Puerto Rican superstar Ozuna, who has a $100 million recording contract with Sony, contemplates a future beyond singing reggaeton and insists that the genre started in his home country and not in Panama as other artists have said.
“The genre was born in Puerto Rico and has had a complete evolution. I thank those pioneers who kept on working, and today we can enjoy that. We do it with the same passion. We haven’t let it fade. We’re opening doors so others will come, and I believe that is what keeps the movement alive. Puerto Rico is only just getting started. There is still more to come. This is one generation, but there is a lot of talent and more will come,” he claimed.
The latin superstar who was speaking in a recent interview with El Pais also says it’s the collaborative spirit of artists from the genre that keep them climbing in the industry.
“Baby Rasta & Gringo or Maicol and Manuel. Vico was one of the pioneers. He opened the door for us to pass through,” Ozuna said.
Ozuna, 31, is one of the most successful singers in the world with 13 videos having over a billion views on YouTube, thats more than US stars like Drake(7) and Nicki Minaj (9).
His sixth studio album, “Cosmo,”debuted at No. 9 on Billboard’s Latin Top Albums chart. The album, originally scheduled for January 2024, was released early November is described as a return to his reggaeton roots. It is his seventh top ten Latin Billboard album selling 11,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. during the tracking week of Nov. 17-23 according to Luminate per Billboard.
‘I am where I need to be, I really love what I do, and I enjoy it,’ he said
While reggaeton has taken Ozuna where he wants to be, the origin story of the popular genre is the subject of a court case in the Central District Of California brought by dancehall pioneers Steely and Clevie who made the ‘Fish Market‘ Riddim which spawned the “Dem Bow” and ‘Pounder’ Riddims.
Reggaeton pioneer Ivy Queen, also from Puerto Rico, explained that the genre’s roots is in Panama on her Spotify podcast.
Ivy Queen is on record stating that the Reggaeton started in Panama and not Puerto Rico- lawyers representing Steely and Clevie productions brought into evidence Ivy’s now deleted ‘Loud’ Podcast episodes where she states:
“We are going to hear about that beat that came to define the scene, you know what I’m talking about – Dem Bow – that beat, honey, that beat will dominate almost every reggaeton song you hear today,” the evidence showed.
The 7-page document quotes Ivy Queen as saying, “Sleepy Wonder and Bobo General did a song on the beat called ‘Pounder‘… his record had an instrumental version of the new beat on the B side. That instrumental is the one that ended up getting sampled over and over again, becoming the ‘Dem Bow’ beat we all know and love. Deejays in Puerto Rico started literally flying to New York, going to the Jamaican record store, and buying up every copy of Sleepy Wonder’s record that they could find,” Ivy Queen said on her podcast.
Along with 1800 other songs, Ozuna’s “No Se Da Cuenta” and “Me Dijeron” are part of the lawsuit alleging copyright infringement by Steely and Clevie.
Panama DJ El Chombo, the producer of ‘Dame Tu Costa,’ with Cutty Ranks, YouTube No. 6 most-viewed video with 4.5 billion views, said on the Loud podcast, “People have the wrong impression that reggaeton was born in Puerto Rico, but it was born in Panama.”
Sech, one of the most popular Panamanian artists globally, confirmed on the “Loud” podcast, “We did reggae in Spanish first.” He added, “Who did it first is a sensitive topic, especially for Panamanians,” he said. “A lot of people don’t give credit to Panamanians, but it all started with them. If there was no reggae and dancehall en Español, then there wouldn’t be no reggaeton.”
Puerto Rican singer Tainy has said that reggaeton started in Panama by way of Jamaican dancehall music.
Ozuna claims he will be leaving reggaeton in a few years but said that before he quits, he would like to push boundaries and mentions plans to conquer Asian markets by organizing concerts and collaborations with local artists.
“We still have to conquer part of Asia. I think we have to do concerts, performances, television, and stuff. I think we have to start a movement and work with artists there. We have worked on the structures, we have invested time and money. Let’s put an ad in Japan, for example. How much does it cost? Okay, $200,000. There are artists like me who say, ‘Yes. Let’s put it on because I want the Japanese to see me.’ I went to Japan to make a video for $100,000 when no one made videos. It is taking a risk on those types of things so that this continues to grow. By making that video in Japan, I did my part, and that’s where the genre began to grow. I don’t know if that’s the case, but I feel like I contributed to it, and many other artists have to do it too.”
Reflecting on the challenges of a burgeoning demand for Spanish music worldwide, Ozuna acknowledges the practical difficulties in managing extensive concert tours. He hints at an upcoming Cosmo tour starting in May, covering Europe, and jokes about surprising announcements in January.
Despite his monumental success, the “Taki Taki” singer reveals a desire to transition into business ventures, expressing an interest in global business or real estate projects in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. While he doesn’t foresee himself singing reggaeton in a decade, he envisions a future focused on producing, sports, and managing his basketball team, Los Osos de Manatí.
“Not quit music, but I see myself producing more. I see myself doing other projects. I like sports, I have my team in Puerto Rico [Los Osos de Manatí, a basketball club that he bought in 2022], which I love. I feel like I am learning a lot there. In 10 years I see myself in the team’s management, working with them,” Ozuna said.
