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
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Reggaeton's Underdog Story' Told Through Daddy Yankee's Docuseries Wayne Marshall discusses the importance of Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World.
