Perspectives on Reggaeton
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Perspectives on reggaeton Edited by Vigimaris Nadal-Ramos and Dorsía Smith Silva 6 & 7 April 2016 College of General Studies University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................................3 More than Just a Beat: The Phenomenon of Reggaetón............................................................................8 Pal Mundo: el mundo académico ante el reggaetón de los noventas pa’ acá...........................................18 Acumulación Subalterna: Cultura, Clase, Raza y Reggaetón..................................................................26 Entre Cacos y Jípsters..............................................................................................................................39 Barruntos de salsa, reggaetón y calles (lindas): Márgenes y coincidencias en las propuestas de Gallego y Pirulo y la Tribu....................................................................................................................................46 Acelerando la femenidad en el reggaetón: La chapa que vibran de La Materialista...............................59 Rethinking Hip-Hop ED Through Intersectional Collective Identities....................................................67 Estrategias lingüísticas empleadas por los raperos /reguetoneros puertorriqueños.................................76 El ritmo y discurso del reggaetón en Guaya guaya de Rafael Acevedo.................................................102 Representando al ‘Barrio Fino’: un análisis del video musical de Gasolina..........................................109 Bibliographies of the Contributors.........................................................................................................117 Introduction The Perspectives on Reggaetón Symposium started when Dr. Catherine Marsh Kennerley, Professor Vigimaris Nadal-Ramos, and Dr. Dorsía Smith Silva, professors in the College of General Studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras decided to conduct a presentation on reggaetón on November 4, 2015. The presentation examined reggaetón and women, reggaetón and Ivy Queen, reggaetón and its international popularity, the history of reggaetón, popular reggaetón artists, reggaetón and sexuality, and reggaetón and salsa. After the presentation, Dr. Marsh Kennerley, Professor Nadal-Ramos, and Dr. Smith Silva held a question and answer session. During this session, several audience members expressed interest in learning more about reggaetón. They inquired about having another presentation and exhorted the activity be open to the larger academic community at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras and the general public as well. Buoyed by this great enthusiasm in the subject matter of reggaetón, Professor Vigimaris Nadal-Ramos and Dr. Dorsía Smith Silva decided to continue the discussion and have the First Perspectives on Reggaetón Symposium on April 6-7, 2016. The purpose was to have a forum, in which reggaetón could be explored in a variety of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary disciplines, such as history, culture, race, social class, and gender. The pioneering event attracted presenters from a diverse array of independent scholars and scholars that represented the following academic institutions: University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras; University of Puerto Rico, Cayey; University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo; University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez; University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón; University of Texas, Columbia University, and Northwestern University. Attendees at the First Perspectives on Reggaetón Symposium also came from various locations, including Ponce, Puerto Rico; New York, France, and Chicago. In the two-day event, over 800 attendees filled the seats of the amphitheater. The First Perspectives on Reggaetón Symposium had seven panels: 1) Race, Culture, and 3 PERSPECTIVES ON REGGAETON Class in Reggaetón; 2) Matándolos con el “Boom Boom”: Reggaetón’s Discourse on Puerto Rican Society; 3) Reggaetón and Musical Connections; 4) Reggaetón: Legitimacy and Influence; 5) Explorations of Education, Gender, and Creativity; 6) Language and Reggaetón; 7) Reggaetón Representations and Identities: Videos, Acting, and Literature. In addition, Professor Nadal- Ramos and Dr. Smith Silva conducted a roundtable presentation entitled, “Exploring Reggaetón.” Throughout these panels and roundtable presentation, many salient themes and theories used for the analysis of reggaetón, such as literary and feminist theory, were examined. For several members of the audience, this was their first time interpreting reggaetón and assessing the critical issues about