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 rapper and singer 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.
William Omar Landrón Rivera, known professionally as Don Omar, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is also known as the "King of Reggaeton" by music critics and fans alike. The artist was recognized by Billboard and Rolling Stone as one reggaeton legend. He is often cited as an influence by other Hispanic urban performers.
Las Guanábanas were a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo from Villas de Loíza, northeast Puerto Rico. Their names are Georgie and Joelito.
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.
The 18th Lo Nuestro Awards was held on February 23, 2006 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The nominees were announced on December 12, 2005, during a press conference televised live on the Univision Network morning show ¡Despierta América!. The show was co-hosted by René Strickler and Patricia Manterola.
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.
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.
Luny Tunes are a two-part producing group featuring Francisco Saldaña (Luny) and Víctor Cabrera (Tunes), which have produced many songs. Following is an incomplete list of almost every song they have produced.
Jowell & Randy are a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo composed of Joel Muñoz Martínez and Randy Ortiz Acevedo. The duo have been active since the early-2000s and have become one of the most popular acts in reggaeton. They have released three studio albums, five mixtapes and twenty-three singles as of June 2017. They were also members of the short-lived group Casa de Leones alongside J King & Maximan and Guelo Star. They became the first reggaeton acts to perform in the Principality of Monaco and the first reggaeton duo to do so in Australia.
Ñejo & Dálmata, also known as Ñejo y Dálmata, are a reggaeton duo from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Ñejo was born June 20, 1975 & Dálmata was born February 27, 1979. They had worked together in collaborations with other reggaeton artists before they released their duo album Broke & Famous in 2007 which peaked at 8 on the 'Billboard Latin Rhythms Albums Chart" and at 9 on the "Top Heatseekers Chart", as well as a number of their singles also charting on Billboard.
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 1992. 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.
Pedro Gerardo Torruellas Brito, 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.
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 R.K.M & Ken-Y, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Ivy Queen.
Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee has released 98 music videos and one film. His first music videos were directed for various underground mixtapes during the 1990s decade, in which he appeared as a guest artist. No videos were filmed for his debut studio album No Mercy (1995). Three clips were filmed for his second studio album El Cangri.com (2002), including "Latigazo", directed by Puerto Rican rapper and producer Eddie Dee, which introduced his music in New York City and Miami in the United States. In 2002, he made a brief appearance in the documentary Big Pun: Still Not a Player.
