Mujeres en reggaetón / Women in Reggaetón

What is Reggaetón?

Reggaetón is a Latin urban music which draws roots from “Jamaican dancehall, Panamanian reggae, Spanish hip-hop from New York City, Puerto Rican underground music, and has been generally regarded as cultural trash by the state, the majority of intellectuals, and most of the so-called general public because of its association with the lower classes, focus on sex(ual acts) with women, and perreo dancing” (in-between, 2014). In my own words Reggaetón is a genre in music intended to get you moving and having a good time but can also be problematic and misogynistic.

Where it all began

From the beginning the Urban Music category in the Latinx community has always been predominantly male. The first female to break into the Latinx Urban Music category was Ivy Queen, an iconic female artist that set the stage and opened doors for other aspiring female artists in the urban category and for future generations to come. She made sure to be known and continues to be known for women empowerment and embracing oneself as is without conforming to the standards men set on women. Ivy Queen had her break through with her hit single “Quiero Bailar” in 2003. She was ridiculed and judged for thinking she had a chance at making any progress in a man’s world but little did they know the star she’d become. After Ivy Queen came Lisa M with her hit single “Hey Ladies” in 2006. Both Ivy Queen and Lisa M weren’t the only ones active but they were at the top due to their unprecedented success. In the same time frame of the early 2000’s Nina Sky, Jenny La Sexi Voz and Natti Natasha were gaining popularity thus making them a part of the “OG Latinas in reggaetón” along with some other women mentioned in the online article (HipLatina, 2019).

Reggaetón back then (in the early 2000’s) was a way for women to show that they were much more than what the men in music made them out to be. These women took the very thing that belittled them down to a piece of meat and made it their own. In a sense they took back the power and are still fighting to be seen as equal and be treated as such inside and outside the industry. Now we have Latina urban artists that are able to get in the door with a little more ease if any because 20 years have passed since the first female set foot in the spotlight and there are still men in the industry at all levels forcing doors to close on the women that “their” music industry is based off of. Today we have artists like Becky G which had her break through with “Mayores” in 2017 partly because Bad Bunny was featured. But then she released “Sin Pijama” in 2018 where Natti Natasha and “OG” was featured and that single ended up becoming her 2nd biggest hit with over one billion views on the music video validating her power to the masses. Then there’s Rosalia which had her break through with “Malamente” in 2018. Other women in this category are Bad Gyal, Karol G, Paloma Mami, Anitta, Cazzu, Farina and Mariah Angeliq to name a few (Ciro, n.d.). These women are the new generation and are still fighting the battle of being taken seriously and to be brutally honest are still fighting the battle of being able to have as much success as their male colleagues. I personally find it really messed up how most male rappers will use their female colleagues in a song as a feature because it’ll help with streams and numbers but don’t hold the same energy towards these women when it comes to admitting that women are also capable of accomplishing the same things as them and if not the same more because to them the female artists are simply “in over their heads” or “‘tan locas”.

Double Standard / Machismo

In any industry there is sure to be a double standard and silencing of voices and perspectives but there is quite nothing like the silencing of the women’s voice in a workplace as hostile as a male dominated industry in an already male dominated culture like the Latin world. I would like to make clear that I’m not simply talking about a shush here and there, I’m referring to the hostility that occurs because 1) the women were born female and 2) because of the machismo and misogynistic morals and beliefs that the Latin culture is built on and has therefore allowed for men to thrive and women to support the men who thrive (Saeed, 2018), (in-between, 2014).

Saeed, 2018 video

As an example of what both the article and video mentioned I will refer to an interview of Becky G vs Machista. In the interview which was streamed on Instagram live and then screen recorded and uploaded to YouTube by BANGTAN DEAN, Becky G is having to explain a lyric with double meaning to a very close-minded man. Another commentator/ interviewer in the small radio room asked her about lyrics from her song “Mayores” and how she feels putting that into the world and the response is positive. The female interviewer was proud that Becky was speaking her truth and publicly saying through her song “Mayores” that she too can have and desire whatever she wants from a sexual standpoint just like male artists do it in their songs. The machista man tells her, “You have to be conservative, the woman has to respect herself and make others respect her…as a man, when a man falls he falls standing up but when a woman falls she falls stays laying down, they’re going to depreciate her for being a woman and acting like that in this world” (elzol1067fm, 2017). Becky obviously defends her stand point and even tells him that she makes all kinds of content because as the oldest sister of 4 kids she wants to be able to be respectful to her young crowd hence her part in a kid’s movie but that doesn’t and shouldn’t stop her from growing as a woman and artist in her craft which just so happens to be for a mature audience. He still doesn’t budge and insists that she is wrong. This isn’t the only interview that has gone this route for her and many female urban artists.

Becky G vs Machista

Gap difference in income/ credit distribution (algorithms & contracts)

The financial gap that occurs between the male and female urban artists is a ripple in the chain of events that start with the way in which the executives of record label companies choose to not prioritize and not recognize the value of the female artist and her work. It’s disturbing to know that a female urban artist gets less recognition even though she does more and solely because she is a woman. It’s frustrating to be honest. BUT I will let Rosalia and Pharell explain it through their interview with Billboard, as they are industry experts and she is one of many female artists that fall victim to the inequality in the Latin music industry (Cobo, 2020).

