Res 0625-2026

Proposed Res No. 625-A Resolution declaring October as Reggaeton Heritage Month in the City of New York to honor the legacy of reggaeton as a prominent expression of Afro-Caribbean and Latin American identity and to recognize New York’s pivotal role in facilitating the blend of cultures that is at the heart of this grassroots musical genre By Council Members Louis, Farías and J. Sanchez Whereas, Reggaeton originated in the Afro-Caribbean community in Panama, many of whose members are descendants of migrant workers who built the Panama Canal; and Whereas, Starting in the late 1970s, artists in the community began adapting reggae music to the Spanish language, with MCs such as Leonardo Aulder (“Renato”), Carlos Lorenzo Miller, Jr. (“Calito Soul”), Jeffeth Donaldson (“Chicho Man”), and Edgardo Franco (“El General”) translating Jamaican dancehall lyrics into Spanish, eventually creating a new genre known as reggae en español; and Whereas, Around the same time, hip-hop culture was entering its “golden age” in the United States (U.S.), particularly in its birthplace, New York City (NYC); and Whereas, As reggae en español developed, its music became a vehicle for addressing the discrimination and marginalization faced by Afro-Caribbeans in Panama and for expressing cultural identity and experience, much as American hip-hop did in NYC; and Whereas, In the 1980s, both reggae en español and Spanish-language hip-hop became cultural phenomena in Puerto Rico, a synthesis of which soon emerged and became known as underground music; and Whereas, The nightclub scene in Puerto Rico became a music laboratory that was instrumental in cultivating the underground genre as future reggaeton giants like Daddy Yankee and Ivy Queen experimented with their music in clubs such as The Noise; and Whereas, Labeling underground music as obscene, immoral, and violent, Puerto Rican authorities began raiding record stores and confiscating tapes, as stories emerged of police fining motorists who played underground music in their cars; and Whereas, Meanwhile, underground music spread throughout the Caribbean diaspora; and Whereas, In 1985, El General, whose reggae en español tapes had inspired Puerto Rican artists in the early development of underground music, moved to Brooklyn, enrolled in Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York, and worked as a nightclub manager; and Whereas, While in NYC, El General immersed himself in the local dancehall and hip-hop scenes, working with local Caribbean producers to facilitate the fusion of different musical traditions, crafting the mixture of dancehall, reggae, and hip-hop that would soon be known as reggaeton at the turn of the 21st century; and Whereas, In the early 2000s, major record labels began signing reggaeton performers, and radio stations increased reggaeton programming; and Whereas, During this period which saw the formalization and the global explosion of the reggaeton genre, albums such as Tego Calderón’s El Abayard, Héctor & Tito’s A La Reconquista, and Daddy Yankee’s Barrio Fino were recorded and are now considered classics; and Whereas, Most notably, Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” became an instant hit and was the first reggaeton song to be nominated for the Latin GRAMMY Award for Record of the Year; and Whereas, After the initial boom of reggaeton’s popularity, interest in the genre plateaued until the advent of online music streaming in the 2010s, which made reggaeton more accessible to a global audience; and Whereas, In 2017, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee released the song “Despacito,” which became the most-streamed song within months; and Whereas, The release of “Despacito” renewed popular interest in not only reggaeton, but also Latin music generally, and the reggaeton genre has become a meeting point for various musical styles to fuse and reinvent themselves during the past decade; and Whereas, Artists who have adapted the genre in their creative work include Justin Bieber, Drake, Madonna, and more; and Whereas, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, commonly known as Bad Bunny, has become a formidable force in the renewal of reggaeton, as he has broken the dominance of the English language in the global music industry through his Spanish-only reggaeton artistry, which has made him an icon of Puerto Rican identity and culture; Whereas, Reggaeton continues to be a cultural phenomenon that unites artists and audiences from all different walks of life, cultural backgrounds, and diverse traditions, staying true to its roots while embracing NYC’s hip-hop influences; now therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York declares October as Reggaeton Heritage Month in the City of New York to honor the legacy of reggaeton as a prominent expression of Afro-Caribbean and Latin American identity and to recognize New York’s pivotal role in facilitating the blend of cultures that is at the heart of this grassroots musical genre. LS #25565 9/18/26