September 19, 2025 • 36 mins
This is the tale of the young people from Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico and beyond who beat the odds, refused to be quiet and created an irresistible musical culture that has kept the world dancing.
We bring you a special episode from our own Futuro Studios hit show “LOUD: The History of Reggaeton.” We meet three Afro-Panamanian friends —all descendants of West Indian canal workers— who start translating Jamaican dancehall songs into Spanish, and performing them at neighborhood soundsystem parties. Did we mention it’s hosted by the queen of reggaeton herself Ivy Queen? Give it a listen.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
Follow the show to get every episode.
Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Dear Latino USA listener.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Before we start, you should know that if you want
to listen to this episode ad free, just join Plus
and you can join for as little as seven dollars
a month. Joining also gets you behind the scenes access
and yes, some cheese may so click the link in
the episode description and after you do that, then click play.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Let's go to the show. Hey, dear listener, it's Maria
nojos am.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
You might remember a series that we shared on our
feed and on our website a few years ago. It
was called Loud The History of Reggaeton.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
It was a ten part series produced by our very
own Futuro Studios and Spotify.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
The host of the series.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Was one of the originators of reggaeton itself. Yes, La
La Viva Evie Queen. Now Loud became a huge podcasting success.
It got a lot of praise, It got a lot
of critical acclaimed. The show was fun, it was edgy,
(01:23):
it was unique, but it was also really deep because
the series told the true story about how young people
from Panama, Puerto Rico and beyond refused to be quiet.
They are the ones who created an irresistible musical culture
that has kept the world dancing even up until today.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
After Loud's release, the series vanished from our feet, and
to be honest with you, that was beyond our control.
But you all noticed and you wrote to us. You
wanted it back, and of course so did we. Believe me,
we wanted it back. Well, the good news never give up,
because Loud is back. We are so happy to be
(02:06):
sharing this series with you again. So go stream it,
tell a friend about it.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Binge it. Oh yeah, there's one more thing.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
In case you didn't hear Loud the first time, or
maybe you forgot, you should know there is a lot
of explicit language and a.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Lot of mature content from Fuduro Media. It's Latino Usa.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I'm Maria Jojosa today the first episode of Loud titled
The Zone, and I'm gonna have the mic over now
to the legend herself.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Ebie Queen.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Okay, picture this.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
It's nineteen ninety five and I'm about to have the
most important audition of my life, an audition to rap
with the hotties on the ground crew and someone. It
was the moment that I was going to decide if
I was gonna make it in the music or go
back to my hometownels and nobody.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
So I show up at the spot. It's at the
Ja Negro's place, his home studio.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
When I walk in, all the guys are there in
La Marquesina, and all of them are staring at me,
and one of them call out, can I hear samamavi cha?
Who the fuck is that? I am dressed all baggy, like,
oh boy, you know me pantalone and so that was
my style back then.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
There are clouds of smoke.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
I see somebody living in the studio looking kind of embarrassed,
just saying case five, fuck up. The Negro will get
on those big megaphone and screen whea is I la
caa the dinner care? So it's my turn. Ideas Negro
is at the consola and he's like, show me what
(04:00):
you got my bongolo headphones. I'm nervous as hell, but
I'm not trying to show you, you know. So I
do something kind of crazy. I turned my microphone around,
turned my back towards Negro and face the world.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I just let it lose.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
No, no, your gold up reggae. I turn around. I'm
not sure how I did. The Negro look at me
straight in the eye. You and say Felaynest, congratulations You're in.
(04:45):
You could say that was the day that Evey Quinn
was born. Finanmente. I was at that place that I
knew I belong all alone for communs care that made
me Daine and made me a household name.
Speaker 6 (05:03):
Tavy Queen V Queen. I got a hell of a
banger with Ivy Queen on that record.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
Everyone loved TV Queen and still do friend from that
day on, I was one of the people who was
part of creating a genre, people who came from nothing
and struggled and made something new, something fresh.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
I'll go with you, something for the whole world to dance.
Speaker 5 (05:35):
Okay, And from Spotify Studio and Fortudo Studios, I'm Evy
Queen and this is Loud. The History of Reggaeton, Episode one.
The song today Reggaeton is the biggest music take on
(06:00):
the planet.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
We are at the top of the charts.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
Rasano Premio del Mundo, a bad party, and artists from
everywhere are fugging with our bags. But a lot of
you don't know the story and where this music really
comes from.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
But don't worry.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
I got you.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
It's a story that touches and race.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
You don't see black people in media. You don't see
black people on television. Sex this internal sexualistplava about life
and a kaya, you know, and a lot of projects
came out of drug money. That was just the way,
you know, that was the only way for some people.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Regaton is just varying music, but the real story behind Regaton,
it's a story about resistencia, resistance, about how kids who
were young and poor, black or dark skinned, kids who
were discriminated against in every way, how we refused to
be quiet, how we got loud. Take my story for example.
(07:17):
I grew up on the west side of Puerto Rico
in a little town called Ako. I wanted to be
an artist and so I was little, but I struggled
a lot. After my parents get divorced. It was never
enough money in the house. I will help my mother
sell candies to help out. I left school to be
a mom to.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
My brothers and sisters.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
But at the same time, Janto ga scene. I have
always had something to say, and so I started a
rap on the street corners. Then I battle in the
project and later.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
At the underground clubs. The cops.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
We had to be cool with the drug dealers, but
not to close came out. We fight back against the
rich people, the polit because everyone who wanted us to
stay in our place, because we wanted to be heard,
no matter.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
What it took. And that's the podcast.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
We're gonna hear about some of the top artists in
the game and the old Gisco laid the foundation.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
Elend is like the blueprint. You know what I'm saying.
You know, he's the one that took it to the
next level.
Speaker 8 (08:26):
He blew up when tale comes.
Speaker 6 (08:29):
He got that flow of Salceto's that yankee forever.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
You know what I mean. He's the boss.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
He is Cucamo's Exclusive interviews from the legends themselves, Baby,
and we are going to tell you the story of
how we invented a whole new sound that was creative
(08:57):
and sexy and turned the music in industry on its head.
We are going to spend time in Puerto Rico, New York, Columbia,
but to tell the story right, we have to start
in Panama.
Speaker 9 (09:20):
People are under the wrong impression that reggaeton was born
in Puerto Rico and it was born in Panama.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
This is a jumbo, the legendary Panamanian producer behind the Guento.