(start at 8’ 44” – 17’ 9”)

What the women have contributed to the genre

Women in reggaetón have always been around but never acknowledged. They are used for views and an “aesthetic” that only adds to the misogyny and sexualization that male urban artists take advantage of. Because these male artists are known to have dozens of half-naked women in their videos and performances but how many women are present on that same song as an artist. Hell, they don’t even bother to give credit to the modeling and dancing talents in their videos.

It boils my blood because women like the ones listed above have had to fight to let their voices be heard let alone be taken into consideration and be listened to like actually listened to. It’s been decades of women that had the drive, work ethic and determination to be where they’re at today once again having to fight for their voices to be heard. And it’s been the past couple of generations of Latin women in general that have challenged the machista standards that have become the norm in the Latin culture.

How women that listen to reggaetón are perceived

Latin Urban music and reggaetón in general are known to be profanity driven and sexual and while being a part of the culture and having every right to be out going and a form of expression there comes a point where the male people don’t like, belittle and shame the women that listen and enjoy the genre just as much as them if not more. Because to them, the males, the woman should only be talked about or in this case rapped and sang about in vulgar ways without actually having her act like the lyrics suggests. Yet they expect a “lady in the streets but a freak in the sheets”. It’s all based on misogynistic ideas and beliefs because if a woman can’t embrace herself in all aspects of her sexuality due to men not wanting her to because it makes them feel uncomfortable then they shouldn’t include such ideas into their artistry. Like hello women’s sole purpose is not to please men when, wherever and however they wish. The highly unbelievable yet unsurprising thing is that these men that support Latin urban music and are die-hard fans are the same ones that shame women for going against their misogynistic beliefs and machismo because that’s what this all comes down to. It comes down to it being okay for a woman to be naked in a music video and on-stage during performances just as long as it’s not “their woman” because in the world of machismo men own women. The fact that men hold a higher position and value than women in the Latin music community and world is not a new fact but is indeed outdated, wrong and needs to change.

How the face of reggaetón change if there were no women involved

To put it simply reggaetón wouldn’t be where it’s at if it weren’t for the women. There would be less views, less “hype”, without the sexualization of women in lyrics and on screen reggaetón would be lucky to be in the top 20 let alone to be in the top 10. The act of a women showing flesh and being promiscuous is what gave reggaetón its popularity. The fact that an idolized male could “get” any girl or make any girl be seen as “easy” because he has such power between his legs is what gives reggaetón an “edge”. But the women are what make reggaetón.

Bad Bunny speaks up!

A male artist that has taken the industry by storm and challenged the misogynistic and machista culture is none other than Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny is at his peak right now as he rightfully says so in one of his songs that forms part of his album that he just won a Grammy for during the 2021 Grammys in the category for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album, YHLQMDLG, meaning “Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana” translating to I do whatever I want. But Bad Bunny hasn’t let his praise and attention for being such a great male artist get in the way of vocalizing the social injustice present in the Latino and reggaetón community. He has taken on the challenge of going against the norms through his fashion sometimes painting his nails, wearing unconventional clothing to the typical men’s fashion and the best of all is giving women the recognition they deserve and the sense of knowing that they are backed up by the top reggaetón artist of today. He took it as far as making a song titled “Yo Perreo Sola”. The title roughly translates to I party on my own but a much more vulgar version due to the sexual tension the song itself holds. The perspective is that of a man and woman where the woman is repeatedly saying “I party on my own” and the male, Bad Bunny, at the beginning says “Que ningun baboso se le pegue” meaning Perverts don’t get near her (Bad Bunny- Yo Perreo Sola (English Translation), 2020). He then produced an amazing and inspiring video for “Yo Perreo Sola” and due to its content, he received massive back lash from the machista minded both women and men because yes, machismo also exists in the female community. The backlash was due to his role in the video and his fashion choices which he took the liberty of fully embodying a woman that dances on her own as vulgar as she wants and still not asking for it (Bunny, 2020). He even received “thirst” comments of sexual and vulgar nature just like a woman would, how ironic. His fashion which can also be considered drag wear was complained about because it made him “less of a man” and showed the world that he isn’t “taking himself seriously” through the eyes of many. But on the other hand, it was received very well by many female followers and fans gaining millions of views and going viral because of the statement made at the end of the video. The statement says “SI NO QUIERE BAILAR CONTIGO, RESPETA, ELLA PERREA SOLA.”, meaning if she doesn’t want to dance with you, respect her, she party’s alone.

The female acceptance upon receiving the last statement made in the video somehow managed to infuriate the machista even more which only makes me laugh because they really think they own it all. I can only think of one reason why they were and still are so bothered by a woman owning herself through and through and a man supporting women like her. The reason being that the majority of the females that approved and were proud of the message Bad Bunny was sending out into the world through his artistry were younger and from the past two generations with of course others form generations further back. But this goes to show how much the “culture” will resist change and letting go of misogynistic beliefs and ideals and instead come up with excuses and words full of ignorance. His fans only made the opposing side feel worse because they embraced it as an anthem of woman empowerment which he said is what it stands for because he himself believes women have the right to say no and still have fun and that just makes them more bitter lol.

Closing

I express myself in such matter because I myself am a fan of urban music and the women in reggaetón that are giving women outside of the industry the confidence and almost the green light to fight back and know that there is a fight to be fought and not let us sink deeper into the male driven world without thinking about ourselves before them for once. So, yes, I critique a genre I love because it is capable of doing so much more and uplifting the women of our world just as much as it elevates the male’s ego.

(4 min.) Quick Clip: Women in Reggaetón