The Undeniable Influence of El General in Reggaeton Whilst most of us have been introduced to Reggaeton during the early 2000s, many avid fans have known that the one of the pillars of this music genre would have to be El General. Reggaeton started as an underground music genre and grew into a full-blown musical frenzy currently being adored by many music lovers from all over the world. But Reggaeton wouldn't have been conceptualized, nor even be thought of, without the help of El General. You might find his name rather funny, but it speaks so much of his passion to expound the reach that Reggaeton has and could have, with a strong belief that it should be heard by all forms of people. Born Edgardo Franco, the now 51-year old talented reggaeton artist made his mark during the early 1990s, where he initiated a quirky Spanish dance hall that paved the way to the conception of reggaeton. Entering the world of sounds and lyrics at the early age of 12, he found his calling through the roots of their humble home. Like any other man who hoped for a better life, El General endowed his teenage years studying and crafting songs that he will soon spread through his music. He fully committed to his undying love for music at the age of 19, where he exposed himself to more avenues and channels. …show more content…
During this time, El General worked closely with Chino Rodriguez, a well-known music impresario in the Latin music scene. El General's initial offering to the world was a sals-inspired track entitled 'Boriqua Anthem Part 2', which was performed at the Madison Square Garden in front of a gargantuan audience. This specific performance established El General's potential and charisma as most of the people who watched the show gave nothing but the loveliest
To illustrate how the social environment determined ‘The Politics of Plagiarism,” an article written by Jeff Stark exploring how Tom Zé’s unusual music is a result from the flourishing civil society in Brazil and the collective critique of capitalism. During this time period, the Tropicália movement was “set against injustice, restrictive sexuality and a military dictatorship.” Therefore, songs that protested against the state and that claimed freedom rights was the perfect environment for artists such as Zè or Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso. These artists then used music as a tool for creating “a genre of music loosely based on the idea of marrying native sounds with foreign influences or music from other cultures.” Similarly, Professor Ramsey’s ‘I will Forever Remain Faithful” also illustrates how social environment can impact individuals and encourage them to embrace Lil Wayne’s music. When Ramsey points out that he “had a student who would rap a Lil Wayne line if he didn't know the answer to a question”, he shows the fact that the rapper himself had become a part of everyday life. Especially, when "On New Orleans radio, it seems like nearly every song features Lil
Lope de Aguirre, better known as the Prince of Freedom, was a Spanish soldier who partook in not only the Spanish conquest and exploration of South America, but later on led the rebellion against Spanish rule in parts of the continent. Aguirre is not only known for his extreme acts of brutality against Spanish leaders, but for being one of the first to claim himself as an American. He played a key role in the fight for independence against the Spanish monarchy. His great acts of violence against Spanish leaders placed him in control of the Island of Margarita (Venezuela), Panama, Chile, and Peru. His betrayal to the Spanish crown was frowned upon and he was soon thought of as a symbol of cruelty and treachery in Colonial Spanish America. Lope de Aguirre payed the ultimate price for his acts of cruelty and violence and was captured and killed by the Spaniards in 1561.
Their cover of Metallica’s “Orion” illuminated the ways in which their Latin past was infected by rock and roll.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dead falls Romaldo Cortez, Brother of Gregorio Cortez, thanks to Sheriff Morris. The day is June 12th of 1901 and Sheriff Morris shows up to Gregorio Cortez’s home. Sheriff Morris along side with Boone Choate (who was supposed to be an expert in the Mexican language) were both in search of a horse thief, start asking questions immediately when they see Gregorio Cortez and Romaldo Cortez. Choate asked Cortez “, did you trade a house with Andres Villarreal?” Cortez answered solidly “No”. Cortez had traded a mare not a horse. As soon as Sheriff Morris heard his response, he told Choate to tell Cortez and his brother that they were going to be arrested. Gregorio asked why but Sheriff Morris misunderstood and shot Romaldo to death. In defense, Cortez shot Sherriff Morris for his brother. Cortez knew that he was going to get into trouble so he decided to flee. (Garcia) Many question if he’s a hero for defending his brother the way he defended him. Many think he is just a rebel for killing a sheriff for no good reason, but Cortez had a reason. Cortez is a hero for the reason that he was brave enough to confront injustices from defending his brother, never giving up, and persisted as long as he could, demonstrating that he had the courage most individuals do not.
Den Tandt, Catherine and Richard A. Young. “Tradition and transformation in Latin American music.” The Cambridge Companion to Modern Latin American Culture. Ed. John King. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
(Lysloff, 10/2/17) Selena Quintanilla was very much self-taught, coming from a musical and talented background; she gave rise of individuality and charisma many people looked up to. Her music and the genre of Tejano music can’t be seen as one given style of music, but rather an extensive musical hybridity and cultural grey-out. Now the late Selena, her music lives on as her influence on future generations, granted by new media making it possible for schizophonia, her music is heard on the Internet, radio, and CDs that are still being sold and
The importance of these, is that it would bring the attention of the audience. The band performed about 13 songs in total. It was a mixture of Banda songs and Corridos. The band’s songs talked about a lover and the longing of a loved one. The audience reacted in a good way. They were dancing of the floor section and they were cheering on the band, others were singing along with the singers meanwhile, others were recording them on their cell phones.