Speaker 9 (09:37):
People think that reggaeton started out with d Yankee from
Puerto Rico, and no, actually it's from Panama, like a decade.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Before, and this is such the most popular Panamanian artist
of today.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
In Lejanero.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
We did reggae and Spanish first, he said, even if
others made a.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
More commercial ado.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
My he said, be Completiclo and he says who did
it first is a sensitive topic, especially for Panamanians. A
lot of people don't give credit to the Panamanians, but
it all started with them. If it wasn't for reggae
(10:26):
and dance hold Espanon, there wouldn't be no reggaeton, end
of story. I still remember the first time I went
to Panama in the mid nineties. I remember I was
so excited to be at the first place of the
music that I love, the home of artists like E
(10:46):
and Nando. I remember seeing the canal from the plane
and Panama was dope.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
I remember the streets were.
Speaker 5 (10:55):
Full of people, full of life, and it was so multical.
There were black people, Chinese people, Indian, Arabs and of
course the music. Panama. Gruz America is this narrow little
country that bridge between North and South America, between the Caribbean,
(11:20):
Yal Pacifico and you hear everything there sal same and
Cumbia like anywhere else in Latin American, but also Calipso,
soca music from Haiti saul music. But there's one sound
that is everywhere in Panama.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Reggae and dan so that started in Panama.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
This is Renato.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
My name is Leonardo Renato, older Mora.
Speaker 10 (11:48):
To describe myself, well, I was the first guy that
started to sing and promote Spanish reggae.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
You could say Lenanto is a true originator of our
movie and the main character of our story today. Renato,
he got a lot of personality when we interview him.
He got on a bee boy track suit, he was
wearing sunglasses indoors and he told stories a mile a minute.
Speaker 10 (12:19):
It's different stuff that came in and make this big
pam and there it is reggaeton.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
There's also this thing about Renato that you have to
know to understand where his music come from, because technically
Renato didn't actually grow up in Panama.
Speaker 10 (12:35):
I came from the Canal Zone because I used to
be on the part that used to belongs to the
USA in Panama, where the canal was and the army basis.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
The Canal Zone was a tiny American controlled area around
the Panama Canal. His mother worked in the cafeteria of
the US Army base that was there. Canal Banama, believe
it or not, is very important to this store. Sorry.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Coming up on Latino USA, we continue with the first
episode of Loud. It's a ten part series produced by
Futuro Studios and Spotify. Stay with us, Hey, we're back
(13:30):
and we're going to continue with our critically acclaimed series Loud.
The History of Regeton hosted by Icon and Diva Ivy.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
Queen so Nios always wanted to have a canal between
the Atlantic and the Pacific, and Panama was the best
place to build it. In nineteen oh four they started
working on it. And to protect the investment that you
(14:00):
created the canal Zone so they can have control around it.
Speaker 11 (14:05):
But it's the Americans who metter Now, thousands of them
lived like colonial settlers in the neat little towns of
the Canal Zone, a strip of land forty miles long
and five miles wide on each side of the canal.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
This is a cheesy old clip about the zone.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
The whole place was maint to look like a typical
American's woodwheel, but right in the middle of US tropical
compared with.
Speaker 11 (14:29):
The bustling and not very orderly Republic next door. The
canal zone on the other side of the wire fences
neat and tidy and.
Speaker 8 (14:37):
Rather than military.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
In fact, the whole place is run like a little
bit of America.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
And to build this little bit of America, they needed workers,
preferively English speaking, so they hire around one hundred thousand people,
mostly from Miland like Jamaica Barbados, to help dig the canal.
Speaker 10 (14:58):
We had a lot of Jamaicans, I'm saying, we had
a lot of Jamaicans.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
And some of those Jamaicans were Renato's great grandparents. After
the canal was finished, those workers and their families stay
around for decades and decades, families like Renato's.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
You know what I'm saying. I was born in a nice,
beautiful environment.
Speaker 10 (15:19):
We had a house, we had a lot of places
to do sports, and I grew up nice.
Speaker 5 (15:25):
But life was about to change for Renato Eltratrake In
nineteen seventy nine, the Americans will return the Ganal song
to Panama, which means the West Indian families living in
the Song will be out of jobs.
Speaker 10 (15:41):
So my grandma decided to move out and she came
to Rio Bajo.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Rial Wajo was mostly a black and West Indian neighborhood
in Panama City. Many people from the Song moved there,
and Renato did not let Riovaa.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
First.
Speaker 5 (15:58):
He get there when he was seventeen, and it was different.
Instead of big American style houses, it was crowded and cramped.
People could get roped in the street. And to make
it worse, Renato could barely communicate with people.
Speaker 10 (16:12):
My dad and my grandma and my mom. Everybody used
to speak English. Then I had to learn to speak Spanish.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
And went forrmente he settling, and then he started to
make new friends. Two friends in particular that are important
in the story, Regaissan and Franchito. The way they describe
it idea of what these street kids have in common,
that they were kind of nerds.
Speaker 10 (16:39):
We were like the dcent guys around the place. It
real about, we were like the good kids.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Here's Regaissan talking about Renato.
Speaker 8 (16:46):
So that's not even my friend, that's my brother.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
And here's Franchito.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
As if getto Renato salad.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
Renato sang Franchito Tolo, Tenian Azuelos and family from Jamaica
and the Islands. And the three friends have something else
in common. They love reggae and dancehall music. In the
early eighties, dancehol blew up in Renato's neighborhood.
Speaker 10 (17:15):
When we started in Riabajo, they had a lot of discos,
you know what I'm saying, and so middle class black
people used to go to those discos and white stew no,
but more middle class black people used to go to
the disco.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
One of those sounds at the discos was dancehall. It
was the new style of reggae that started in Jamaica
in the late seventies, but it really took off in
the eighties, the generation after Bob Marley. The site came
out of little clubs and Elbodyo known as dance halls.
That's where the name comes from. And compared to Bob
(17:53):
Marley is like the drama on the bass when a
little harder and faster.
Speaker 10 (18:01):
Was good songs, you know, dance songs because they had
these rhyms.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Instead of singing. It was like coman toasting, which is
that half singing half rapping style. It sounds tangrigo dan
sasso and what Regor roots was very political. Dancehold was
like a little more what Jamaican calls slackness, songs about sex,
(18:27):
partying or songs about the regular life in the hood.
Renato started tagging alone to the discos that played again
Dancehold with an older kid from the neighborhood who was
a DJ. And one day, at three in the morning,
his friend hands him the mic and tells him go
(18:48):
HiPE the crowd.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
So he used to told me, like, hey, man, say something.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
But when Renato rab the mic, he suddenly frees up
and he can think of what to say, and his
friend has to help him.
