“Puerto Rico was living a tremendously creative moment,” he recalls. “Daddy Yankee and ‘Gasolina’ triggered the explosion of urban Latin music worldwide,” Nestor Casonú, president for Kobalt Music Latin America, told Billboard five years ago, when “Gasolina” turned 10. Fifteen years ago, as MD for EMI Music Publishing Latin America, he signed Daddy Yankee’s publishing. Once thought to be a passing fad, reggaetón is here to stay.Īnd it harks back to a large degree to Daddy Yankee.
The fact that this music has evolved while meshing with other genres - such as tropical, pop and bachata - only underscores its uniqueness, not to mention its danceability. Today, the Latin musical landscape is dominated by urban collaborations in fact, this week, 14 out of the 15 top songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart are urban collaborations. 32 on the Hot 100 - and its unique dembow beat allowed it to catch on not only in Latin America but throughout Europe and the Far East.ĭaddy Yankee Talks About 'Gasolina' Catching Fire on Its 10-Year AnniversaryĬollaborations in Latin music were a rarity when “Gasolina” first came out, until reggaetoners began routinely teaming up with their peers.
It did, however, get played on mainstream stations –peaking at No. It eventually became the top-selling Latin album of 2005 and the entire decade. Because so few Spanish-language stations played urban music at the time, “Gasolina” never rose past No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart July 31, 2004, the first reggaetón album to hit that spot. It was the first single off Barrio Fino, the hits-packed Yankee album that blended reggaetón with other tropical beats from the likes of Wisin & Yandel and salsa star Andy Montañez. “Gasolina” exploded 15 years ago this month, irrevocably altering the business, sound and aesthetic of Latin music. “It’s one of the most innocent songs I’ve ever written.” “That track is completely literal,” he insists. And I think part of the success of the track was people looking for some hidden meaning: Was I talking about alcohol, about drugs?” “The word gasolina - everyone in the world knew what it meant.
“The verse was so simple and easy to remember,” says Yankee. It was an eminently commercial take on what was then an underground, subversive genre shunned by major labels. With help from producer friends Luny - of production duo Luny Tunes - and Eddie Dee, they finished the track, adding rapid-fire verses, a thumping, aggressive beat under the almost childish chorus and the sound of gunning motors in the introduction. Daddy Yankee Breaks Down His 'Barrio Fino' Album Track by Track, 15 Years Later: Exclusive