One of the first instances I remember getting fired up was when coming across “Oye Mi Canto.” Although N.O.R.E. was already a legend in hip-hop, sharing the mic with Daddy Yankee, Nina Sky, Gem Star, and Big Mato took it to the next level. Especially having Nina Sky sing the hook in Spanish and Daddy Yankee delivering his reggaeton flow made it seem like the most mind-blowing thing. It was all that and more.
However, back when it was released in 2004, tracks like “Oye Mi Canto'' were the outliers. Save for a few exceptions, Latine artists weren’t jumping on anybody’s tracks, especially weren’t doing it among Latine artists. It took us a while to realize what made these collaborations exciting, so it’s worth remembering our roots.
Few things characterize our community as much as relying on one another. Music is no exception, and arguably, this has been a key aspect to our current dominant position.
Speaking as a fan, few things are as exhilarating as seeing our favs link up on a fire track. The speculation of who’s guesting on who’s album or which single will feature a meetup between genres is enough to get us talking. When we hear a song like “Te Boté” featuring key figures of El Movimiento trade verses, it makes us feel alive and we hear the full potential of what this music is capable of.
The
Single Driver
For the longest time, most singles of any genre were almost always attributed to one artist. Few genres dealt with collaborations saved for show-stopping duet ballads by older generations. However, the seeds were planted a few decades before the trend was fully established.
Historically, we’re prone to collaborate with one another. Playing with family and friends has been a longstanding tradition that has resisted the advances of home entertainment like radio and TV for decades. Professionally, niche genres has seen collaborations between artists without interrupting; like the Fania label in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, with such artists as Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, and later, Rubén Blades jumping on each other’s albums and even forming the almighty Fania All-Star band, which included pretty much everyone on the label.
Collaborations marked hip-hop since the beginning, and artists such as DJ Charlie Chase, DJ Disco Wiz, and The Real Roxanne would make music with whoever was close to their circle. Indeed, hip-hop has proven to be a constant when it comes to artists linking up together. There was Latin Alliance, an album starring late ‘80s figures like Kid Frost and Mellow Man Ace that set the stage for the fraternal love other Latine rappers would show each other. Hearing rappers address their identity and dip into Spanglish was one of the greatest thrills you could get if you were a fan. I remember listening to a track like “Twinz” by Big Pun and Fat Joe or “Siempre Peligroso” by Cypress Hill and Fermín IV of Control Machete and going crazy.
Picking
Someone Up
While this was happening in the mainstream, the building blocks of El Movimiento were being established by collaborations. Producers and DJs in Panamá and then Puerto Rico would get emcees and singers to flesh out their beats into songs, creating a synergy that allowed the style to evolve quickly. This is how Daddy Yankee got his first break, appearing on DJ Playero’s Playero 34 mixtape in 1994. Playero was one of many DJs making a name for themselves in the San Juan underground by getting vocalists for their mixtapes, a scene that also included DJ Negro, DJ Eric, DJ Nelson, and others, while Panamanian producer El Chombo was releasing his Cuentos De La Cripta series to great success with a variety of emcees, although controversially, he wouldn’t always credit them. The Noise club in San Juan—spearheaded by DJ Negro—sprung a label that brought us early music form Ivy Queen, Baby Rasta and Gringo, Baby Ranks, and DJ Nelson, often in the same song.
This spirit carried to the next generation when Luny Tunes would release their albums like Más Flow featuring then-up and coming figures such as Wisin & Yandel, Zion & Lennox, Plan B, Don Omar, Angel & Khris, and Nicky Jam. Más Flow also featured a young producer known as Tainy behind the board who wouldn’t forget what he learned from those sessions, putting them to practice in his guest-heavy solo debut DATA, released in June 2023.
Once reggaeton exploded worldwide, collaborations became the norm and we were all the better for it. Most records featured a long list of features and even made the tables turn, with huge stars looking to break into different markets, like RBD with their Luny Tunes collab “Lento” and Fergie being featured on the remix of Daddy Yankee’s “Impacto.” It’s such an integral part of El Movimiento that parties would not be the same had most tracks featured only one voice. Some of those features remain engraved in my mind along with some amazing memories.