Speaker 10 (19:02):
Tell women to, you know, move their butts, and everybody
lift their hands and you know, do that stuff.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
I said, okay, arenatosis.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
The crowd is feeling him.
Speaker 10 (19:11):
That's how it started, you know, And I start doing
that stuff. So a friend of mine told me, hey,
why don't you do any Spanish?
Speaker 5 (19:17):
Oh my god, I'm when he hypes the crowd in Spanish.
The crowd loves it.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
And I am playing reggae and I'm telling the people
to lift their hands.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
This is hit. That was the beginning of Lenaldo's career
as an EMC on a DJ. After that moment, Lenato
is Suitable started an experiment with not just hyping the
crowd but performing the actual songs in Spanish.
Speaker 6 (19:52):
We used to sing on top of the Jamaican rhythms.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
That's Rega sam again, Donado's friend.
Speaker 6 (19:59):
Are behind on the side A was a side B
and side B was instrumental. So most of these Jamaican
songs we used to try to translate, kind of like
this allu no beard from Morney and rong go wola
fresh Gola fresh Goola fresh.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Allun no beard from Evening and rang go wola.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
He can turn it over in Spanish and say bye
science by you ain't Lama yesta.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
Fresco wow Andregua Sance. Because they came from West Indian families,
it was easy for them.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
We all speak Patois, we all speak English, so we
had the communication with reggae. Whatever you was hearing in
English that you could not understand, we hit it back
in Spanish and you could understand. So mostly most of
the music, that's what we was doing, translating for the
(20:53):
people to understand.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
They didn't realize it, but these translations of songs at
parties were the first steps in the new heno known
as regain Espanon and this is where the third member
of their crew comes into the picture. Franchito Co Franquito
(21:20):
was one of the best improvisers.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
He says.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
Panaminim were great festylers because they already had a tradition
of doing Calypso music, which was all about making up
lyrics on the spot.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
And cake and provis.
Speaker 5 (21:40):
Regaxam started to do dance holds, shows and Spanish together
with Franqito.
Speaker 6 (21:46):
Some people used to call us don Quixote s and
sopanzcause he was started and I was short, so he
he was crazy on the stage.
Speaker 5 (21:55):
Y Franquito had the first gig at a party in
a Panama say.
Speaker 8 (22:00):
And I could remember. It was a Saturday night. It
was old school reggae.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
And Frankito was a sensation. This guy was going places.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
He came out, he started taking his shirt off. Garretts
was screaming and he could have said something, Oh, you
have to see the black presley on the black edy
spreads and he start and they was just screaming.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
But it wasn't only the girls loosening. It over their music.
Speaker 6 (22:28):
But the guys would come like they like it, but
they get tough, like yo, man, I like that man,
that was good.
Speaker 8 (22:34):
I like what you did.
Speaker 5 (22:35):
The party was lit, and San Dio and started thinking
this dancehold in Spanish thing, maybe it could go somewhere.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Yeah, and then we start taking it serious.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
The parties were going on on. But this next part
is where this new sound really starts to spread.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
Reggae.
Speaker 5 (23:01):
San Frankito Renaldo. They wanted to get their music heard
beyond the neighborhood, so they started recording on cassettes and
they're selling them not only at the parties, but somewhere
that they knew will take their music all over the town.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
Renato and myself we used to record a lot, and
he used to sell the cassettes to the bus drivers.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
It all went down on the buses. But these weren't
any ordinary bosses. These are the yellow rose red devils.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
Okay. They picture this.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
It's like an old American school bus painting in crazy
colors that has lights and it's all cover in muralms.
Speaker 10 (23:49):
Pandama buss was beautiful. They used to put my Ka
Jackson's face on the buses. Mike Tyson Roberto Durang and
they were beautiful with a lota likes, you know.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
And of course big ass speakers.
Speaker 10 (24:04):
So everybody had these big equipments in the bus and
it was like you're having a party in the bus.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
Yeah. Man, they may want it to be on that bus. Yeah,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 10 (24:20):
Even though it was gonna be full, I was gonna
be unconscorable, It's gonna be sweaty.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
This is Rack and Ridge and Ragadoom from Loracas, a
Panamanian American duo based in Auckland. Even though they are
from the later generation nan Renato, they have the same
experience on the Diablos buses.
Speaker 7 (24:38):
Every route had different styles of music, you know what
I'm saying. So this one route would have like nothing
but old school reggae music playing. But the mix was
so good that before you leave the bus, you're like, hey, hommy,
what mix was that?
Speaker 5 (24:51):
So then you go down to the street to the
people hosting cassettes and request the mix from that bus.
Speaker 7 (24:58):
Yo, where can I get the tandel boos from this route?
You know what I'm saying. I want this route, I
want that route.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
The music was so good that people will get up
into the aisle and start dancing right in the middle
of their community.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
And back in the eighties, well.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Renato was so smart. He will record and personalize songs
for specific bus drivers. Like one driver wanted his own
hype songs for his route.
Speaker 10 (25:23):
These guys call me, Hey, the bus driver wants a song.
I said, what, he wants a song, saying that he's
the best bus driver.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
I said, okay, And so Renaldo makes the song for
the driver, get paid and then his home keep ringing.
Speaker 10 (25:40):
Then know, the bus drivers get hey, I want a song,
and they just say hey, I want a song.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
And soon he wasn't just very popular only with the
bus driver. His music wins the love and the heart
of the people writing in the buses is spread.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
Honey.
Speaker 10 (25:59):
That sound that's so famous because it was like it
was a radio station.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
Through the buses, Renato issu musica travel from city to
city all over Panama. The bus routes promoted and spread
a new innovated sound, Panamanian reggae en Espanoli.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
We'll be right back, yas they we're back. Let's get
to it and hear from the host of loud Ebie.
Speaker 5 (26:46):
Queen Regae San Franciso Renaldo. These three guys whose families
were was Indians from the Canal. Song was just teenagers
having fun. But little did they know they were creating
a new sound, one that will grow and grow over
the years. But Rigassam said that not everybody in Panama gard.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
Especially the community, not the black community, but the Spanish
community didn't.
Speaker 8 (27:12):
They used to say what music is that, where's from?
Speaker 6 (27:16):
Oh, that's black people music, or they call it something
else muska Dechombo.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
The hinted chombo is a word very specific to Panama.
It started as a slur for black people of West
Indian descent.
Speaker 8 (27:30):
Back in the day. It was considered as the N word.
Speaker 9 (27:33):
Black folks used to consider it offensive, very offensive.
