Puerto Rican Festival

April 21, 2005
By Alvaro Macias
Staff Writer

There is no doubt about it, reggaeton is spreading like wild fire throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world.  Reggaeton is a relatively new genre of music that takes from reggae, hip-hop, dancehall, salsa and other Caribbean sounds to create rhythmic, hypnotic beats that are hard to resist.  The music and style come from the little island of Puerto Rico, which can be considered the heart of reggaeton. It originated from Panama where Jamaicans working on the Panama Canal introduced reggae to the Spanish-speaking nation. 

Puerto Rico is the place where it evolved to what the music is today, It is also the place of the first ever Latinhop: Music & Fashion convention.  Artists, producers, fashion designers and the media all got together to help take reggaeton to the next level.

“I’m glad I’m here, I’m making a lot of contacts, networking a lot, and that’s what it’s all about when you come to a conference,” DJ Felix Sama said.  “You let them know what you are doing, they tell you what they’re doing and you see how you can politic together.”

The three day convention took place in San Juan’s Caribe Hilton and began March 17.  The event included an exhibition area where record companies like White Lion Records, Goldstar Music, and Mas Flow, Inc. gave out promotional music, posters, stickers; even shirts and dog tags.  Fancy jewelry for artists, liquor companies, clothing companies and marketing companies were also showing off their products and services. 
 
The convention was a huge gathering for some of the key players in reggaeton.  Ivy Queen has been part of the reggaeton movement for 11 years and was happy to be part of the event.

“It’s good that we are all united, that we arrived after so many people saying, ‘No, the music is this and that’,” Ivy Queen said.  “This is an event that celebrates us for the fashion and style.  I’m happy we’ve made it.”

Notch, from New York, put on a powerful performance with his dominating voice and dancehall inspired dancing.  The White Lion Records crew performed some of the crowd favorites.  Julio Voltio performed his new hit “Bumper” and the popular “Julio Magaña” among other songs.  Zion y Lennox got the ladies on their feet and screaming as soon as they heard the: “Zion baby!” through the speakers.  The crowd sang along with the artists and it was clear that young Puerto Puerto Ricans live and breathe reggaeton.

Other artists in attendance included Yaga y Mackie Ranks, Johnny Prez, Pedro Prez, Yandel, Playero, Gringo, Lito, DJ Kazzanova, Boy Wonder, Wibal y Alex, and many up-and-coming artists like Kartier, Dready Loco, and Klasico.  Throughout the event the girls of reggaeton displayed their beauty on the runway and exhibit area.

Corporate America made its presence felt at the event.  Sean John’s fashion line for men was displayed on the runway by reggaeton stars like Notch, Zion y Lennox, Yaviah, Luny Tunes and DJ Nelson among others.  The show was highlighted at the end with an explosive performance from Hector El Bambino.  At one point, dollar bills shot through the air as he performed.

The stars of reggaeton also presented South Pole’s clothing line.  They included a ladies line that was presented by Puerto Rican models that were accompanied on the runway by rap duo Dose.  This show ended with a special performance from Mobb Deep who performed various songs including their hit “Got it twisted“.  Artist Tito El Bambino, formerly of Hector y Tito, has decided to give fashion a try and introduced his T. Bambino clothing line for both men and women.  Flyers for rapper John Eric promoted his upcoming line of clothing for the “heavyweight class”. Other designers introduced their clothing lines exclusively to those in the fashion industry.

To check out more pictures of the event log on to www.urbanlatinohiphopshow.com.

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