Hitching
A Ride
Around the time, Jennifer Lopez tapped into this same well, inviting Big Pun and Fat Joe to guest on her track “Feelin’ So Good,” getting that street cred as well as Latinidad that her brilliant hit album On The 6 needed. The Latin Boom should have been an era of inspired collaborations, but other than J.Lo, few did actual Latine link ups. In 1999, Carlos Santana released Supernatural, his most successful album in terms of sales and Grammy awards won, breaking the latter’s record of most awards won previously held by Michael Jackson’s Thriller. While the success of the album was attributed in part to the multiple guests featured in most of the songs, other than Mexican rock band Maná, none of them were Latines. Indeed, collaborations were seen as potential crossover moments where the general—a.k.a. white—audience could buy their music. Even Colombian pop rocker Juanes tried to get in the game, but his Nelly Furtado link-up, “Fotografía,” failed to launch him to the English-speaking market.
Perhaps this culminated with Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” Shakira’s biggest hit in the U.S. that shot to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in part because of the presence of Wyclef Jean. The former Fugee gave the track a grounding in hip-hop that made it possible for the track to appeal to a wider market. Don’t get me wrong, “Hips Don’t Lie” is a banger—from the Jerry Riviera sample to her delivery of every verse and chorus to Wyclef’s “Shakira, Shakira” insistent chant—yet it always felt like if someone else had assisted on that track, perhaps it would have been a legend instead of a hit. After all, we had already heard what Latines collaborating together could do.
All Aboard
The Bus
Because one of the most integral parts of hip-hop is its collaborative nature, its integration to other styles make it possible for them to fuse together. Regional Mexican music has never been stranger to duets, yet it's only recently that we feel that these collaborations hit differently. There’s a real sense of camaraderie, how listening to a track by one artist will introduce you to another one and so on. Looking at big hits by Junior H or Natanael Cano feels like a family affair, bringing more voices into the party than before.
It also allows artists in Regional Mexicano to play in similar fields like trap and reggaeton in an effortless way. When Natanael Cano dropped his “Soy El Diablo” remix with Bad Bunny, it felt like something bigger culturally, but the track itself sounded like it always had Benito there, his style seamlessly blending with his musical surroundings. Similarly, Iván Cornejo’s “Está Dañada” made a bigger impact when Jhayco jumped on the track, making for some exciting music. Now, even a more traditional regional singer like Christian Nodal can collaborate with a rapper like Gera MX and give us a banger like “Botella Tras Botella” that sounds amazing.
Nowadays, there’s no turning back. Bad Bunny—after recently scoring a hit with Grupo Frontera—collaborates with Travis Scott and The Weeknd on “K-POP” and no one bats an eye; Peso Pluma—whose whole deal makes him prime to link ups with artists from different genres—is working on music with A$AP Rocky, and while it will probably get ears from both sides of their camps to check out one another—it sounds like music made for the same crowd. Bizarrap’s YouTube channel is arguably massively successful because of the collaborations between the titular producer and other artists ranging from Eladio Carrion to Villano Antillano to even Shakira.
Thanks in large part to social media, the spotlight is now shining even on those behind the scenes. The artists might still get their names in big bold letters, but we now know the names and faces of the team that make albums and tours possible. Producers have been getting their due for a while, but they’re now getting their own fandoms, and songwriters are now becoming well-known. Dancers, choreographers, stage designers, and touring musicians are also getting their names out there; and even business types like managers and creative directors have gotten their due in the public eye. Video directors, graphic designers, photographers, and others who work closely with artists are now enjoying the ride with the recognition they have always deserved.
Artists know that the road to success is better reached together and there’s no going back. We’re reaching the top together and the quality of music will only get better along the road.
This article is part of The Journey to Recognition,
a program in partnership with Hyundai
to celebrate our culture and music.
Presented by
Marcos Hassan
Written by
Latine carpool
Together, The Road To Recognition Has Been Easier
Few things characterize our community as much as relying on one another. Music is no exception, and arguably, this has been a key aspect to our current dominant position.