Speaker 5 (27:38):
That's El Chumbo again, who took the word at his
artist's name.
Speaker 12 (27:42):
And the origins of the word is pretty hard to
pinpoint exactly where it came from. Back in the day,
around the early nineteen hundreds, thieves in the Panamanian Canal
Zone area used to jump fences after they committed their crimes,
and the police used to call them jump boys.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
So john boy became chumbo and became a bad word
to talk about black people.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
Listen, there are other stories about where the work.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
Comes from that just want. Getting called Chombo was kind
of a thing that black Panamanians had to deal with
on the daily. In general, they got discriminated against a
lot for being black and also for having English speaking rules.
They were sometimes treated as if they don't belong to Panama,
(28:34):
even though their families had lived in Panama for generations.
Over history, West Indian Panamanians have their citizenship denied or
taken away. At one point, politicians even want to kick
out the community from the country. For black kids, Danzhel
and reggae became a kind of defiance, a way of
(28:56):
saying like, we're going to be as.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Black as we want. At the Rasta, this is.
Speaker 5 (29:04):
Frank, the third of the three friends. He and the
others grew out their dread locks, like making their connection
to Jamaica, playing for all to see, and it got
a reaction.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
A young.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Taxi, he says, bosses and taxes wouldn't pick them up
a lot of dread locks and the cops would literally
stop them and cut their dread logs off. It Racimo,
(29:47):
the racism. They put that into the music and talk
about it on the mic. Regaslan says he understood dance
hound and reggae as a kind of resistance. It's music
that says so in Negroso.
Speaker 8 (30:02):
It's an honor.
Speaker 6 (30:03):
Pride for me is that I could identify myself as
a black West Indian, black Panamanian. Watch that you singing
this music, because it's the only way that black, poor
struggling people used to drag tests to fight against the government.
Speaker 5 (30:23):
So it's not a coincidence that what Renato released his
first real record, it was a this for the Police,
canneth Lave Policia. Here's how it happened. Renaldo was working
as a DJ, drawing parties when one day he heard
a dance whole song that really stuck with him.
Speaker 10 (30:43):
And I heard the song what they held the police
can do and what they held the police can't do,
I can't and don't do that.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
It was a Jamaican song against police brutality.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
And I said, ah, I'll do something like that.
Speaker 5 (30:59):
And so in the mid eighties, Renato released a cover
of the song in Spanish called El Denni. It was
one of the first studio recordings of a Rega Espanol song.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
See For decades, s Panama was controlled.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
By military governments, and the Danny were the secret police
agents of the generals.
Speaker 10 (31:19):
Well at the time Danny, everybody was afraid of the
Danny because THO were the hard cops. They would break
down your doors and go in your house and stuff.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
In the song, Renato impersonates a THENNY officer and it's
not flattering. Basically he said, I can coff you and
hit you with a baton.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Then he's calling the cops.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
Al Buyino pointing out that it was white cops that
would target the black kids. It was this but this
that you could dance to. Regaistan remembers what l. Denny
meant for the new gener El Danny.
Speaker 8 (31:57):
It was a huge radio play all we had in reggae.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
Renaldo don't make the first ever reggae en Espanol hit
and set the whole genre into motion. Betro to be honest,
a lot of people have forgotten about him. Here's Rakka
Rich from the Rakas.
Speaker 7 (32:20):
But even though we are the creators of the sound
and Panama of the genre, I feel like people still
don't know that Panamanians were the ones who started the
whole thing.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
Rakka Rich still gets frustrated about it.
Speaker 7 (32:33):
When you create something and you know, you don't capitalize
on it and other people capitalize on it. It doesn't
feel good, you know what I mean. And it's kind
of like you know what they say about you know
the voltures. You know, people coming and see what you
do and then they maximize out of it and everybody,
you know, even though you created it, and nobody knows who
you are.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
And hinte, that's the truth.
Speaker 5 (32:53):
Without Renato and the other original artists from Panama, they
wouldn't be no Regaeton. But Renaldo is a bitter about that,
just the opposite. And when he looked back, it's just
amazing that an English speaking kid from the canal soon
will be so important to starting Draganapannon.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
And I love it, you know.
Speaker 10 (33:14):
I'm so happy man, because you did something that everybody's
going to talk about it for years and we are
so glad.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
I'm glad man. I'm glad for that yank.
Speaker 8 (33:23):
Yeah, I'm glad for if Queen.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
I'm glad for all these artists that are making its. Renaldo,
I am so glad too and proud of your work.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Thank you so much, Ebie, and dear listener, before we go,
I want to let you know that on Tuesday, September
twenty third, we are going to have a live virtual
event where we are going behind the scenes with some
of the creators of Loud.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
We'd love for you to join us.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
All you have to do is become a Futuro Plus
member at the campion level. Get that campion all right,
We'll see you next time and as always, not by Guess.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
Low. The History of Reggaton is a Spotify original podcast
from Futuro Studios. This podcast was written and reported by
Marlon Bishop and Louis Gaio and edited by Sophia Palissa Carr,
with help on this episode from audri Quin from Spotify.
Executive producers Gida Bilbat, Adrian Aredondo, Jessica Molina, and Julio A. Pabon.
(34:37):
We're producing help from Dan Bihar. Executive produced for Futuro
Studios by Marlon Bishop. Produced by Catalina Gatta, Eggleston Ermees Ajala,
Joaquin Cutler, Sandra Riano, Nicole Rothwell, and Daniela die Jogarson.
Additional production by Christian Edrera, Sevatiander bays Lunez, se Regazzan
(35:00):
and Juan Diego Ramirez.
Speaker 4 (35:02):
Fat check in by Tatiana Dias.
Speaker 5 (35:04):
Sound design and mixing by Genni Montalbo and Stephanie Lebau.
Arting song is by Max. Original music by Eco and
Danny crazy Town for the Eco Team and Impulse Ell
Intellectual music supervision by Big Sin Yours Truly recorded at
Haga Studio by Maluri in Vernon, Ell Henerra.
Speaker 4 (35:26):
Interview audio courtesy of Christopher Twiko.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Special thanks to Julio Ricardo Barela, Louis Luna, Lileana Ruis,
josh Lin, grin Antonio, Seehidro, Alejandra Martinez, Sonia Clavel, Ricardo Montalbo,
Jasmina Fifi, O'Neil Anderson, Jessica Diaz, Urtado, quimu Ello, Leah,
(35:50):
Sarah Kayner, Vijon Garve, Jesse Hart, Sue Lou Brian Marquis,
Lauren Monkey, Ashley sb Andrea c Nancy Way Slidkin and
Jordan Tushinsky for production support.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
I'm your hosts Evy Queen.
