Reggaeton is about 30 years old, it is a transnational genre with influencing spanning from Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Diasporans in New York City, and later, the Dominican Republic. It is the sexiest genre in the world, with a direct lineage to Puerto Rican Underground which consisted of Panamanian Dancehall, Nuyorican Rap, and later innovation that will set the stage for Puerto Ricans to take over with their Regueton. The spirit of this music lies in the collective afro-diasporic resistance that represents generations past and present.

From Reggae uniting opposing political parties in Jamaica, to its Spanish-translated and nuanced versions in Panama by artists like Renato motivating people to reflect on their racialized experiences and unite against militarization and racialized violence, to Dancehall because Joy is resistance, and Reggaeton because Sexual Liberation is also resistance, to Underground to mobilize the people, so on and so forth. Reggaeton is a powerful force to be reckoned with and it isn’t going anywhere. 30 Years after its inception, it tops the charts, shatters global records, and has stans in every corner of the globe.

As great as this music is, like all others it isn’t perfect. As a part of it’s exponential growth, a white washing has taken effect to “assure” it can appeal to a certain market. A “certain market” that has a legacy of stripping away the genre’s African instruments, simplifying or whitening it’s ancestral sounds, and even adjusting it’s ambassadors.

In 2022, less than 5% of women in Reggaeton are Black. It is astonishing as the genre that came from the legacy of music, like Reggae celebrating Black women with anthems such as “La Chica de los Ojos Cafe” can now, attempt to exclude Black women from the culture, so much–that their participation is now viewed as a skewed and or foreign concept. A concept that Black women are now challenged to “fit into” themselves, it’s devastatingly amazing.

And thus Reggaeton Con La Gata presents NEGRATÓN. A celebratory concept that was created in hopes of highlighting, supporting, Black femmes in Reggaeton. The trends, sounds, and intersectional existence of Black womxn in hopes of  being able to highlight Black femme influence as well as to encourage new Black femme talent into the genre.

NEGRATÓN has the hope of sparing Black women of emotional labor they’re often tasked with, in order to achieve equitable status and respect.

NEGRATÓN recognizes that celebrating all women is definitely important, and, as Non-Intersectional Feminism shows us time and time again–It is easy to  bypass Black womxn,  or let them “wait their turn” and that's no longer to be accepted.

NEGRATÓN dedicates a feasible corner to Black women, which in turn, supports all women.

This is NEGRATÓN

Reggaeton is about 30 years old, it is a transnational genre with influencing spanning from Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Diasporans in New York City, and later, the Dominican Republic. It is the sexiest genre in the world, with a direct lineage to Puerto Rican Underground which consisted of Panamanian Dancehall, Nuyorican Rap, and later innovation that will set the stage for Puerto Ricans to take over with their Regueton. The spirit of this music lies in the collective afro-diasporic resistance that represents generations past and present.

From Reggae uniting opposing political parties in Jamaica, to its Spanish-translated and nuanced versions in Panama by artists like Renato motivating people to reflect on their racialized experiences and unite against militarization and racialized violence, to Dancehall because Joy is resistance, and Reggaeton because Sexual Liberation is also resistance, to Underground to mobilize the people, so on and so forth. Reggaeton is a powerful force to be reckoned with and it isn’t going anywhere. 30 Years after its inception, it tops the charts, shatters global records, and has stans in every corner of the globe.

As great as this music is, like all others it isn’t perfect. As a part of it’s exponential growth, a white washing has taken effect to “assure” it can appeal to a certain market. A “certain market” that has a legacy of stripping away the genre’s African instruments, simplifying or whitening it’s ancestral sounds, and even adjusting it’s ambassadors.

In 2022, less than 5% of women in Reggaeton are Black. It is astonishing as the genre that came from the legacy of music, like Reggae celebrating Black women with anthems such as “La Chica de los Ojos Cafe” can now, attempt to exclude Black women from the culture, so much–that their participation is now viewed as a skewed and or foreign concept. A concept that Black women are now challenged to “fit into” themselves, it’s devastatingly amazing.

And thus Reggaeton Con La Gata presents NEGRATÓN. A celebratory concept that was created in hopes of highlighting, supporting, Black femmes in Reggaeton. The trends, sounds, and intersectional existence of Black womxn in hopes of  being able to highlight Black femme influence as well as to encourage new Black femme talent into the genre.

NEGRATÓN has the hope of sparing Black women of emotional labor they’re often tasked with, in order to achieve equitable status and respect.

NEGRATÓN recognizes that celebrating all women is definitely important, and, as Non-Intersectional Feminism shows us time and time again–It is easy to  bypass Black womxn,  or let them “wait their turn” and that's no longer to be accepted.

NEGRATÓN dedicates a feasible corner to Black women, which in turn, supports all women.

This is NEGRATÓN