Music

Songs such as 'Gasolina' fuel the Reggaetón craze

It's hot outside Paradox on a Friday night, but it's about to get even hotter inside.

DJ Baby G fires up another track on the turntables, and eyes light up as ears recognize a new, but distinct sound: Spanish rapping paired with an up-tempo, drum machine-manufactured dancehall beat. The 4/4 rhythm bounces with syncopated snare hits and a steady, low kick drum.

Singles and couples take the floor, pressing flesh against flesh. As they bump and grind, they sing along to the song's infectious refrain: "A ella le gusta la gasolina! Dame más gasolina!"

It's Daddy Yankee's "Gasolina," the new anthem of a rapidly rising genre — reggaetón.

Because of Daddy Yankee's quick-fire rapping in the song's verses, or perhaps because of his heavy Puerto Rican accent and penchant for Boricuan slang, those words might be the only ones the dancers know (or can decipher).

Andrew Loehman FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN When DJ Baby G spins reggaetón – a mix of hip-hop and dancehall beats – at the Paradox, revelers crowd the dance floor.

"Reggaetón is definitely party music," says DJ Baby G, one of the first Austin DJs to spin reggaetón. "The delivery of the lyrics, the bass line and the drums make you want to move."

In the early 1990s, Panamanian artists began performing the first Spanish reggae by combining Jamaican reggae songs with the original lyrics translated into Spanish. Artists like El General and Nando Boom soon were putting Spanish reggae on the map with their own tracks.

At the same time, American rap and hip-hop were flourishing in the Puerto Rican underground. Before long, Boricuan artists were fusing hip-hop, Spanish reggae and Jamaican dancehall with elements of salsa, merengue and bachata to create an original sound they could claim as their own.

Reggaetón was born, quickly spreading across the barrios of Puerto Rico, where urban youths latched on to the music's danceable rhythms and grimy lyrics about sex, dancing and life on the streets.

The sounds of reggaetón refused to be confined to the geographical boundaries of the Puerto Rican island, making their way last year into clubs in East Coast cities with large Puerto Rican and Cuban communities, namely New York and Miami.

Last year, Queens-based rapper N.O.R.E. scored reggaetón's first crossover hit with "Oye Mi Canto." The single peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's single sales chart despite its initial vinyl-only release, a testament to the track's popularity with club DJs.

But it wasn't until earlier this year that reggaetón made its presence known across the U.S., when Daddy Yankee's "Gasolina," the first single from his album "Barrio Fino," began blasting out of car stereos and nightclub sound systems from coast to coast. Unlike other reggaetón hits that feature Spanish and English rapping, "Gasolina's" rhymes are strictly in Spanish, making the single's success even more remarkable.

Almost overnight, "Gasolina" invaded mainstream radio and, in the process, expanded reggaetón beyond its predominantly Puerto Rican and Cuban fanbase. Just as quickly, Daddy Yankee soared from San Juan street hero to international reggaetón superstar. In May, "Barrio Fino" reached platinum status, opening the doors for artists such as Tego Calderón, Don Omar and Ivy Queen who previously had achieved only regional success.

"It's the buzz on the streets," says Thomas Hernandez, owner of Turntable Records. "We have to make sure we always have it in stock. You know something's up when you have three or four people a day asking for it."

Mainstream artists are jumping on the reggaetón bandwagon in hopes of riding the wave before it crashes. Reggaetón versions of hit songs like Fat Joe's "Lean Back" and Ciara's "1, 2 Step" are commonly released. Colombian-born rump-shaker Shakira's latest single "La Tortura" (from her new album "Fijación Oral") has a reggaetón-influenced rhythm. P. Diddy and Cuban rapper Pitbull recently launched the Bad Boy Latino label and are looking to scoop up unsigned talent.

Radio stations in metropolitan areas such as New York, Los Angeles and Houston are converting to the new Hurban (which stands for "Hispanic urban") format, which consists of reggaetón, rap and hip-hop with a Latin flair. Austin doesn't yet have its own Hurban station, but reggaetón has seeped into the playlists of local hip-hop stations Hot 93.3 and the Beat 104.3 as well as regional Mexican station Exitos 98.9 and Spanish pop-dominated Digital 104.9.

The reggaetón phenomenon has hit the local clubs too. Friday nights at Zocalo on East Riverside Drive are known for their reggaetón dance contests. DJ Baby G, who can be heard early mornings on Hot 93.3, spins reggaetón alongside hip-hop on Friday nights at Paradox. And Copa's first-Saturday-of-the-month "Ring the Alarm" blowout now features more reggaetón after starting out as a reggae party.

Will it last?

"People said hip-hop wouldn't last and it's still around," says 22-year-old Crystal Dominguez as she bobs her head to the beat. "I think reggaetón's gonna be around for a while too."

pgomez@statesman.com; 445-1720