Speaker 5 (36:09):
Make sure to follow loud the History of Reggaeton only
on Spotify
Dear Latino USA listener.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Before we start, you should know that if you want
to listen to this episode ad free, just join Plus
and you can join for as little as seven dollars
a month. Joining also gets you behind the scenes access
and yes, some cheese may so click the link in
the episode description and after you do that, then click play.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Let's go to the show. Hey, dear listener, it's Maria
nojos am.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
You might remember a series that we shared on our
feed and on our website a few years ago. It
was called Loud The History of Reggaeton.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
It was a ten part series produced by our very
own Futuro Studios and Spotify.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
The host of the series.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Was one of the originators of reggaeton itself. Yes, La
La Viva Evie Queen. Now Loud became a huge podcasting success.
It got a lot of praise, It got a lot
of critical acclaimed. The show was fun, it was edgy,
(01:23):
it was unique, but it was also really deep because
the series told the true story about how young people
from Panama, Puerto Rico and beyond refused to be quiet.
They are the ones who created an irresistible musical culture
that has kept the world dancing even up until today.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
After Loud's release, the series vanished from our feet, and
to be honest with you, that was beyond our control.
But you all noticed and you wrote to us. You
wanted it back, and of course so did we. Believe me,
we wanted it back. Well, the good news never give up,
because Loud is back. We are so happy to be
(02:06):
sharing this series with you again. So go stream it,
tell a friend about it.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Binge it. Oh yeah, there's one more thing.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
In case you didn't hear Loud the first time, or
maybe you forgot, you should know there is a lot
of explicit language and a.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Lot of mature content from Fuduro Media. It's Latino Usa.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
I'm Maria Jojosa today the first episode of Loud titled
The Zone, and I'm gonna have the mic over now
to the legend herself.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Ebie Queen.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Okay, picture this.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
It's nineteen ninety five and I'm about to have the
most important audition of my life, an audition to rap
with the hotties on the ground crew and someone. It
was the moment that I was going to decide if
I was gonna make it in the music or go
back to my hometownels and nobody.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
So I show up at the spot. It's at the
Ja Negro's place, his home studio.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
When I walk in, all the guys are there in
La Marquesina, and all of them are staring at me,
and one of them call out, can I hear samamavi cha?
Who the fuck is that? I am dressed all baggy, like,
oh boy, you know me pantalone and so that was
my style back then.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
There are clouds of smoke.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
I see somebody living in the studio looking kind of embarrassed,
just saying case five, fuck up. The Negro will get
on those big megaphone and screen whea is I la
caa the dinner care? So it's my turn. Ideas Negro
is at the consola and he's like, show me what
(04:00):
you got my bongolo headphones. I'm nervous as hell, but
I'm not trying to show you, you know. So I
do something kind of crazy. I turned my microphone around,
turned my back towards Negro and face the world.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I just let it lose.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
No, no, your gold up reggae. I turn around. I'm
not sure how I did. The Negro look at me
straight in the eye. You and say Felaynest, congratulations You're in.
(04:45):
You could say that was the day that Evey Quinn
was born. Finanmente. I was at that place that I
knew I belong all alone for communs care that made
me Daine and made me a household name.
Speaker 6 (05:03):
Tavy Queen V Queen. I got a hell of a
banger with Ivy Queen on that record.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
Everyone loved TV Queen and still do friend from that
day on, I was one of the people who was
part of creating a genre, people who came from nothing
and struggled and made something new, something fresh.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
I'll go with you, something for the whole world to dance.
Speaker 5 (05:35):
Okay, And from Spotify Studio and Fortudo Studios, I'm Evy
Queen and this is Loud. The History of Reggaeton, Episode one.
The song today Reggaeton is the biggest music take on
(06:00):
the planet.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
We are at the top of the charts.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
Rasano Premio del Mundo, a bad party, and artists from
everywhere are fugging with our bags. But a lot of
you don't know the story and where this music really
comes from.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
But don't worry.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
I got you.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
It's a story that touches and race.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
You don't see black people in media. You don't see
black people on television. Sex this internal sexualistplava about life
and a kaya, you know, and a lot of projects
came out of drug money. That was just the way,
you know, that was the only way for some people.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Regaton is just varying music, but the real story behind Regaton,
it's a story about resistencia, resistance, about how kids who
were young and poor, black or dark skinned, kids who
were discriminated against in every way, how we refused to
be quiet, how we got loud. Take my story for example.
(07:17):
I grew up on the west side of Puerto Rico
in a little town called Ako. I wanted to be
an artist and so I was little, but I struggled
a lot. After my parents get divorced. It was never
enough money in the house. I will help my mother
sell candies to help out. I left school to be
a mom to.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
My brothers and sisters.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
But at the same time, Janto ga scene. I have
always had something to say, and so I started a
rap on the street corners. Then I battle in the
project and later.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
At the underground clubs. The cops.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
We had to be cool with the drug dealers, but
not to close came out. We fight back against the
rich people, the polit because everyone who wanted us to
stay in our place, because we wanted to be heard,
no matter.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
What it took. And that's the podcast.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
We're gonna hear about some of the top artists in
the game and the old Gisco laid the foundation.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
Elend is like the blueprint. You know what I'm saying.
You know, he's the one that took it to the
next level.
Speaker 8 (08:26):
He blew up when tale comes.
Speaker 6 (08:29):
He got that flow of Salceto's that yankee forever.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
You know what I mean. He's the boss.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
He is Cucamo's Exclusive interviews from the legends themselves, Baby,
and we are going to tell you the story of
how we invented a whole new sound that was creative
(08:57):
and sexy and turned the music in industry on its head.
We are going to spend time in Puerto Rico, New York, Columbia,
but to tell the story right, we have to start
in Panama.
Speaker 9 (09:20):
People are under the wrong impression that reggaeton was born
in Puerto Rico and it was born in Panama.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
This is a jumbo, the legendary Panamanian producer behind the Guento.
Speaker 9 (09:37):
People think that reggaeton started out with d Yankee from
Puerto Rico, and no, actually it's from Panama, like a decade.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Before, and this is such the most popular Panamanian artist
of today.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
In Lejanero.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
We did reggae and Spanish first, he said, even if
others made a.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
More commercial ado.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
My he said, be Completiclo and he says who did
it first is a sensitive topic, especially for Panamanians. A
lot of people don't give credit to the Panamanians, but
it all started with them. If it wasn't for reggae
(10:26):
and dance hold Espanon, there wouldn't be no reggaeton, end
of story. I still remember the first time I went
to Panama in the mid nineties. I remember I was
so excited to be at the first place of the
music that I love, the home of artists like E
(10:46):
and Nando. I remember seeing the canal from the plane
and Panama was dope.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
I remember the streets were.
