Reggaeton's Underdog Story' Told Through Daddy Yankee's Docuseries Wayne Marshall discusses the importance of Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World.
By
Tara Bellucci
October 30, 2024
Courtesy of Peacock
There's no shortage of great music documentaries out there, but here's another to add to your queue. Produced by Daddy Yankee, Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World debuted on Peacock on October 3 and is a must-watch for anyone who loves the genre or wants to know more about its global rise.
The four-part series covers the roots of reggaeton in Puerto Rico and its worldwide takeover in the late 2010s. Faculty member Wayne Marshall, coeditor of Reggaeton, has already shown clips from the series in his class.
Because the class is about DJ cultures and American social dance, the scenes I screened in class were the ones that discussed the importance of DIY house parties in marquesinas as a common coming-of-age experience as well as how DJ Negros the Noise nightclub became a crucible for local vocalists vying for audience approval.
The first episode explains the roots of reggaeton going back to the 1970s. I appreciate that they situate reggaetons emergence in local Puerto Rican history, pointing to Afro-Puerto Rican traditions such as bomba and then to the cultural resonance of salsa in the '70s, hip-hop and house in the '80s, and finally reggae in the early '90s-all of which came to PR via NYC, says Marshall. While reggaetons story is complicated and often contested, the series is careful to give attention to the genres different contexts over the years, from Puerto Rico to New York to Panama to Jamaica and, more recently, Colombia.
Dembow Explained (+19 Songs Featuring the Iconic Rhythm)
How the dembow beat-found in reggaeton, hip-hop, pop, and far beyond-became a global phenomenon.
Read more.
Reggaeton also covers the genre's meteoric rise and the eventual backlash to its success.
Of course, reggaeton is not the first genre to be treated this way-perennial debates in rock and rap come to mind-and the series is interested in presenting reggaetons history as an underdog story, which it is, says Marshall. But I think reggaetons first major commercial breakthrough, back in the days of Gasolina' and Oye Mi Canto, was so remarkable and unprecedented-and industry investment was so heavy, and some might say oversaturated-that people began watching very closely.
When the crossover hits appeared to dry up a few years later, I remember a lot of stories asking whether the genre had run out of gasolina, he adds.
Spoiler alert: that wasn't the end of reggaeton-far from it. Since the record-breaking chart-run of Despacito' in 2017 and then the rise of Bad Bunny as the most-streamed artist in the world, this second wave of reggaeton popularity seems to have confirmed that the genre has lots of life left in it.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Jim Lucchese
Image by Kelly Davidson
Jim Lucchese Named Berklee's Fifth President A 20-year music industry veteran and a committed artist advocate with deep Berklee roots, Lucchese sets the tone for a new era at the institution.
Latest
Image courtesy of HBO
What If the Game of Thrones Theme Was Surf Rock? This TikToker Has the Answer Guitarist and TikTok user Cloudchord puts his spin on the epic theme music, originally composed by Ramin Djawadi 98.
Berklee's Signature Series Presents Singers Showcase: One Sweet Day-The Music of Mariah Carey The two-night extravaganza will showcase the craft and artistry of a global cast of more than 80 Berklee students honoring one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Image by Brittany Benson Lee
Latoya Lee Brings Industry Expertise and Connections to Berklee Career Center Berklee's new director of industry relations has worked on platinum-selling and Grammy-winning projects and will help students build industry-ready skills.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
COW Jobs: Visual Storyteller - Emeryville, CA
Brie Clayton October 9, 2026
0 Comments
Visual Storyteller
October 7, 2026 COW Jobs: Cinematographer...
09/10/2026
Master 3-Point Lighting in After Effects With an Orbiting Light Rig
Graham Quince October 9, 2026
0 Comments
Ever wondered why your 3D renders in Afte...
09/10/2026
nxtedition will exhibit for the first time at Asias Broadcasting & Infotainment Show (A.B.I.S) in Mumbai, bringing its integrated production platform and latest...
09/10/2026
Today's AI Isn't the Answer
Andy Marken October 8, 2026
0 Comments
Let's say you're telling the truth, and this is all a dream. - Do...
09/10/2026
Ikegami to Introduce New UHK-X700VN Camera at NAB New York, Offering Advanced Cr...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Witness world firsts, new arrivals and the work that goes on behind the scenes a...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Reggaeton's Underdog Story' Told Through Daddy Yankee's Docuseries Wayne Marshall discusses the importance of Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World.
