Today is Saturday, May 8th, 2010 and it is now 109 PM here in the South Bronx, New York City.
Why pray tell am I in the South Bronx and NOT in Brooklyn where I live? I am at a baby shower for a friend of mine.
It is being held at the Mott Haven Community Center in the Mott Haven Housing Project (a "housing estate" as they say in England). A 60 year old gymnasium, small in size where I helped set up the folding tables and chairs, and carry in drinks, etc.
It is just beginning now, the DJ is setting up, and since these people are Puerto Ricans I am sure I will have a splitting headache in about 15 minutes. Reggaeton is "OK "...in very limited dosages. It should come with a fucken warning label: "WARNING: The sounds you are about to hear have made coyotes sterile."
Reggaeton is such an interesting genre (NOT). It began in Panama in Central America, in the "Canal Zone." The Zone is US territory that was SUPPOSED to revert to Panama, as Hong Kong did to China. When it became clear that former dictator Manuel Noriega would not be extending the US "lease" on the vital waterway he suddenly became a "dangerous" cocaine dealer (as opposed to the 90% of cocaine dealers who work with at least tacit approval of the US Government). Launching their he-man/woman hater military raid that merely caused old Manny, or "pineapple face" as some lovingly called him, take refuge in an embassy. The US then used the creme a la creme of intelligantsia to develop a sure fire strategy; To effect Mr. Noriega's voluntary surrender, the US would blast...MUZAK! "We've only just beeeeeeegun........."
The Canal was originally an American effort and lacking the manpower to construct it, the contractors began importing labour from the English speaking Carribean, primarily Jamaica.
Arriving at the turn of the 20th Century these arrivals, for the most part, stayed, though they made a real effort and for the most part married women from their home islands.
The result has been a unique ethnicty, 3rd generation Panamaian-Jamaicans who speak perfect Spanish with a very noticeable English accent accent (2nd such ethnicity in Hispano-America). These 3rd generation youth, in the eaely 1980s, began getting into the Dancehall Reggae so popular then (and now) in Jamaica.
Though almost all spoke English, it was as their 2nd language and many were frustrated by not being able to fully express themselves in lyrics.
They began "toasting" (Dancehall "rapping") in Spanish.
In 1985 the earliest "star" "El General" and the music gained notice in purely Spanish speaking speaking nations, including Puerto Rico. By 1996 Puerto Rico became the centre of an altogether new form of music.
Instead of simply using Spanish or even "Spanglish,"these new artists were changing the music's entire structure, creating new types of "riddims" (Dancehall Producers create instrumental tracks, over which different artists "toast."
Probablly the best known of the early Puerto Rican artists was "DJ Playero."
Although in the last 3 or 4 years the gentre evolved nicely the music became synonymous with repetitive beat structure and sexually explicit lyrics (not too creative)...and damn Rachamim!!! All that explainin' for what? Ain't ya' tired of spewing English??? Indeed I am, so I will close on THAT note...and pick it up at my leisure...(this shower sucks)...
Why pray tell am I in the South Bronx and NOT in Brooklyn where I live? I am at a baby shower for a friend of mine.
It is being held at the Mott Haven Community Center in the Mott Haven Housing Project (a "housing estate" as they say in England). A 60 year old gymnasium, small in size where I helped set up the folding tables and chairs, and carry in drinks, etc.
It is just beginning now, the DJ is setting up, and since these people are Puerto Ricans I am sure I will have a splitting headache in about 15 minutes. Reggaeton is "OK "...in very limited dosages. It should come with a fucken warning label: "WARNING: The sounds you are about to hear have made coyotes sterile."
Reggaeton is such an interesting genre (NOT). It began in Panama in Central America, in the "Canal Zone." The Zone is US territory that was SUPPOSED to revert to Panama, as Hong Kong did to China. When it became clear that former dictator Manuel Noriega would not be extending the US "lease" on the vital waterway he suddenly became a "dangerous" cocaine dealer (as opposed to the 90% of cocaine dealers who work with at least tacit approval of the US Government). Launching their he-man/woman hater military raid that merely caused old Manny, or "pineapple face" as some lovingly called him, take refuge in an embassy. The US then used the creme a la creme of intelligantsia to develop a sure fire strategy; To effect Mr. Noriega's voluntary surrender, the US would blast...MUZAK! "We've only just beeeeeeegun........."
The Canal was originally an American effort and lacking the manpower to construct it, the contractors began importing labour from the English speaking Carribean, primarily Jamaica.
Arriving at the turn of the 20th Century these arrivals, for the most part, stayed, though they made a real effort and for the most part married women from their home islands.
The result has been a unique ethnicty, 3rd generation Panamaian-Jamaicans who speak perfect Spanish with a very noticeable English accent accent (2nd such ethnicity in Hispano-America). These 3rd generation youth, in the eaely 1980s, began getting into the Dancehall Reggae so popular then (and now) in Jamaica.
Though almost all spoke English, it was as their 2nd language and many were frustrated by not being able to fully express themselves in lyrics.
They began "toasting" (Dancehall "rapping") in Spanish.
In 1985 the earliest "star" "El General" and the music gained notice in purely Spanish speaking speaking nations, including Puerto Rico. By 1996 Puerto Rico became the centre of an altogether new form of music.
Instead of simply using Spanish or even "Spanglish,"these new artists were changing the music's entire structure, creating new types of "riddims" (Dancehall Producers create instrumental tracks, over which different artists "toast."
Probablly the best known of the early Puerto Rican artists was "DJ Playero."
Although in the last 3 or 4 years the gentre evolved nicely the music became synonymous with repetitive beat structure and sexually explicit lyrics (not too creative)...and damn Rachamim!!! All that explainin' for what? Ain't ya' tired of spewing English??? Indeed I am, so I will close on THAT note...and pick it up at my leisure...(this shower sucks)...