Speaker 5 (10:55):
Full of people, full of life, and it was so multical.
There were black people, Chinese people, Indian, Arabs and of
course the music. Panama. Gruz America is this narrow little
country that bridge between North and South America, between the Caribbean,
(11:20):
Yal Pacifico and you hear everything there sal same and
Cumbia like anywhere else in Latin American, but also Calipso,
soca music from Haiti saul music. But there's one sound
that is everywhere in Panama.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Reggae and dan so that started in Panama.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
This is Renato.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
My name is Leonardo Renato, older Mora.
Speaker 10 (11:48):
To describe myself, well, I was the first guy that
started to sing and promote Spanish reggae.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
You could say Lenanto is a true originator of our
movie and the main character of our story today. Renato,
he got a lot of personality when we interview him.
He got on a bee boy track suit, he was
wearing sunglasses indoors and he told stories a mile a minute.
Speaker 10 (12:19):
It's different stuff that came in and make this big
pam and there it is reggaeton.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
There's also this thing about Renato that you have to
know to understand where his music come from, because technically
Renato didn't actually grow up in Panama.
Speaker 10 (12:35):
I came from the Canal Zone because I used to
be on the part that used to belongs to the
USA in Panama, where the canal was and the army basis.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
The Canal Zone was a tiny American controlled area around
the Panama Canal. His mother worked in the cafeteria of
the US Army base that was there. Canal Banama, believe
it or not, is very important to this store. Sorry.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Coming up on Latino USA, we continue with the first
episode of Loud. It's a ten part series produced by
Futuro Studios and Spotify. Stay with us, Hey, we're back
(13:30):
and we're going to continue with our critically acclaimed series Loud.
The History of Regeton hosted by Icon and Diva Ivy.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
Queen so Nios always wanted to have a canal between
the Atlantic and the Pacific, and Panama was the best
place to build it. In nineteen oh four they started
working on it. And to protect the investment that you
(14:00):
created the canal Zone so they can have control around it.
Speaker 11 (14:05):
But it's the Americans who metter Now, thousands of them
lived like colonial settlers in the neat little towns of
the Canal Zone, a strip of land forty miles long
and five miles wide on each side of the canal.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
This is a cheesy old clip about the zone.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
The whole place was maint to look like a typical
American's woodwheel, but right in the middle of US tropical
compared with.
Speaker 11 (14:29):
The bustling and not very orderly Republic next door. The
canal zone on the other side of the wire fences
neat and tidy and.
Speaker 8 (14:37):
Rather than military.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
In fact, the whole place is run like a little
bit of America.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
And to build this little bit of America, they needed workers,
preferively English speaking, so they hire around one hundred thousand people,
mostly from Miland like Jamaica Barbados, to help dig the canal.
Speaker 10 (14:58):
We had a lot of Jamaicans, I'm saying, we had
a lot of Jamaicans.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
And some of those Jamaicans were Renato's great grandparents. After
the canal was finished, those workers and their families stay
around for decades and decades, families like Renato's.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
You know what I'm saying. I was born in a nice,
beautiful environment.
Speaker 10 (15:19):
We had a house, we had a lot of places
to do sports, and I grew up nice.
Speaker 5 (15:25):
But life was about to change for Renato Eltratrake In
nineteen seventy nine, the Americans will return the Ganal song
to Panama, which means the West Indian families living in
the Song will be out of jobs.
Speaker 10 (15:41):
So my grandma decided to move out and she came
to Rio Bajo.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Rial Wajo was mostly a black and West Indian neighborhood
in Panama City. Many people from the Song moved there,
and Renato did not let Riovaa.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
First.
Speaker 5 (15:58):
He get there when he was seventeen, and it was different.
Instead of big American style houses, it was crowded and cramped.
People could get roped in the street. And to make
it worse, Renato could barely communicate with people.
Speaker 10 (16:12):
My dad and my grandma and my mom. Everybody used
to speak English. Then I had to learn to speak Spanish.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
And went forrmente he settling, and then he started to
make new friends. Two friends in particular that are important
in the story, Regaissan and Franchito. The way they describe
it idea of what these street kids have in common,
that they were kind of nerds.
Speaker 10 (16:39):
We were like the dcent guys around the place. It
real about, we were like the good kids.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Here's Regaissan talking about Renato.
Speaker 8 (16:46):
So that's not even my friend, that's my brother.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
And here's Franchito.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
As if getto Renato salad.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
Renato sang Franchito Tolo, Tenian Azuelos and family from Jamaica
and the Islands. And the three friends have something else
in common. They love reggae and dancehall music. In the
early eighties, dancehol blew up in Renato's neighborhood.
Speaker 10 (17:15):
When we started in Riabajo, they had a lot of discos,
you know what I'm saying, and so middle class black
people used to go to those discos and white stew no,
but more middle class black people used to go to
the disco.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
One of those sounds at the discos was dancehall. It
was the new style of reggae that started in Jamaica
in the late seventies, but it really took off in
the eighties, the generation after Bob Marley. The site came
out of little clubs and Elbodyo known as dance halls.
That's where the name comes from. And compared to Bob
(17:53):
Marley is like the drama on the bass when a
little harder and faster.
Speaker 10 (18:01):
Was good songs, you know, dance songs because they had
these rhyms.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Instead of singing. It was like coman toasting, which is
that half singing half rapping style. It sounds tangrigo dan
sasso and what Regor roots was very political. Dancehold was
like a little more what Jamaican calls slackness, songs about sex,
(18:27):
partying or songs about the regular life in the hood.
Renato started tagging alone to the discos that played again
Dancehold with an older kid from the neighborhood who was
a DJ. And one day, at three in the morning,
his friend hands him the mic and tells him go
(18:48):
HiPE the crowd.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
So he used to told me, like, hey, man, say something.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
But when Renato rab the mic, he suddenly frees up
and he can think of what to say, and his
friend has to help him.
Speaker 10 (19:02):
Tell women to, you know, move their butts, and everybody
lift their hands and you know, do that stuff.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
I said, okay, arenatosis.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
The crowd is feeling him.
Speaker 10 (19:11):
That's how it started, you know, And I start doing
that stuff. So a friend of mine told me, hey,
why don't you do any Spanish?
