History of a musical genre: The origins of reggaeton in Panama

Produced by Amaya Williams

Panama City, Panama – In the late 1980s, retrofitted school buses sped down the streets of Panama City blasting dancehall basslines. The buses, known as los Diablo Rojos, were the birthplace of a new genre of music. Songs on cassettes traveled through the city playing Jamaican reggae, with the melodies sung over in Spanish. The genre began as reggae en Espanol or reggae in Spanish, and later became known as Plena de Panama.

Plena was played over the radio, and soon reached Puerto Rico, where it was further influenced by hip-hop and eventually renamed “reggaeton.” On the Caribbean islands, reggaeton grew but Panama was left behind, as was the recognition of the genre’s roots.

Today, local artists and producers are fighting for recognition and inclusion in the growing reggaeton industry. The Museum of Reggae in Spanish is set to open on July 17, 2022, in the Old Town of the capital city. The project aims to house the history of reggae and to inspire and educate a new generation of Panamanians to continue its legacy.