Speaking as a fan, few things are as exhilarating as seeing our favs link up on a fire track. The speculation of who’s guesting on who’s album or which single will feature a meetup between genres is enough to get us talking. When we hear a song like “Te Boté” featuring key figures of El Movimiento trade verses, it makes us feel alive and we hear the full potential of what this music is capable of.
The
Single Driver
For the longest time, most singles of any genre were almost always attributed to one artist. Few genres dealt with collaborations saved for show-stopping duet ballads by older generations. However, the seeds were planted a few decades before the trend was fully established.
Historically, we’re prone to collaborate with one another. Playing with family and friends has been a longstanding tradition that has resisted the advances of home entertainment like radio and TV for decades. Professionally, niche genres has seen collaborations between artists without interrupting; like the Fania label in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, with such artists as Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, and later, Rubén Blades jumping on each other’s albums and even forming the almighty Fania All-Star band, which included pretty much everyone on the label.
Collaborations marked hip-hop since the beginning, and artists such as DJ Charlie Chase, DJ Disco Wiz, and The Real Roxanne would make music with whoever was close to their circle. Indeed, hip-hop has proven to be a constant when it comes to artists linking up together. There was Latin Alliance, an album starring late ‘80s figures like Kid Frost and Mellow Man Ace that set the stage for the fraternal love other Latine rappers would show each other. Hearing rappers address their identity and dip into Spanglish was one of the greatest thrills you could get if you were a fan. I remember listening to a track like “Twinz” by Big Pun and Fat Joe or “Siempre Peligroso” by Cypress Hill and Fermín IV of Control Machete and going crazy.
Picking
Someone Up
While this was happening in the mainstream, the building blocks of El Movimiento were being established by collaborations. Producers and DJs in Panamá and then Puerto Rico would get emcees and singers to flesh out their beats into songs, creating a synergy that allowed the style to evolve quickly. This is how Daddy Yankee got his first break, appearing on DJ Playero’s Playero 34 mixtape in 1994. Playero was one of many DJs making a name for themselves in the San Juan underground by getting vocalists for their mixtapes, a scene that also included DJ Negro, DJ Eric, DJ Nelson, and others, while Panamanian producer El Chombo was releasing his Cuentos De La Cripta series to great success with a variety of emcees, although controversially, he wouldn’t always credit them. The Noise club in San Juan—spearheaded by DJ Negro—sprung a label that brought us early music form Ivy Queen, Baby Rasta and Gringo, Baby Ranks, and DJ Nelson, often in the same song.
This spirit carried to the next generation when Luny Tunes would release their albums like Más Flow featuring then-up and coming figures such as Wisin & Yandel, Zion & Lennox, Plan B, Don Omar, Angel & Khris, and Nicky Jam. Más Flow also featured a young producer known as Tainy behind the board who wouldn’t forget what he learned from those sessions, putting them to practice in his guest-heavy solo debut DATA, released in June 2023.
Once reggaeton exploded worldwide, collaborations became the norm and we were all the better for it. Most records featured a long list of features and even made the tables turn, with huge stars looking to break into different markets, like RBD with their Luny Tunes collab “Lento” and Fergie being featured on the remix of Daddy Yankee’s “Impacto.” It’s such an integral part of El Movimiento that parties would not be the same had most tracks featured only one voice. Some of those features remain engraved in my mind along with some amazing memories.
Hitching
A Ride
Around the time, Jennifer Lopez tapped into this same well, inviting Big Pun and Fat Joe to guest on her track “Feelin’ So Good,” getting that street cred as well as Latinidad that her brilliant hit album On The 6 needed. The Latin Boom should have been an era of inspired collaborations, but other than J.Lo, few did actual Latine link ups. In 1999, Carlos Santana released Supernatural, his most successful album in terms of sales and Grammy awards won, breaking the latter’s record of most awards won previously held by Michael Jackson’s Thriller. While the success of the album was attributed in part to the multiple guests featured in most of the songs, other than Mexican rock band Maná, none of them were Latines. Indeed, collaborations were seen as potential crossover moments where the general—a.k.a. white—audience could buy their music. Even Colombian pop rocker Juanes tried to get in the game, but his Nelly Furtado link-up, “Fotografía,” failed to launch him to the English-speaking market.
