I was discussing reggaeton music with my friends today. Reggaeton, a relatively new genre of music that is heavily influenced by hip hop, rap, Caribbean, and Latin American music, used to be ubiquitous: from music videos on the Music Television Channel (MTV), FM radio stations in cars, and even as cellular phone ringtones. But seems that it no longer is as big as a genre as it was five years ago. Below is what I wrote about the music a couple of years back:
Reggaeton music, besides placing importance on capitalism and materialism, is gender exclusive and degrades women. Race and gender intersect in hip hop culture as well as reggaeton culture; the music enforces a “masculine space” at its foundation, thus excluding women.
Misogyny and the subjugation of women is seen in several songs by prominent mainstream reggaeton artists and groups, like Don Omar , Daddy Yankee, and Wisin & Yandel. For example, in Don Omar’s song “Dale Don Más Duro,” he repeatedly raps “Entonces, mami, tu quieres más duro/ (Dale, Don, dale, Don, mas duro!)/ Tu quieres, mami que te pegue al muro?”. The song title translates to “Give it to her harder, Don.” The lyrics translate to “So, baby, you want it harder?/ ([response:] harder, harder, harder, Don, more hard!)/ Do you want me to hit you against the wall(s)?” His continual prompts to want to hit women, whether physically or sexually, show his constant oppression of them. The woman’s response, clearly manipulated and controlled by him, presents a submissive message to its female listeners, forcing them to obey their male counterparts.
Similarly, Daddy Yankee’s hit song “Gasolina” could be interpreted as an extended metaphor for women’s sexual desire for men’s reproductive fluids. Like “Dale Don Más Duro,” Daddy Yankee’s song repeats, “A ella le gusta la gasolina/ (dame más gasolina)/ Como le encanta la gasolina (dame más gasolina).” This translates to “She likes ‘gasoline’/ Give more ‘gasoline’/ She loves the ‘gasoline’/ Give me more ‘gasoline.’” Again, Daddy Yankee’s control of what he wants to include in his lyrics demonstrates a constant sexual degradation of women.
Finally, in Wisin & Yandel’s song “Mirala Bien” (this translates to “Look at her right.”) they speak about a woman that is well-known for her dancing abilities around town. However, because she penetrates into the male sphere by not upholding traditional Latino female ideals of respectable behavior, she is seen as a whore. As such, they feel they can degrade her by mandating “A esa tu le sueltas el pelo/ Y se lo jalas también… (Ehh!).” This means “To that one (the whore), you can let her hair down/ And you can pull it, too.”
All three well-known reggaeton artists or groups – Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, and Wisin & Yandel – send a similar message: misogyny and female subjugation is the accepted norm. Unfortunately, this message is being internalized by its major consumers, urban youth, who will continue the trend of female oppression. That is, unless reggaeton lyrics begin to change.