Speaker 5 (19:17):
Oh my god, I'm when he hypes the crowd in Spanish.
The crowd loves it.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
And I am playing reggae and I'm telling the people
to lift their hands.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
This is hit. That was the beginning of Lenaldo's career
as an EMC on a DJ. After that moment, Lenato
is Suitable started an experiment with not just hyping the
crowd but performing the actual songs in Spanish.
Speaker 6 (19:52):
We used to sing on top of the Jamaican rhythms.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
That's Rega sam again, Donado's friend.
Speaker 6 (19:59):
Are behind on the side A was a side B
and side B was instrumental. So most of these Jamaican
songs we used to try to translate, kind of like
this allu no beard from Morney and rong go wola
fresh Gola fresh Goola fresh.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Allun no beard from Evening and rang go wola.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
He can turn it over in Spanish and say bye
science by you ain't Lama yesta.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
Fresco wow Andregua Sance. Because they came from West Indian families,
it was easy for them.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
We all speak Patois, we all speak English, so we
had the communication with reggae. Whatever you was hearing in
English that you could not understand, we hit it back
in Spanish and you could understand. So mostly most of
the music, that's what we was doing, translating for the
(20:53):
people to understand.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
They didn't realize it, but these translations of songs at
parties were the first steps in the new heno known
as regain Espanon and this is where the third member
of their crew comes into the picture. Franchito Co Franquito
(21:20):
was one of the best improvisers.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
He says.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
Panaminim were great festylers because they already had a tradition
of doing Calypso music, which was all about making up
lyrics on the spot.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
And cake and provis.
Speaker 5 (21:40):
Regaxam started to do dance holds, shows and Spanish together
with Franqito.
Speaker 6 (21:46):
Some people used to call us don Quixote s and
sopanzcause he was started and I was short, so he
he was crazy on the stage.
Speaker 5 (21:55):
Y Franquito had the first gig at a party in
a Panama say.
Speaker 8 (22:00):
And I could remember. It was a Saturday night. It
was old school reggae.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
And Frankito was a sensation. This guy was going places.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
He came out, he started taking his shirt off. Garretts
was screaming and he could have said something, Oh, you
have to see the black presley on the black edy
spreads and he start and they was just screaming.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
But it wasn't only the girls loosening. It over their music.
Speaker 6 (22:28):
But the guys would come like they like it, but
they get tough, like yo, man, I like that man,
that was good.
Speaker 8 (22:34):
I like what you did.
Speaker 5 (22:35):
The party was lit, and San Dio and started thinking
this dancehold in Spanish thing, maybe it could go somewhere.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Yeah, and then we start taking it serious.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
The parties were going on on. But this next part
is where this new sound really starts to spread.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
Reggae.
Speaker 5 (23:01):
San Frankito Renaldo. They wanted to get their music heard
beyond the neighborhood, so they started recording on cassettes and
they're selling them not only at the parties, but somewhere
that they knew will take their music all over the town.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
Renato and myself we used to record a lot, and
he used to sell the cassettes to the bus drivers.
Speaker 5 (23:28):
It all went down on the buses. But these weren't
any ordinary bosses. These are the yellow rose red devils.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
Okay. They picture this.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
It's like an old American school bus painting in crazy
colors that has lights and it's all cover in muralms.
Speaker 10 (23:49):
Pandama buss was beautiful. They used to put my Ka
Jackson's face on the buses. Mike Tyson Roberto Durang and
they were beautiful with a lota likes, you know.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
And of course big ass speakers.
Speaker 10 (24:04):
So everybody had these big equipments in the bus and
it was like you're having a party in the bus.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
Yeah. Man, they may want it to be on that bus. Yeah,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 10 (24:20):
Even though it was gonna be full, I was gonna
be unconscorable, It's gonna be sweaty.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
This is Rack and Ridge and Ragadoom from Loracas, a
Panamanian American duo based in Auckland. Even though they are
from the later generation nan Renato, they have the same
experience on the Diablos buses.
Speaker 7 (24:38):
Every route had different styles of music, you know what
I'm saying. So this one route would have like nothing
but old school reggae music playing. But the mix was
so good that before you leave the bus, you're like, hey, hommy,
what mix was that?
Speaker 5 (24:51):
So then you go down to the street to the
people hosting cassettes and request the mix from that bus.
Speaker 7 (24:58):
Yo, where can I get the tandel boos from this route?
You know what I'm saying. I want this route, I
want that route.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
The music was so good that people will get up
into the aisle and start dancing right in the middle
of their community.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
And back in the eighties, well.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Renato was so smart. He will record and personalize songs
for specific bus drivers. Like one driver wanted his own
hype songs for his route.
Speaker 10 (25:23):
These guys call me, Hey, the bus driver wants a song.
I said, what, he wants a song, saying that he's
the best bus driver.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
I said, okay, And so Renaldo makes the song for
the driver, get paid and then his home keep ringing.
Speaker 10 (25:40):
Then know, the bus drivers get hey, I want a song,
and they just say hey, I want a song.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
And soon he wasn't just very popular only with the
bus driver. His music wins the love and the heart
of the people writing in the buses is spread.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
Honey.
Speaker 10 (25:59):
That sound that's so famous because it was like it
was a radio station.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
Through the buses, Renato issu musica travel from city to
city all over Panama. The bus routes promoted and spread
a new innovated sound, Panamanian reggae en Espanoli.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
We'll be right back, yas they we're back. Let's get
to it and hear from the host of loud Ebie.
Speaker 5 (26:46):
Queen Regae San Franciso Renaldo. These three guys whose families
were was Indians from the Canal. Song was just teenagers
having fun. But little did they know they were creating
a new sound, one that will grow and grow over
the years. But Rigassam said that not everybody in Panama gard.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
Especially the community, not the black community, but the Spanish
community didn't.
Speaker 8 (27:12):
They used to say what music is that, where's from?
Speaker 6 (27:16):
Oh, that's black people music, or they call it something
else muska Dechombo.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
The hinted chombo is a word very specific to Panama.
It started as a slur for black people of West
Indian descent.
Speaker 8 (27:30):
Back in the day. It was considered as the N word.
Speaker 9 (27:33):
Black folks used to consider it offensive, very offensive.
Speaker 5 (27:38):
That's El Chumbo again, who took the word at his
artist's name.