Perhaps this culminated with Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” Shakira’s biggest hit in the U.S. that shot to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in part because of the presence of Wyclef Jean. The former Fugee gave the track a grounding in hip-hop that made it possible for the track to appeal to a wider market. Don’t get me wrong, “Hips Don’t Lie” is a banger—from the Jerry Riviera sample to her delivery of every verse and chorus to Wyclef’s “Shakira, Shakira” insistent chant—yet it always felt like if someone else had assisted on that track, perhaps it would have been a legend instead of a hit. After all, we had already heard what Latines collaborating together could do.
All Aboard
The Bus
Because one of the most integral parts of hip-hop is its collaborative nature, its integration to other styles make it possible for them to fuse together. Regional Mexican music has never been stranger to duets, yet it's only recently that we feel that these collaborations hit differently. There’s a real sense of camaraderie, how listening to a track by one artist will introduce you to another one and so on. Looking at big hits by Junior H or Natanael Cano feels like a family affair, bringing more voices into the party than before.
It also allows artists in Regional Mexicano to play in similar fields like trap and reggaeton in an effortless way. When Natanael Cano dropped his “Soy El Diablo” remix with Bad Bunny, it felt like something bigger culturally, but the track itself sounded like it always had Benito there, his style seamlessly blending with his musical surroundings. Similarly, Iván Cornejo’s “Está Dañada” made a bigger impact when Jhayco jumped on the track, making for some exciting music. Now, even a more traditional regional singer like Christian Nodal can collaborate with a rapper like Gera MX and give us a banger like “Botella Tras Botella” that sounds amazing.
Nowadays, there’s no turning back. Bad Bunny—after recently scoring a hit with Grupo Frontera—collaborates with Travis Scott and The Weeknd on “K-POP” and no one bats an eye; Peso Pluma—whose whole deal makes him prime to link ups with artists from different genres—is working on music with A$AP Rocky, and while it will probably get ears from both sides of their camps to check out one another—it sounds like music made for the same crowd. Bizarrap’s YouTube channel is arguably massively successful because of the collaborations between the titular producer and other artists ranging from Eladio Carrion to Villano Antillano to even Shakira.
Thanks in large part to social media, the spotlight is now shining even on those behind the scenes. The artists might still get their names in big bold letters, but we now know the names and faces of the team that make albums and tours possible. Producers have been getting their due for a while, but they’re now getting their own fandoms, and songwriters are now becoming well-known. Dancers, choreographers, stage designers, and touring musicians are also getting their names out there; and even business types like managers and creative directors have gotten their due in the public eye. Video directors, graphic designers, photographers, and others who work closely with artists are now enjoying the ride with the recognition they have always deserved.
Artists know that the road to success is better reached together and there’s no going back. We’re reaching the top together and the quality of music will only get better along the road.
This article is part of The Journey to Recognition,
a program in partnership with Hyundai
to celebrate our culture and music.
Presented by
Marcos Hassan
Written by
Latine
carpool
Together, The Road To
Recognition Has Been Easier
One of the first instances I remember getting fired up was when coming across “Oye Mi Canto.” Although N.O.R.E. was already a legend in hip-hop, sharing the mic with Daddy Yankee, Nina Sky, Gem Star, and Big Mato took it to the next level. Especially having Nina Sky sing the hook in Spanish and Daddy Yankee delivering his reggaeton flow made it seem like the most mind-blowing thing. It was all that and more.
However, back when it was released in 2004, tracks like “Oye Mi Canto'' were the outliers. Save for a few exceptions, Latine artists weren’t jumping on anybody’s tracks, especially weren’t doing it among Latine artists. It took us a while to realize what made these collaborations exciting, so it’s worth remembering our roots.
Few things characterize our community as much as relying on one another. Music is no exception, and arguably, this has been a key aspect to our current dominant position.
