  This is key because while in other countries Perreo might have fallen out of favor it never went out of style in Colombia.

The blog era was strange in the sense that some artists who did have mainstream clout like Daddy Yankee developed underground personas and the music they released on blogs was vastly different than the music they promoted on radio and tv.  Yankee made songs with the likes of Benny Benni, Pusho, Kendo Kaponi, Gotay, and more acts obscure to the mainstream but pretty popular in the underground.  He made more Perreo there as well.  He would do Vallenato Pop on MTV but then go do a song like "Comienza El Bellaqueo" for the underground.

Jowell y Randy did the same thing.  The would release a Pop Soca like "Loco" in the mainstream but in the underground they would hit it big with songs like "Tapu" ft De La Ghetto.  Farruko had a huge legendary run in the underground using the mixtape scene to get noticed and some of his underground songs are more well known than his mainstream ones like "Besas Tan Bien".  Nova y Jory had huge hit with "Bien Loko" and that was released independently.

The blog era helped keep Perreo prevalent in the clubs and with an audience looking beyond the Billboard charts.  This would prepare us for what was to come.

2015 to 2018 – Perreo goes mainstream pt 2…somewhat

There are 2 principal reasons Perreo is becoming a culture.  1 is Latina feminists who have adopted the music and its dance as sexual liberation.  And the LGBTQ community that pretty much adopt it in the same way, but from distinct point of view.  And that pretty much happened here, but first we must take a look back at the history of these two forefronts.

First let's talk about the LGBTQ community in Reggaeton which has pretty much been there since the very beginning.  I won't deep dive into homophobia within Reggaeton culture and Latin American Machismo culture as a whole.  But yes, there were a lot of inflammatory remarks against them as recently as the 2010's.  Things have gotten much better but this is not what the subject is about.

It is a little known fact but there were pioneers that were inside the closet during Reggaeton's earlier days.  According to Gringo and Tito El Bambino those inside the industry know who they are but they have never made their orientation known to the public.  Baby Rasta & Gringo proudly state that they were the first Reggaeton duo to take bookings in gay clubs.  And whenever the mainstream would reject Reggaeton the LGBTQ community deeply supported it.

There are a few known queer artists today and some who everyone speculates about (we all know who).  But the pioneers in queer Reggaeton are Pato Gay and La Gringa Xtasy.  You who don't know the Underground might think I am being spurious but they are well known although no longer active.  They were part of the Reggaeton Sex Crew and their infamous live set can be heard here.  La Gringa Xtasy had a pretty big club hit with "Rompe Condones" alongside Geniokila.  It was gimmicky but their songs opened plenty of doors for Queer Reggaeton history.

On the other side, feminism has always had soft representation until Ivy Queen came out on "The Noise 5".  There were other females such as Jelly D, Lisa M, Rude Girl La Atrevida, Keribel, Jackie La Original, 2 Sweet, Fransheska and Glory among others...  But none challenged the male hierarchy quite like Ivy did.  Ivy would battle the male rappers on stage and defeat them!  While other females were rapping about how pretty they were, or how men had to pay to get with them or lovelorn songs about needing companionship, Ivy was touching more controversial subject matter such as domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, and safe sex.

She directly challenged the male patriarchy by being the only female member of "The Noise", the most famous collective in the Underground.  But when Perreo came into fashion Ivy almost disappeared into obscurity where it not for the sister of Ivan Joy who executively produced "The Majestic".  "The Majestic" was where Ivy debuted her earth shattering single "Yo Quiero Bailar" in 2002.  She wasn't even gonna be in the production, were it not for Ivan's sister being a big fan.  Ivy hadn't had a big hit in about 3 years, but Ivan's sister insisted she be included on the album.  Luckily Ivan listened because if it were up to him, Ivy wouldn't have been on "The Majestic".

It wasn't overnight, but the message was understood from day one.  In a genre where many males objectify and even impose their will on women through song, it was refreshing to see a woman tell a man she was in control.  Ivy is telling the man that even if it gets hot and steamy on the dancefloor it doesn't mean he's getting any action that night.  And that message really resonated with females.

Slowly "Yo Quiero Bailar" became the feminist anthem in Reggaeton.  They are female empowerment groups dancing to create awareness, some in a male free zone, and their go-to is Ivy's 2002 smash.  It is fitting that these are the 2 most prominent groups in the revival of "Perreo".

With Reggaeton back at the forefront thanks to J Balvin and to a lesser extent...Nicky Jam's comeback.  There was renewed focus on the dance.  "Perreo" became mainstream slang again and those who didn't know what it was yet wanted to find out.

