Playero DJ /DJ Playero | |
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Birth name | Pedro Gerardo Torruellas Brito |
Also known as |
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Born | Neighborhood Villa Kennedy, Santurce, Puerto Rico | 2 November 1964
Genres | Reggaeton |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument | DJ mixer |
Years active | 1987–present |
Labels | |
Website |
Pedro Gerardo Torruellas Brito (born 2 November 1964), better known as Playero DJ, DJ Playero, Playe, Play, is a Puerto Rican DJ who was a key figure in the dissemination of reggaeton during its formative period in the 1990s in San Juan, Puerto Rico. [1] [2]
Beginning in the early 1990s, he intended to do what DJ Tony Touch was already doing in New York, who was releasing a series of mixtapes, mixing popular and classic songs off most known musical styles like Reggae, Hip Hop and House. It is rumored that Playero gained his name for always using colorful t-shirts that resembled the spirit of the Summer season, and people wore them when going to the beach and they were called "Summer T'shirts", which translated in Spanish would be "Camisas Playeras".
Though Playero's mixtapes presumably started in Number 1 and synthesized hip-hop and dancehall/reggae rhythms, it is not known that Volumes 1 to 33 do already exist. Playero #34 made its appearance on the Internet some years ago and it was heard by people around the world realizing that this mixtape was putting together dancehall, hip hop and Puerto Rican singers freestyling in Spanish-language.
These tape and the following 35 and 36 circulated around the barrios of San Juan and were highly influential upon the generation that would go on to define reggaeton in the coming decade. Most of these tapes were sold by Playero himself and the singers who had recorded in them. That's how Daddy Yankee got his start with DJ Playero, debuting on the mixtape Playero 34, which was recorded in a small studio in one of Puerto Rico's caseríos and was originally released sometime between 1992 to 1994. [3] It contained several jamaican dancehall songs which were mixed and edited like "Freaks" (Lil Vicious).
DJ Playero was an aspiring producer at the time, he worked in the first LP of The Pioneer Lisa M (Trampa 1990) and (No Lo Derrumbes 1990) 3-2 Get Funky (3-2 Get Funky, 1993; Return of the Funky Ones, 1994), Ranking Stone (Different Styles, 1995), Wiso G (Estoy Aqui, 1996), and Wendellman (Wendellman, 1996). During the late 1990s, as the proto-reggaeton style began to grow popular thanks to 'The Noise', a club-based collective that issued a long-running series of CDs. Playero en DVD: Su Trayectoria (2003) was the culmination of this activity, aiming to cement his legacy as one of the key reggaeton pioneers.[ citation needed ]
DJ Playero's 34 to 36 mixtape release dates range from around 1990-1991.
Reggaeton, is a modern style of popular music that originated in Puerto Rico during the late 1990s. It rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puerto Rican musicians. Reggaeton has been influenced by Panama's Spanish reggae, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puerto Rican musicians. It has been popularized and dominated by artists from Puerto Rico since the early 1990s.
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican former rapper who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina". Dubbed the "King of Reggaeton", he is often cited as an influence by other Hispanic urban performers. He retired on December 3, 2023, after completing his final stage performance on his "La Meta" tour in Puerto Rico.
Barrio Fino is the third studio album by Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee, released on July 13, 2004, in the United States by VI Music and El Cartel Records and internationally by Machete Music and Polydor Records. Released two years after his previous studio album, El Cangri.com (2002), the album was recorded in Puerto Rico between 2003 and 2004. It explores themes ranging from dance, sex, romance, introspection, and protest against political corruption and violence against women. Barrio Fino was instrumental in popularizing reggaeton in the mainstream market, enhancing Daddy Yankee's career, as well as cementing his status as one of the most successful Latin artists of the 2000s. The album is reported to have sold over 8 million copies in the world.
