Reggaeton & Trap: Artistic Expressions?
Reggaeton and trap. We know them, we dance to them, we share them. If you heard girls singing "I like them bigger, not fitting in my mouth" (“A mí me gustan más grandes, que no me quepan en la boca”) or boys humming "If I was a son of a bitch before, now I'm worse" (“Si antes era un hijo de puta, ahora soy peor”), then you definitely know Bad Bunny.
Bad Bunny
Their lyrics have generated a large number of criticisms to the point in which in some countries, several broadcasters have banned songs because they consider that they advocate for crimes, drugs consumption or gender violence. Reggaeton, trap, Latin trap… they all seem the same, but let’s look into them!
Trap is a music genre that was born in the 90s, in the south of the United States. It is not originally Latin, since Spanish trap came from Puerto Rico in 2006 with artists like Arcangel. This variation is Latin Trap. But trap comes from a mixture of hip-hop with electronic music which then merged with other genres such as pop and reggaeton. The term trap is used in the United States to refer to weed or drug stores. Hence, these songs revolve around topics such as addictions, sex, violence and street life.
Reggaeton has Latin origins. It was born in the 70s in Panama, but it was developed in the mid-90s in Puerto Rico. Reggaeton mixes Latin rap with Caribbean and reggae sounds. The lyrics range from love or lack of it to other “sensitive” topics.
As we can see, there are differences. However, both trap and reggaeton are subgenres that are linked to urban music, born in the street. And now, they are some of the most listened genres throughout the world. Music that is for “perrear” (grinding/booty dancing) and for singing out loud.
Trap has received a warm welcome in recent years in our youth but has also aroused opposition and debate, given that the language used is often explicit, and the issues addressed are considered vulgar and immoral. Most of the time, it alludes to women with degrading and humiliating expressions; referring to them as worthless sexual objects. That is why, despite having great acceptance in society, many people tend to brand the genre as “machista” and vulgar.
Some interesting lyrics:
Maluma - Cuatro Babys
“Estoy enamorado de cuatro babies Siempre me dan lo que quiero Chingan cuando yo les digo”
“Y es que todas maman bien Todas me lo hacen bien”
"I'm in love with four babes They always give me what I want They fuck when I tell them " "And they all suck well They all do it well "
Ozuna - La Ocasion
“Yo estoy claro de lo que de mí te han dicho, que lo tengo grande, y que bien rico chicho. Y dale métele, sólo por capricho sométele, motívate, agárralo con tu mano y verás que es algo sano”
"I am sure of what they have told you about me, that I have it big, and that it is very tasty. And give it to you, just on a whim, give it, motivate yourself, grab it with your hand and you’ll see that it is something healthy.”
Becky G ft. Bad Bunny - Mayores
«A mí me gustan más grandes /que no me quepa en la boca».
«I like them bigger / that they don’t fit in my mouth».
Nicky Jam ft Daddy Yankee - La Combi Completa
«Y es que yo quiero la combi completa. ¡Qué! Chocha, culo y teta»
«And what I want is the complete combo. What! Pussy, ass and boobs»
Some defend this strong language by saying that this is what is commonly heard in the street. Hence, the genre should have a strong, uncensored language. Another argument is that it is not about the genre, but the society we live in.
“There are things that are out of tune, that don’t have a musical composition. But it is the ghetto's way of expressing itself. It is your creation and therefore, you have to respect it. As well as respecting people who play heavy metal, make gore movies or paint pictures of people full of blood. This is the art of the ghetto." B Clip said in an interview.
We may like the songs or not, but according to a scientific study released on the BBC, there are scientific reasons to explain the success of songs such as "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and other similar genre songs. They are candy for the brain.
Elements include, beat. If the songs have a beat or compass that is easy to follow, they increase the activity of the area of the brain associated with the movement. But also, their predictability generates a satisfying effect because they develop just the way we think they will.
It is a matter of fact that not only the reggaeton and trap genres treat women as sexual objects. Other genres like “pornosalsa” and “tex mex” do too. This means that they share the same content that comes from the society in which we live. And music, like any other artistic expression, reflects reality. Therefore, if today's society is a machista, violent reality with outbreaks of illegality, then this is what the songs are going to be about.
Even though we know the songs are sexist, we still dance to them in the club. Should we just let them be because they are danceable and there is freedom of expression? Or should we join the petitions that ask to remove this content from YouTube for treating women as "mere bodies at the service of the unlimited sexual desire of the authors"? Or even go and ask for the banning of these songs on the radio for their allusion to gender violence?
The youth is growing up with these songs, but also with this society. There is not a real answer, but something is clear: it is definitely easier to criticise reggaeton or trap rather than going to the cultural root of the problem.
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