Reggaeton, is a modern style of popular and electronic music that originated in Panamá during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puerto Rican musicians. It has evolved from dancehall, with elements of hip hop, Latin American, and Caribbean music. Vocals include toasting/rapping and singing, typically in Spanish.
Blue in the Face is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. It stars Harvey Keitel leading an ensemble cast, including Giancarlo Esposito, Roseanne Barr, Michael J. Fox, Lily Tomlin, Victor Argo, Mira Sorvino, Lou Reed, Keith David, Jim Jarmusch, Jared Harris, RuPaul, and Madonna.
King of New York is a 1990 neo-noir crime film directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John. It stars Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Victor Argo and Wesley Snipes, with supporting roles played by Giancarlo Esposito, Steve Buscemi, Paul Calderón, Janet Julian and Theresa Randle. Walken portrays Frank White, a New York City drug kingpin rebuilding his criminal empire after his release from prison, while also attempting to go legitimate.
Las Guanábanas were a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo from Villas de Loíza, northeast Puerto Rico. Their names are Georgie and Joelito.
Wisin & Yandel was a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in the late 1990s and have been together until 2022 when they announced their separation, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the only reggaeton artists to win one. In late 2013, they announced they would take a pause in their career as a duo, after their Líderes Tour. In a 2014 interview with People en Español, Yandel confirmed that the group would not be disbanding. In February 2018, following a five-year hiatus, the duo announced they would be reuniting, and are set to embark on a world tour, as well as release new music. They sold over 15 million records.
Empire is a 2002 American gangster film written and directed by Franc. Reyes. It stars John Leguizamo, Peter Sarsgaard, Denise Richards, Sônia Braga, Isabella Rossellini, Fat Joe, and Treach. The film premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and was given a theatrical release on December 6, 2002.
Derailed is a 2005 American crime thriller film directed by Mikael Håfström and written by Stuart Beattie, based on the 2003 novel of the same name by James Siegel. Starring Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Melissa George, Giancarlo Esposito, David Morrissey, RZA, and Xzibit, the film follows Charles Schine and Lucinda Harris who are having an extramarital affair and are assaulted and robbed by Philippe LaRoche in a hotel room. When LaRoche later threatens to kill Charles's family unless he pays him a ransom, Charles finds himself the victim of a conspiracy.
Talento de barrio is a film released on October 10, 2008, by Maya Entertainment, starring Daddy Yankee. The film was directed by José Iván Santiago, and written by George Rivera and Ángel M. Sanjurjo, with additional material by Edgar Soberón Torchia. It was also the first movie Daddy Yankee co-produced. In the United States it was a major success, although it was not launched in all the country. It was shown in the major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and some parts of New Jersey.
The Puerto Rican Day Parade takes place annually in the United States along Fifth Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The parade is held on the second Sunday in June, in honor of the 3.2 million inhabitants of Puerto Rico and all people of Puerto Rican birth or heritage residing on the U.S. mainland. The parade attracts many celebrities, both Puerto Rican and of Puerto Rican heritage, and many politicians from the Tri-State area. It is the only Latino heritage parade that takes place on iconic 5th Avenue and is the oldest and longest running Latino heritage parade in all of the city.
José "Coquito" López Rosario was a Puerto Rican drug dealer and kingpin as well as a mafia boss. Lopez Rosario's death caused a scandal in Puerto Rico because of his alleged ties to prominent politicians. José was the boss of one of the 3 families that compose the Puerto Rican mafia. He was actually the founder of the López Rosario family named after him. There was also Quitoni a.k.a. El Gran who was the Top Boss of the Puerto Rican mafia. As well as the leader of the Vega Family named after its leader Ivan Vega. These men formed the Puerto Rican mafia that José was a part of.
El Cantante is a 2006 biographical film which stars singers Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. The film is based on the life of the late salsa singer Héctor Lavoe, who is portrayed by Anthony. The film is told from the viewpoint of Puchi, Hector's wife, portrayed by Lopez. Initially debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2006, El Cantante was released on August 3, 2007.
Alexis & Fido, a.k.a. Los Pitbulls, Los Reyes Del Perreo, are a reggaeton duo from Puerto Rico. They are CEOs and co-founders of Wild Dogz Music. In 2008, Sobrenatural was nominated for Album Urbano. In 2012, "Energía" was nominated for Canción Urbana. In 2013, "Rompe la Cintura" was nominated for – Interpretación Urbana. Nominated for the 2014 awards, "Álbum Urbano" with La Esencia.
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.
Salsa is a 1988 romance film directed by Boaz Davidson and starring Robby Rosa, Rodney Harvey, Angela Alvarado and Miranda Garrison. The film, about a Puerto Rican dancer who decides to enter a salsa dancing contest, earned a Razzie Award nomination for Rosa as Worst New Star.
Mary Lisa (Marlisa) Marrero Vázquez better known by her stage name Lisa M, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, dancer, record producer, and global DJ. She is known as the first female rapper artist to debut in Latin America. In 2019, Billboard identified her as one of the leading women performers in the Latin urban genre, along with Glory, Ivy Queen, Natti Natasha, and Karol G.
Poker Night, released in the UK as The Joker, is a 2014 crime thriller film that was written and directed by Greg Francis. Released to video on demand on 5 December 2014, it had a limited theatrical release on 20 December. Filmed in British Columbia, Poker Night centers on a rookie detective who attends an annual poker night held by veteran police officers, where each one details how they captured a murder suspect.
"Te Guste" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican-American pop singer Jennifer Lopez and Puerto Rican reggaetón/urbano artist Bad Bunny. It was written by Lopez, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Xavier Semper and Edgar Semper, Luian Malavé, Edgar Andino, Noah Assad, Juan Frias, Héctor Ramos and Armando Lozano. The song was released as a single on November 9, 2018.
Mary is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Michael Goi and written by Anthony Jaswinski. It stars Gary Oldman, Emily Mortimer, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Stefanie Scott, Chloe Perrin, Douglas Urbanski, Jennifer Esposito, and Owen Teague.
The Premios Tu Música Urbano is a music industry awards ceremony presented by television network Telemundo Puerto Rico to recognize artists who "transcended and boosted the success of Latin urban music around the world" for the past year. The show has been held annually at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, since 2019, produced by Telemundo, Sora & Company and Mr. & Mrs. Entertainment, and broadcast by Telemundo Puerto Rico and by Telemundo. The awards were founded after an obvious lack of recognition of reggaetón, urbano and Latin trap artists was observed at the Latin Grammy Awards, as well as the (former) absence of any Latin urbano/reggaetón categories at the American Grammy Awards. Both organizations have since expanded their representation and categories.