Oswald Priest, better known as Mad Lion, is a dancehall, ragga musician and rapper. He frequently collaborates with fellow hip hop artist KRS-One. His awards include the 1994 Source Award as Reggae Artist of the Year, and the 1995 Source Award as Reggae Hip-Hop Artist of the Year.
El Enemy de los Guasíbiri is the first compilation album by Tego Calderón. The album is considered to be an important factor to reggaeton's mainstream exposure in 2004 alongside Daddy Yankee's Barrio Fino and Ivy Queen's Diva. The title of the album is taken from a line in his 2003 song “Pa' que retozen. This production contains "Guasa Guasa Remix" with Voltio; one of the best 'tiraeras' from the history of reggaeton, for the Lito & Polaco and Pina Records. The album sold over 200,000 units in Puerto Rico and United States.
El Abayarde is the debut studio album by the Puerto Rican rapper Tego Calderón. It included the singles "Pa' Que Retozen", "Guasa Guasa" and "Al Natural". It was released in 2002 through White Lion Records selling over 50,000 copies its first week between Puerto Rico and some parts of the United States. It would eventually be internationally distributed by Sony BMG in 2003. The album sold 132,000 copies in the US and more than 350,000 copies worldwide. El Abayarde was nominated for a Lo Nuestro Award for Urban Album of the Year and Best Rap/Hip Hop Album in the 4th Latin Grammy Awards in 2003.
Playero 38 is DJ Playero's 2nd album, recorded sometime between July and August 1994. With the success of Playero 37: Underground, The Noise: Underground, The Noise Vol. 1 and The Noise Vol. 2 giving reggaeton great momentum, DJ Playero released Playero 38: Underground. It established the dembow as the official rhythm of reggaeton, while lifting the genre to mainstream status. However, as with Playero 37, many of the lyrics focus on promoting the use of marijuana, and this added to the negative perception the genre gained in its early stages. Consequently, the government of Puerto Rico confiscated thousands of reggaeton records, because of the lack of disclosure about their explicit content.
Bachatón is a fusion genre of reggaeton from Panama and Puerto Rico as well as bachata from the Dominican Republic. Bachaton combines bachata melodies and reggaeton style beats, lyrics, rapping, and disc jockeying. The word "bachatón" is a portmanteau of "bachata" and "reggaeton". "Bachatón" was coined and widely accepted in 2005. It is a subgenre of reggaeton and bachata.
Pina Records is a Puerto Rico-based record label founded by music producer Rafael "Raphy" Antonio Pina Nieves in 1996. Pina Records is one of the longest-running reggaetón record labels; in 2026, the label will celebrate its 30-year anniversary. One of the genre’s most successful labels, Pina Records' biggest artists include the likes of Daddy Yankee, Natti Natasha, Plan B and R.K.M & Ken-Y.
No Mercy is the debut studio album by Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee and was released in April 1995 by independent labels White Lion Records and BM Records. Daddy Yankee made the album alongside reggaeton pioneer DJ Playero. This album had rhythms of hip hop, reggae and dancehall. During this time, Daddy Yankee was known as "Winchesta 30-30" or "Winchesta Yankee". After his completion of No Mercy, he began to sell his cassettes in various stores and clubs, and performing for free in high school dances and private parties. After his mild success of No Mercy, many producers and artists began to work with him, taking then the name "Daddy Yankee".
Maicol & Manuel were a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo. They have their origins in the first wave of reggaeton artists as early as 1991. The duo have released countless songs on many various artists compilations. They worked with DJ Eric Industry and DJ Negro. In addition they have recorded and released albums such as Yakaleo and El Desquite.
White Lion Records is a reggaeton, Latin Music, Latín reggae and urbano record label established by Elías de León with the release of the album No Mercy by Daddy Yankee in 1995. The label would temporarily change its name to 'Boricua Guerrero' from 1996-2001 until reestablishing as White Lion Records with the releases of Maicol y Manuel's "Como En Los Tiempos De Antes" and the compilation "Planet Reggae" in 2002. As an independent label in 2003, it was selling over 100,000 copies of Tego Calderon's most recent album at the time; it soon after signed a distribution deal with Sony BMG.