Speaker 12 (27:42):
And the origins of the word is pretty hard to
pinpoint exactly where it came from. Back in the day,
around the early nineteen hundreds, thieves in the Panamanian Canal
Zone area used to jump fences after they committed their crimes,
and the police used to call them jump boys.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
So john boy became chumbo and became a bad word
to talk about black people.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
Listen, there are other stories about where the work.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
Comes from that just want. Getting called Chombo was kind
of a thing that black Panamanians had to deal with
on the daily. In general, they got discriminated against a
lot for being black and also for having English speaking rules.
They were sometimes treated as if they don't belong to Panama,
(28:34):
even though their families had lived in Panama for generations.
Over history, West Indian Panamanians have their citizenship denied or
taken away. At one point, politicians even want to kick
out the community from the country. For black kids, Danzhel
and reggae became a kind of defiance, a way of
(28:56):
saying like, we're going to be as.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Black as we want. At the Rasta, this is.
Speaker 5 (29:04):
Frank, the third of the three friends. He and the
others grew out their dread locks, like making their connection
to Jamaica, playing for all to see, and it got
a reaction.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
A young.
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Taxi, he says, bosses and taxes wouldn't pick them up
a lot of dread locks and the cops would literally
stop them and cut their dread logs off. It Racimo,
(29:47):
the racism. They put that into the music and talk
about it on the mic. Regaslan says he understood dance
hound and reggae as a kind of resistance. It's music
that says so in Negroso.
Speaker 8 (30:02):
It's an honor.
Speaker 6 (30:03):
Pride for me is that I could identify myself as
a black West Indian, black Panamanian. Watch that you singing
this music, because it's the only way that black, poor
struggling people used to drag tests to fight against the government.
Speaker 5 (30:23):
So it's not a coincidence that what Renato released his
first real record, it was a this for the Police,
canneth Lave Policia. Here's how it happened. Renaldo was working
as a DJ, drawing parties when one day he heard
a dance whole song that really stuck with him.
Speaker 10 (30:43):
And I heard the song what they held the police
can do and what they held the police can't do,
I can't and don't do that.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
It was a Jamaican song against police brutality.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
And I said, ah, I'll do something like that.
Speaker 5 (30:59):
And so in the mid eighties, Renato released a cover
of the song in Spanish called El Denni. It was
one of the first studio recordings of a Rega Espanol song.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
See For decades, s Panama was controlled.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
By military governments, and the Danny were the secret police
agents of the generals.
Speaker 10 (31:19):
Well at the time Danny, everybody was afraid of the
Danny because THO were the hard cops. They would break
down your doors and go in your house and stuff.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
In the song, Renato impersonates a THENNY officer and it's
not flattering. Basically he said, I can coff you and
hit you with a baton.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Then he's calling the cops.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
Al Buyino pointing out that it was white cops that
would target the black kids. It was this but this
that you could dance to. Regaistan remembers what l. Denny
meant for the new gener El Danny.
Speaker 8 (31:57):
It was a huge radio play all we had in reggae.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
Renaldo don't make the first ever reggae en Espanol hit
and set the whole genre into motion. Betro to be honest,
a lot of people have forgotten about him. Here's Rakka
Rich from the Rakas.
Speaker 7 (32:20):
But even though we are the creators of the sound
and Panama of the genre, I feel like people still
don't know that Panamanians were the ones who started the
whole thing.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
Rakka Rich still gets frustrated about it.
Speaker 7 (32:33):
When you create something and you know, you don't capitalize
on it and other people capitalize on it. It doesn't
feel good, you know what I mean. And it's kind
of like you know what they say about you know
the voltures. You know, people coming and see what you
do and then they maximize out of it and everybody,
you know, even though you created it, and nobody knows who
you are.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
And hinte, that's the truth.
Speaker 5 (32:53):
Without Renato and the other original artists from Panama, they
wouldn't be no Regaeton. But Renaldo is a bitter about that,
just the opposite. And when he looked back, it's just
amazing that an English speaking kid from the canal soon
will be so important to starting Draganapannon.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
And I love it, you know.
Speaker 10 (33:14):
I'm so happy man, because you did something that everybody's
going to talk about it for years and we are
so glad.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
I'm glad man. I'm glad for that yank.
Speaker 8 (33:23):
Yeah, I'm glad for if Queen.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
I'm glad for all these artists that are making its. Renaldo,
I am so glad too and proud of your work.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Thank you so much, Ebie, and dear listener, before we go,
I want to let you know that on Tuesday, September
twenty third, we are going to have a live virtual
event where we are going behind the scenes with some
of the creators of Loud.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
We'd love for you to join us.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
All you have to do is become a Futuro Plus
member at the campion level. Get that campion all right,
We'll see you next time and as always, not by Guess.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
Low. The History of Reggaton is a Spotify original podcast
from Futuro Studios. This podcast was written and reported by
Marlon Bishop and Louis Gaio and edited by Sophia Palissa Carr,
with help on this episode from audri Quin from Spotify.
Executive producers Gida Bilbat, Adrian Aredondo, Jessica Molina, and Julio A. Pabon.
(34:37):
We're producing help from Dan Bihar. Executive produced for Futuro
Studios by Marlon Bishop. Produced by Catalina Gatta, Eggleston Ermees Ajala,
Joaquin Cutler, Sandra Riano, Nicole Rothwell, and Daniela die Jogarson.
Additional production by Christian Edrera, Sevatiander bays Lunez, se Regazzan
(35:00):
and Juan Diego Ramirez.
Speaker 4 (35:02):
Fat check in by Tatiana Dias.
Speaker 5 (35:04):
Sound design and mixing by Genni Montalbo and Stephanie Lebau.
Arting song is by Max. Original music by Eco and
Danny crazy Town for the Eco Team and Impulse Ell
Intellectual music supervision by Big Sin Yours Truly recorded at
Haga Studio by Maluri in Vernon, Ell Henerra.
Speaker 4 (35:26):
Interview audio courtesy of Christopher Twiko.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Special thanks to Julio Ricardo Barela, Louis Luna, Lileana Ruis,
josh Lin, grin Antonio, Seehidro, Alejandra Martinez, Sonia Clavel, Ricardo Montalbo,
Jasmina Fifi, O'Neil Anderson, Jessica Diaz, Urtado, quimu Ello, Leah,
(35:50):
Sarah Kayner, Vijon Garve, Jesse Hart, Sue Lou Brian Marquis,
Lauren Monkey, Ashley sb Andrea c Nancy Way Slidkin and
Jordan Tushinsky for production support.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
I'm your hosts Evy Queen.
Speaker 5 (36:09):
Make sure to follow loud the History of Reggaeton only
on Spotify
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.