Music as Storytelling in the Caribbean
A series looking at how songs through the decades and today across genres have impacted the region’s history.
Reggaetón, one of the most popular music genres, was born out of Black communities in Puerto Rico. Nowadays, the reggaetón and urban music charts are dominated by white Latinx artists such as Bad Bunny and Karol G. Yet, the roots of reggaetón and other genres are Black. Not all the songs reference this element but conversations have been happening around it since the genre was born as well as across other genres.
“There are common elements across genres.” explained Professor Angel Rodríguez, who teaches a class on the sociology of music at the University of Puerto Rico, Cayey campus. “There are representations of class, race, gender, and these become almost like sub-alternatives from within. The lyrics that tell a story may come from a conscious decision like in Tego [Calderón’s] Loiza.”
From his 2003 album ‘El Abayarde,’ reggaetón artist Tego Calderón’s song Loiza is an anthem on Blackness in Puerto Rico. Tego is one of the few artists that intentionally tells the story of injustice in his community so explicitly. His works are one of the most influential during early reggaetón in the 1990s. The Afro-beats with Tego’s rap speak to experiences of racism across Latin America and the Caribbean. The town of Loiza, which carries the title of the name, is a predominantly Black town near the coast. Black music roots go back to the early colonial periods where enslaved Africans used Bomba to sing and dance as a form to resistance to the Spanish colonizers imposing their beliefs onto them. The Black roots of the Caribbean are deeply embedded in all the music genres born here.
“There is a direct connection between the so-called victims and the space they are in. Music becomes the reachable tool to tell their stories.” said Prof. Rodríguez. For him, ‘Loiza’ is one of the exemplary songs that transcends the time it was released. He still speaks about it today in his classes and many students resonate, particularly since the internalized racism has not escaped many Puerto Ricans. The conversation of race that occurred in Puerto Rico also traveled to other countries across Latin America and the Caribbean as music helps unite the experiences occurring in the region.
Hasta ‘Bajo Project, a Puerto Rican organization that looks to safeguard, educate and expose reggaetón; to enhance its importance and value in Puerto Rican culture, is currently working on various projects that speak to the connection between Blackness and music on the island. The “Reggaetón es Afrodescendencia,” translating to reggaeton is afro-descent, is a space for musicians to reflect on the Black Puerto Rican artists that inspire them. A local DJ called DJ Fili Prendio questioned what is being Black or of afro-descent and said it was a ‘estrogol,’ which reads as the word ‘struggle’ but if it was said in Spanish and with a witty tone. “I think of Tego [Calderon,] of LunyTunes, and others who fusioned reggaetón with other genres that provided the Caribbean intensity signature and that for me is also afro-descent.”
Drawing from his experience as a Black man, Tego is one of the few artists that addresses how he has been conditioned to think he is part of a “racial trilogy” where everyone is the same, but that is not the reality. This myth has been embedded in education and everyday life, to the extent that many Puerto Ricans assimilate and reject their Blackness.
Consuming Black Puerto Rican music genres is normalized. Anywhere you go, a car could be blasting Bad Bunny or a store will be playing all the most radio-friendly reggaetón songs. Yet, accepting the Black roots of many Puerto Ricans is unthought of. “They’re not Black, they’re cafe con leche” or “trigueño,” referring to the color of wheat, the darkest anyone can be.
Slowly, more Puerto Ricans choose to identify as Black, but it is not the norm. In the 2010 Census, 76% of Puerto Ricans marked their race was “white alone.” Organizations around the island such as Colectivo Ile have been encouraging Afro-Puerto Ricans to mark themselves as Black on the Census. The campaign “Don’t let them erase you from the Census” motivated “afro-descendientes” or people of afro-descent to mark a race that represents them. “It would seem that our BEING is legislated in the colonial relationship, and the astonishing and counterproductive response has been to distance ourselves from our Black origins.” Colectivo Ile wrote on their website for the start of their campaign.
Pushing forward these movements on territory that is still colonized helps challenge the imposition of whiteness on our land. The colonial struggles are connected with racism, sexism, poverty, and many other forms of injustice, but music helps as a creative way to ensure conversation.
“Our stories will never be limited, especially with the history of oppression and colonialism. It’s different from the rest of the world. It’s not as white-washed but rather more honest and pure of these struggles.” said Jacqmi Torres, blogger and beat maker.
In his music-related work as well as his free time, he turns to artists in Latin America and the diaspora — but he also connects to those that have a historical relationship such as Puerto Ricans and Black New Yorkers. Often, the influences behind the rhythms bring feelings for Torres that validate his contemporary experience, even if the songs belonged to other generations. Music reminds of important events that have been forgotten in the history books. Acknowledging Blackness in the Caribbean is one of those events.
Through music, people on the island are able to provide support to each other. Whether the lyrics are explicit like Tego’s or more subtle, there is a sense of pride and connection, honoring the Black roots of many genres in Puerto Rico. Even the slightest beat of a drum in the background can help bring a feeling of honor and celebration for our ancestors.
“Sometimes we don’t need every lyric to tell the story. There are records where you close your eyes and just from the feeling of listening, one already knows that everything makes sense.” Torres said.