Nelson Díaz Martinez, known professionally as DJ Nelson is a Puerto Rican DJ and record producer who played a significant role in the development and popularization of reggaeton. He first made a name for himself as part of the Noise, a club-centered collective that was spawned in 1994. The Noise—composed of DJs, MCs, producers, and club coordinators—hosted a long-lasting series of club nights in San Juan that were vital to the development and popularization of reggaeton. DJ Nelson earned credit as one of the top Noise DJs, and he also served as a producer and arranger for the collective's music.
The discography of Puerto Rican rapper, singer-songwriter and producer Daddy Yankee has released eight studio albums, two live albums, 111 singles, and one soundtrack. He made his debut on DJ Playero's Playero 34 mixtape, released in 1991. He was later featured on Playero's 37 and 38 albums, before releasing his first solo record in 1995, titled No Mercy. During the rest of the 1990s, he continued working on underground reggaeton records and released his first album as producer El Cartel de Yankee in 1997. After the release of his 2001 independent album El Cartel II: Los Cangris, he released his second studio album, El Cangri.com, in June 2002. It is cited as the record that made him notorious outside his natal Puerto Rico, being his music introduced in New York City and Miami. Without any major label backing him, El Cangri.com managed to peak at number 43 on the US Top Latin Albums chart. A track from the album, "Brugal Mix", became his first Billboard chart entry by peaking at number 40 on the US Tropical Songs chart in November 2002.
Playero 37 is DJ Playero's first studio album. It is considered a landmark album and influential in the creation of the music genre now known as "Reggaeton". The album was released in December of 1993. Playero recorded and mixed the album in one week inside his home located in Villa Kennedy, Puerto Rico. The album consists of fusions between Hip Hop and Jamaican Dancehall Riddims with Latino rappers rhyming over the beats in Spanish. The first pressing which is a rarity was released only in cassette tape. Around a few hundred original copies were sold while most people who received the initial version copied from those original tapes.
David Sánchez Badillo, known professionally as Tempo, is a Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter. He was the leading figure in the reggaeton scene from the late 1990s until his arrest in 2002. He was released in 2013 after spending 11 years in prison. Although Tempo had success during the emergence of reggaeton, his popularity faded following his imprisonment; he is nowadays regarded as a controversial figure within the genre.
Iván Manuel García de la Noceda Joy, known artistically as Ivan Joy, is the musical producer in the Latin American urban genre. In 2000 he established his label "Diamond Music", which is already 16 years in the process of distribution and creation of music products.
American singer Nicky Jam has released six studio albums, three compilation albums, one EP, one mixtape, and 30 singles as a lead artist.
Rafy Mercenario is a Puerto Rican reggaeton producer. He has produced hits for several artists including Tego Calderón, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Ivy Queen.
Vladimir Félix, known professionally as DJ Blass, is a Puerto Rican record producer. He has worked with renowned reggaeton artists such as Daddy Yankee, Nicky Jam, Jowell & Randy, Plan B and Wisin & Yandel. DJ Blass is a founding member of the Reggaeton Group @ria 51 whom created the style of music known as "Perreo" via their Reggaeton Sex productions.. DJ Blass is considered a pioneer in the development of the modern Reggaeton sound. He is noted for being among the first in bringing new fusions for the Reggaeton genre including influences from Electronic Music, Hip Hop, Dancehall Reggae and R&B. DJ Blass has produced renowned songs such as "Sientelo" by Lumidee & Speedy, "Latigazo" by Daddy Yankee, "Reggaeton" by J Balvin, "No Te Veo" by Casa De Leones, "Loco" from Jowell & Randy, "Dembow" by Yandel, "El Amor Con La Ropa" by Speedy and many others.