If you are a reggaeton fan or even a reggaeton hater amazed by its growing cross cultural influence then you need to get your hands on a copy of this past Sunday’s New York Times Magazine which features the rey of reggaeton, Daddy Yankee. The article tells the tale of a star growing up in the poverty stricken ghetto and making it out while struggling to keep it real amid the new found success and money and bling that comes with it. Whether you buy into the reggaeton culture as obviously so many have, it’s eye opening to see how “exotic” the musical phenomenon, those who make it, and those who consume it remain to white mainstream media. For example the writer observes:

In San Juan, club attire for women is normally high heels, bare legs and just enough spandex to cover the parts that need covering…And reggaetón lyrics, even when laced with social consciousness about race and class and life in the ghetto, are often a call, specifically addressed to female clubgoers, for more dancing and less clothing

Via / The New York Times