2020 – Bad Bunny Introduces Hardcore Perreo To The Mainstream and The Advent of Neo Perreo

Perreo was still tame compared to its previous peak with Reggaeton Sex and Fatal Fantassy.  Even the kings of hardcore Perreo, Plan B had cleaned up their act and were releasing much tamer material that could be played on iHeart radio.  There was still hardcore Perreo being released, but its presence was lacking on the Billboard charts despite Reggaeton making a huge comeback.  Then YHLMDLG happened and it changed the trajectory forever.

"Chocha con Bicho, Bicho con Nalgas" is now an often cited phrase from Blanco in Playero 37, made more famous by Ñengo Flow on "Safaera", the hit song from Bad Bunny's monumental album.  Yea Bunny went all in on that entire album bridging the gap between Underground Perreo Culture and the Pop World.  Perhaps the most effective song in crossing over hardcore Perreo was "Yo Perreo Sola", another song adopted by Reggaeton feminists as it encourages females to express themselves through dance without the need of a male counterpart.

Because of its success we even have enchanted forest critters like Camilo sayin they eat ass on record.  I never though I would see the day Menudo types talking about eating chocha, a**, and doing the nasty as explicitly as a Three Six Mafia song.  Thanks to Bad Bunny this is the world we live in now.

And there is this whole movement of females using Perreo and sexuality as empowerment, while others just call them "hoes".  But from Mariah Angeliq to Paloma Mami to De La Rose and even Karol G dipping her toes in that water once in a while, women are no longer afraid in expressing their sexuality as explicitly as the males do.  We did have a double standard for many years but that has changed very recently.

And finally there is "Neo Perreo".  IDK who came up with this phrasing but it is a real thing though I was skeptical at first.  Isabella Lovestory, Arca, and Rosalia are some of the acts pioneering in this new frontier.  Essentially Neo Perreo is Reggaeton Sex and Fatal Fantassy meets Skrillex.  IDK how else to put it for someone new to this.  Its either very heavy sexualized or very experimental in its arrangements or both.  And this could be the wave of the future.  There is heavy LGBTQ stamp on the sound as well.

2026 – Perreo’s Future…  Is it Really a Culture Now?

You know I thought Reggaeton would be a culture by now but it really isn't.  Urbano isn't a culture either.  Even though the phrase "Urbano" was coined by Tito El Bambino at famous "pitch" meeting with EMI Latin execs, while coming up with marketing material for his impending album in 2005.  It is much a corporate design which is why the audience rejects Urbano and will never adopt it.  So that's not a culture either.  Hip Hop is a culture but its not ours (Latinos/Hispanics) though we did take a part in creating it in New York during the 1970's.  But if anything "Reggaetony" is a culture, it's Perreo.

I never thought I'd affirm this but yes, "Perreo" is becoming a culture.  It is a subculture, but a culture nonetheless.  Nothing in Reggaeton is original except "Perreo".  Its style is taken from Hip Hop.  Its sound was born in Jamaica.  And every evolution that it goes through comes from something else whether it is Trap or Afrobeat.  Its lingo is just street slang from diverse Latin American Countries with Puerto Rico being its primary one, I'd say DR is a close 2nd.  Reggaeton is not a culture.

But "Perreo", moreso "Neo Perreo" is.  It has a unique look and aesthetics.  It has its own unique sound.  Its dance is its prime representation.  It has a scene that is all its own while if you noticed Reggaeton is often grouped with everything else that is popular.  That's why Reggaeton always goes back to the underground and I suspect that will happen soon.  

The Underground is a culture and that's when Reggaeton resembles a culture the most when it is underground.  The only time in its history Reggaeton was a culture was when it was called "Underground" from 1994 -2004.  Ever since "Gasolina" forward it hasn't been a culture.

I honestly thought it would but it became so corporate and Reggaeton sold itself out.  Then Vallenato Pop became Reggaeton, then magical forest critters like Camilo became Reggaeton, it's ridiculous.  Reggaeton is just a leech that sucks the lifeblood off of whatever's popular nowadays.  It can still be great sometimes but as a culture its best years are behind it.  It will have to evolve into something new in order for Reggaeton to become a culture.

But Perreo right now is at its proving stage if it's gonna leave an everlasting mark and become a permanent part of the overall culture spectrum.  I think it will.  It has well defined boundaries.  The dance is its key into its cultural definition and it just leaves space for it to evolve in freaky new ways if it wants to.  Reggaeton has none of that.

Finished August 6, 2026