Speaking as a fan, few things are as exhilarating as seeing our favs link up on a fire track. The speculation of who’s guesting on who’s album or which single will feature a meetup between genres is enough to get us talking. When we hear a song like “Te Boté” featuring key figures of El Movimiento trade verses, it makes us feel alive and we hear the full potential of what this music is capable of.
The
Single Driver
For the longest time, most singles of any genre were almost always attributed to one artist. Few genres dealt with collaborations saved for show-stopping duet ballads by older generations. However, the seeds were planted a few decades before the trend was fully established.
Historically, we’re prone to collaborate with one another. Playing with family and friends has been a longstanding tradition that has resisted the advances of home entertainment like radio and TV for decades. Professionally, niche genres has seen collaborations between artists without interrupting; like the Fania label in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, with such artists as Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, and later, Rubén Blades jumping on each other’s albums and even forming the almighty Fania All-Star band, which included pretty much everyone on the label.
Collaborations marked hip-hop since the beginning, and artists such as DJ Charlie Chase, DJ Disco Wiz, and The Real Roxanne would make music with whoever was close to their circle. Indeed, hip-hop has proven to be a constant when it comes to artists linking up together. There was Latin Alliance, an album starring late ‘80s figures like Kid Frost and Mellow Man Ace that set the stage for the fraternal love other Latine rappers would show each other. Hearing rappers address their identity and dip into Spanglish was one of the greatest thrills you could get if you were a fan. I remember listening to a track like “Twinz” by Big Pun and Fat Joe or “Siempre Peligroso” by Cypress Hill and Fermín IV of Control Machete and going crazy.
Picking
Someone Up
While this was happening in the mainstream, the building blocks of El Movimiento were being established by collaborations. Producers and DJs in Panamá and then Puerto Rico would get emcees and singers to flesh out their beats into songs, creating a synergy that allowed the style to evolve quickly. This is how Daddy Yankee got his first break, appearing on DJ Playero’s Playero 34 mixtape in 1994. Playero was one of many DJs making a name for themselves in the San Juan underground by getting vocalists for their mixtapes, a scene that also included DJ Negro, DJ Eric, DJ Nelson, and others, while Panamanian producer El Chombo was releasing his Cuentos De La Cripta series to great success with a variety of emcees, although controversially, he wouldn’t always credit them. The Noise club in San Juan—spearheaded by DJ Negro—sprung a label that brought us early music form Ivy Queen, Baby Rasta and Gringo, Baby Ranks, and DJ Nelson, often in the same song.
This spirit carried to the next generation when Luny Tunes would release their albums like Más Flow featuring then-up and coming figures such as Wisin & Yandel, Zion & Lennox, Plan B, Don Omar, Angel & Khris, and Nicky Jam. Más Flow also featured a young producer known as Tainy behind the board who wouldn’t forget what he learned from those sessions, putting them to practice in his guest-heavy solo debut DATA, released in June 2023.
Once reggaeton exploded worldwide, collaborations became the norm and we were all the better for it. Most records featured a long list of features and even made the tables turn, with huge stars looking to break into different markets, like RBD with their Luny Tunes collab “Lento” and Fergie being featured on the remix of Daddy Yankee’s “Impacto.” It’s such an integral part of El Movimiento that parties would not be the same had most tracks featured only one voice. Some of those features remain engraved in my mind along with some amazing memories.
Hitching
A Ride
Around the time, Jennifer Lopez tapped into this same well, inviting Big Pun and Fat Joe to guest on her track “Feelin’ So Good,” getting that street cred as well as Latinidad that her brilliant hit album On The 6 needed. The Latin Boom should have been an era of inspired collaborations, but other than J.Lo, few did actual Latine link ups. In 1999, Carlos Santana released Supernatural, his most successful album in terms of sales and Grammy awards won, breaking the latter’s record of most awards won previously held by Michael Jackson’s Thriller. While the success of the album was attributed in part to the multiple guests featured in most of the songs, other than Mexican rock band Maná, none of them were Latines. Indeed, collaborations were seen as potential crossover moments where the general—a.k.a. white—audience could buy their music. Even Colombian pop rocker Juanes tried to get in the game, but his Nelly Furtado link-up, “Fotografía,” failed to launch him to the English-speaking market.
