The history of reggaeton

This is the definitive history of Reggaeton, the story of how a group of outcasts from the violent Caserios of Puerto Rico used their passion for music to turn a beat into a genre, a genre into a lifestyle, and a lifestyle into a global phenomenon.

Produced by Daddy Yankee, the documentary takes a chronological look at the genre’s origins, musical influences and social moment. Led by the Puerto Rican singer himself, this four-part production travels to the places where a group of young people began to meld and create new rhythms. From the creation and impact of Daddy Jankee’s first international hit “Gasolina” in 2004, to the expansion and international success of Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” in 2017, to the consolidation of reggaeton as a global phenomenon thanks to figures such as Bad Bunny and Karol G.

Through the testimonies of the genre’s most important singers, such as Yankee himself, Nicky Jam, J Balvin, Karol G, Bad Bunny, Ivy Queen and Rauw Alejandro, the documentary, which was broadcast on NBC, shows how reggaeton has gone from being a new underground rhythm created by young Puerto Ricans to a genre with its own identity that has become a global phenomenon.