reggaetón in an academic setting. In fact, some were astounded at the existing scholarship on reggaetón and sought more information on the various texts about reggaetón: Reggaeton (1995) edited by Raquel Z. Rivera, Wayne Mashall, and Deborah Pacini Hernandez, The Reggaeton Phenomenon (2007) by Carlos Velasquez, and Remixing Reggaetón: The Cultural Politics of Race in Puerto Rico (2015) by Petra Rivera- Rideau. As the first academic activity on reggaetón at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, the symposium was the revolutionary catalyst that engaged people to analyze reggaetón through multiple representations, including cross-cultural, creative, and artistic explorations. Due to this profound engagement, many media outlets expressed interest in the groundbreaking Perspectives on Reggaetón Symposium. Professor Nadal-Ramos and Dr. Smith Silva were interviewed by several reporters and newspapers articles about the First Perspectives on Reggaetón Symposium appeared in various outlets: “University of Puerto Rico to Hold First Reggaeton Symposium”; “Reggaeton is the subject of first scholarly event about the genre in Puerto Rico”; “El Reggaetón reclama su espacio en la academia”; “Simposio de reguetón se realizará en Puerto Rico”; “Expertos analizan la aportación cultural, creativa y artística del reguetón”; “Analizarán el Reggaetón en la UPR”; “Expertos analizan en Puerto Rico aporte cultural, creativo y artístico de reguetón”; “Primer simposio de reggeaton tratará el sexismo en sus letras”; “Discutirán los aspectos culturales y figura de la mujer en el reguetón”; “La fusíon es y será clave en la pervivencia del reguetón, según expertos”; and “¿Cuál es el aporte cultural del reguetón?”. 4 PERSPECTIVES ON REGGAETON The selected essays in this text embody the rich diversity presented at the conference: “Pal Mundo: el mundo académico ante el reggaetón de los noventas pa’ acá” by Mell Rivera Díaz, “Acumulación subalterna: Cultura, clase, raza y reggaetón” by Angel Rodriguez, “Entre Cacos y Jípsters” by Guillermo R. Gil, “Barruntos de salsa, reggaetón y calles (lindas): márgenes y coincidencias en las propuestas de Gallego y Pirulo y la Tribu” by Mildred Candelario- Rodríguez , “Representando al ‘Barrio Fino’: un análisis del video musical de Gasolina” by Omar Ruiz, “Acelerando la femenidad en el reggaetón: La chapa que vibran de La Materialista” by Verónica Dávila, “Rethinking Hip-Hop ED Through Intersectional Collective Identities” by William Garcia, “Estrategias lingüísticas empleadas por los raperos /reguetoneros puertorriqueños” by Doris Martínez, “El ritmo y discurso del reggaetón en Guaya guaya de Rafael Acevedo” by Alexandra Pagan Velez, and “El reggaetón y sus actores: Una mirada desde las mediaciones” by Olga Vega Fontánez. In addition, they illuminate issues concerning reggaetón and the range of qualitative and quantitative research approaches regarding the frameworks of exploring reggaetón. By crossing interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary boundaries and approaches, these essays extend our knowledge on reggaetón and encourage new pathways of research on reggaetón. In organizing the Symposium and this publication, Professor Nadal-Ramos and Dr. Smith Silva sought to bring the discussion of reggaetón to the table as it has become not only a musical genre but a movement that has had worldwide reach and acceptance. A young genre that began as underground has become mainstream in a little over two decades of existence. As academics, they felt as though the phenomenon merits study and discussion that includes the genre itself as well as its contributions to culture. Furthermore, these efforts have taken a look at what the genre represents for Puerto Rico, from the eyes of its residents, its diaspora, as well as how other countries see Puerto Rico. As a result of the Symposium, the Bachelor’s Program at the College of General Studies approved a seminar course titled “Perspectives on Reggaetón” which was offered for the first time during the Fall Semester of the 2016-2017 academic year by Professor Nadal-Ramos and Dr. Smith Silva. The course explored the musical connections between genres, reggaetón artists 5 PERSPECTIVES ON REGGAETON and song lyrics, as well as elements of race, culture, gender, and language present in reggaetón. Students researched several aspects of reggaetón and presented posters of their visual interpretation of reggaetón which included attire, dance moves, and material possessions, among other elements. The final presentation during the course aimed at having each pair of students become an expert on a particular artist. In analyzing that artist, students presented their musical traJectory, personal lives, and analyzed some of the lyrics. In the end, students were able to apply critical thinking to their analysis of the musical