Released in 1997, Buena Vista Social Club immediately became an international success and won a Grammy Award in 1998. Around the world, especially in U.S. where the album was welcomed most heartily, Ry Cooder was considered the hero of Cuban music (Hernandez 65). Being the producer of the album, Cooder was assumed to discover a “lost treasure” in Cuban culture. However, Tanya Kateri Hernandez, in an article about Buena Vista Social Club, revealed that Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, not Cooder, was the person “who masterminded and facilitated the collaboration.” (Hernandez 62). Also in this article, it is noted that Juan de Marcos Gonzalez “implicitly acquiesced to Cooder’s propagation of the colonial myth for the purpose of ensuring the commercial success of the collaboration.” (Hernandez 64). Other musicians in the Buena Vista Social Club ensemble followed Gonzalez’s step, as there was hardly another choice for them.
Gottschalk’s unique blend of exotic cultures was key to perpetual fame during his time. By examining the compositions Bamboula (Op. 2) and Souvenir de Porto Rico (Op. 31), I will demonstrate how Gottschalk’s musical style represents an integration of Creole, New Orleans, West Indian, and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds he was exposed to throughout his life.
Although there is a variety of music that could be examined to trace its evolution through time, there is one genre in particular that is quite interesting to examine. Though it differs from other types of music, it will be looked at in conjunction with Reggae music as they have similar ties. Reggae music is quite prominent today in the United States, parts of Africa, and of course Jamaica. Reggae is notoriously known for its most influential artist Bob Marley, and it is not unusual for one to have heard a few, if not many of his songs. Reggae’s popularity is steadily increasing and is doing so through both expansions of the music as well as increasing knowledge on the genre.
Reggae The Story Of Jamaican Music BBC Documentary. vols., 2012. Online. Internet. 22 Mar. 2014. . Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv1Iy26qlLk&feature=youtube_gdata_player.
The documentary El Contrato follows the exploits of Mexican migrant workers as they find themselves being exploited. In particular, it follows one man, Teodoro Martinez, a father of 4 who has worked many seasons in Canada. Teodoro returns year after year. He does not return because he enjoys it, he returns for the pay. The migrant workers are chosen with certain criteria in mind. These ‘desirable’ traits are that they have minimal, if any, education and a family in Mexico. The workers chosen are typically quite poor, many not owning a house. The pay is better than what they could get in Mexico, so they must make the decision to desert their families for two thirds of the year to support their loved ones. They are brought to a town where most
World music may sound as simple as its name suggests, however the world music phenomenon expresses a deeper story that many people seem to miss. There is so much that makes up a world music genre, but what we hear about it is not always the easiest to decipher and generally comes from powerful and large organisations, where not all of it is explained thoroughly. A lot of their understanding comes from what they are only interested in and most important stories and factors are either ignored or incomplete (Stokes 2003, p. 297). Not receiving the full picture, gives us a limited understanding of world music and its sub genres. Different genres of music over the globe have been shaped in many ways by influences such as the; historical and traditional root, people and their culture, migration, globalisation, politics and commodification. Nueva Canción is one example of a world music genre that has been influenced in such ways, and of which has a strong historical and political story worthy to be recognised. This essay will focus on the way the genre, Nueva Canción has become a significant genre of world music, by exploring the influences stated previously.
Peter Tosh. With the name comes a certain stigma and uneasiness in Reggae circles. Peter Tosh was a crusader and warrior in a musical forum more known for it’s mellow and passive resistance. As former college and producer Lee Jaffe simply put it "A lot of people were afraid of Peter, they did not know how to deal with him."(Stepping Razor, Red X: the Peter Tosh story, Bush Doctor Films). He traveled the globe for roughly thirty years preaching his message of equality and justice for every man. He was preaching against powerful forces and societal brainwashing and misinformation. The so called downpressorman or Babylon. He fought against these forces, with bravado, undaunting passion, and an arrogant open style that many people did not know how to deal with. He had a strong conviction of what he viewed as right and wrong. When he saw something as unjustified watch out. He attacked his viewed oppressors with the veracity of an attack dog. As reggae artist of international superstar status, this was a dangerous thing, because he reached the masses.
The Latin American music scene is an amazingly diverse, engaging and entertaining music culture. Thomas (2011) explains, “…Latin American music has engaged in ongoing dialogue and cultural exchange that has profoundly affected music making in Europe and the United States and, more recently, in Africa and Asia as well”. This paper will be describing different aspects of the music culture from its musical features, to the historical aspect of this interesting music culture. Also, I will discuss a personal experience with Latin American music. After researching the music culture, I attended a concert performed by Boogat, an Emmy award nominated Latin American musician from Quebec who has toured all over North America.