Perhaps this culminated with Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” Shakira’s biggest hit in the U.S. that shot to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in part because of the presence of Wyclef Jean. The former Fugee gave the track a grounding in hip-hop that made it possible for the track to appeal to a wider market. Don’t get me wrong, “Hips Don’t Lie” is a banger—from the Jerry Riviera sample to her delivery of every verse and chorus to Wyclef’s “Shakira, Shakira” insistent chant—yet it always felt like if someone else had assisted on that track, perhaps it would have been a legend instead of a hit. After all, we had already heard what Latines collaborating together could do.
All Aboard
The Bus
Because one of the most integral parts of hip-hop is its collaborative nature, its integration to other styles make it possible for them to fuse together. Regional Mexican music has never been stranger to duets, yet it's only recently that we feel that these collaborations hit differently. There’s a real sense of camaraderie, how listening to a track by one artist will introduce you to another one and so on. Looking at big hits by Junior H or Natanael Cano feels like a family affair, bringing more voices into the party than before.
It also allows artists in Regional Mexicano to play in similar fields like trap and reggaeton in an effortless way. When Natanael Cano dropped his “Soy El Diablo” remix with Bad Bunny, it felt like something bigger culturally, but the track itself sounded like it always had Benito there, his style seamlessly blending with his musical surroundings. Similarly, Iván Cornejo’s “Está Dañada” made a bigger impact when Jhayco jumped on the track, making for some exciting music. Now, even a more traditional regional singer like Christian Nodal can collaborate with a rapper like Gera MX and give us a banger like “Botella Tras Botella” that sounds amazing.
Nowadays, there’s no turning back. Bad Bunny—after recently scoring a hit with Grupo Frontera—collaborates with Travis Scott and The Weeknd on “K-POP” and no one bats an eye; Peso Pluma—whose whole deal makes him prime to link ups with artists from different genres—is working on music with A$AP Rocky, and while it will probably get ears from both sides of their camps to check out one another—it sounds like music made for the same crowd. Bizarrap’s YouTube channel is arguably massively successful because of the collaborations between the titular producer and other artists ranging from Eladio Carrion to Villano Antillano to even Shakira.
Thanks in large part to social media, the spotlight is now shining even on those behind the scenes. The artists might still get their names in big bold letters, but we now know the names and faces of the team that make albums and tours possible. Producers have been getting their due for a while, but they’re now getting their own fandoms, and songwriters are now becoming well-known. Dancers, choreographers, stage designers, and touring musicians are also getting their names out there; and even business types like managers and creative directors have gotten their due in the public eye. Video directors, graphic designers, photographers, and others who work closely with artists are now enjoying the ride with the recognition they have always deserved.
Artists know that the road to success is better reached together and there’s no going back. We’re reaching the top together and the quality of music will only get better along the road.
One of the first instances I remember getting fired up was when coming across “Oye Mi Canto.” Although N.O.R.E. was already a legend in hip-hop, sharing the mic with Daddy Yankee, Nina Sky, Gem Star, and Big Mato took it to the next level. Especially having Nina Sky sing the hook in Spanish and Daddy Yankee delivering his reggaeton flow made it seem like the most mind-blowing thing. It was all that and more.
However, back when it was released in 2004, tracks like “Oye Mi Canto'' were the outliers. Save for a few exceptions, Latine artists weren’t jumping on anybody’s tracks, especially weren’t doing it among Latine artists. It took us a while to realize what made these collaborations exciting, so it’s worth remembering our roots.
Presented by
Marcos Hassan
Written by
Latine
carpool
Together, The Road To
Recognition Has Been Easier
This article is part of The Journey to Recognition,
a program in partnership with Hyundai
to celebrate our culture and music.
Latine
carpool
different
lanes
Latine
carpool
different
lanes
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routes
alternative
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