Daddy Yankee and Peacock have teamed up for the docuseries Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World, which premiered on October 3, 2024. The four-part series explores reggaeton’s origins in Puerto Rico, its evolution, and its global impact, featuring insights from some of the genre’s biggest stars. Daddy Yankee serves as an executive producer on the project.
Directed by Emmy-nominated Puerto Rican filmmaker Omar Acosta, this docuseries comes three years after Ivy Queen’s explosive Loud podcast on Spotify, where artists shared how reggaeton was influenced by Panama, dancehall, and Jamaican culture. The series includes interviews with artists such as Bad Bunny, Karol G, Ivy Queen, J Balvin, and Feid. Acosta is also known for his acclaimed hip-hop documentary Mixtape.
Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World, titled derived from the podcast “How Jamaica conquered the world” (2012- 2024) traces the genre’s roots from its beginnings in Puerto Rico to its current status as a global cultural and commercial phenomenon. The series is produced by Mercury Studios, Saboteur Media, and Daddy Yankee’s El Cartel, with additional executive producers including Simran A. Singh, Mayna Nevarez, Raphy Pina, and Nick Quested.
The series claims that reggaeton originated from salsa. Dominican rapper El Alfa states, “Puerto Rico is the jumping-off point for reggaeton and salsa.” Puerto Rican artist Lunay adds, “Reggaeton starts with bomba and plena. These are the sounds we grew up listening to, especially during Christmas when we’d celebrate with teachers playing bomba and plena.”
However, these statements contradict Ivy Queen’s now-deleted Loud podcast, documented by World Music Views with one episode still available on audible. In that series, Ivy Queen and other prominent figures, such as El Chombo (Dame Tu Cosita), assert that reggaeton was born in Panama. “People have the wrong impression that reggaeton was born in Puerto Rico, but it was born in Panama,” said El Chombo. Panamanian artist Sech echoed this, adding, “If there was no reggae and dancehall en Español, then there wouldn’t be no reggaeton.”
Super producer Tainy, who has worked with Bad Bunny and Ozuna, acknowledged reggaeton’s roots in dancehall but alluded to the genre’s unique groove as he walked through the creation of a reggaeton track. Subelo Neo, a production team behind Bad Bunny and Farruko, admitted that reggaeton’s iconic Dem Bow beat is a loop originating from Shabba Ranks’ Jamaican track, which they recreated in their music. Last December Ozuna in another article stated that Reggaeton started in Puerto Rico.
These interviews and the Loud podcast episodes are now key evidence in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Cleveland Constantine Browne, Anika Johnson (representative of Wycliffe Johnson’s estate), and Steely & Clevie Productions Ltd. The lawsuit targets major music companies like Universal Music Group, Warner Music, Sony Music, and various artists, including Drake, Justin Bieber, Daddy Yankee, Wisin & Yandel, Pitbull, and others, accusing them of infringing on Steely & Clevie’s 1989 Fish Market riddim, popularized as Dem Bow by Shabba Ranks.
In Loud Episode 31, Ivy Queen says, “We’re going to hear about that beat that defined the scene… Dem Bow… that beat dominates almost every reggaeton song you hear today.” Yet, in Reggaeton: The Sound that Conquered the World, she affirms that Puerto Rico created both her and the genre.
Ironically, Ivy Queen’s top-streaming song, “Quiero Bailar,” (2003) which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Latin Airplay Chart, samples Jeremy Harding’s Liquid Riddim. The track was ranked 10th on Billboard’s 12 Best Dancehall & Reggaeton Choruses of the 21st Century.
Ivy Queen, a Billboard Icon Award recipient, said on Loud, “I was one of the people known for creating a genre… something for the whole world to dance.” She highlighted reggaeton’s rise and the struggle for recognition by English-speaking media, adding, “Artists from everywhere are messing with our beat, but a lot of you don’t know the story and where this music comes from.”
Reggaton’s connection to Jamaican culture is well documented and in court, the Steely & Clevie lawsuit claims, “Deejays in Puerto Rico started literally flying to New York, going to Jamaican record stores, and buying up every copy of Sleepy Wonder’s record featuring the Pounder riddim that they could find.”
Steely & Clevie’s legal team intends to play several reggaeton tracks by Bad Bunny, Maluma, Daddy Yankee, and others in court to demonstrate the alleged infringement. The case has now move to the discovery phase and is set to begin in May 2025
Dulcé Sloan of the Daily outlines the history of Reggaeton from pioneer El General to current mainstream artists like Karol G and Luis Fonsi describing its genesis as Spanish over dancehall beats.
Last year, the Washington Post spotlighted the roots of reggaeton, emphasizing Jamaica’s influence alongside Panamanian and Puerto Rican contributions to the genre. The feature highlights reggaeton’s evolution from the mid-1980s, when Jamaican dancehall and Panamanian reggae en español merged with new technology and migration trends to shape its sound. Key figures like Wisin, Bad Bunny, El General, and DJ Playero are featured, with a focus on the genre’s rise from Puerto Rico’s underground to global dominance.
