News: Reggaeton

Recently, in doing the research for a major project now being planned for implementation in 2006, my team did an informal representative poll on popular knowledge of the historical spiritual leader of the Haitian revolution, a Jamaican known as Boukman Dutty; the numerous Jamaican settlements spread throughout Latin America; the extent of the spread, perpetuation and influence of Jamaican mento music on newer musical genres of the region.

The results were quite discouraging. It was also indicative of the Northern orientation and slant of our press, educational institutions and current cultural impulses.

Even more pronounced in our feedback however, was the almost total lack of popular knowledge among Jamaicans of the latest musical genre taking Europe, North America, South and Central America by storm, right under our noses- reggaeton. Bewilderingly, this is so even though this new form and style has very strong dancehall roots and the drum pattern adopted for most of its original tunes is a direct copy of Shabba Ranks' hit tune Dem Bow. So much so that at its genesis the genre was actually known as 'Dem Bow'.

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