{"id":207,"date":"2024-12-13T22:47:25","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T03:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/lao354-f24\/?p=207"},"modified":"2024-12-20T21:40:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T02:40:47","slug":"dandole-rewind-origins-of-underground-hip-hop-in-puerto-rico-and-the-beat-that-ignited-revolution-1990-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/lao354-f24\/dandole-rewind-origins-of-underground-hip-hop-in-puerto-rico-and-the-beat-that-ignited-revolution-1990-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u00e1ndole Rewind: Origins of Underground Hip-Hop in Puerto Rico and the Beat that Ignited Revolution (1990-2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Within the discography of famous singer Bad Bunny, his lyrics and visual media reflect the struggles and resilience of the Puerto Rican community. After years in the music industry, his presence reaches beyond the scope of an artist as he has slowly become an influential figure within Puerto Rico\u2019s social and political environment. But there is a long history of underground rap music in Puerto Rico, setting the standard for what we hear today. Many artists during the 1990s were already publicly scrutinizing the economic and social situation of the island. So, <\/span>how has reggaeton in Puerto Rico served as a platform for challenging social inequality and resisting the stigmatization imposed by the government on marginalized communities?<\/b><\/p>\n

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El \u201csonsonete embrutecedor y agresivo\u201d (Underground Rap Music from 1990-1995)<\/b><\/p>\n

During the 1990s, Governor Pedro Rosello administered a strict governmental initiative with the intention to further decrease the criminality rate in Puerto Rico. The project was promoted as a reimagining of public safety, but through their efforts it became an act of division and shaming of lower-income communities in Puerto Rico. Furthermore, the Rosello administration also pushed for privatization efforts of public housing in order to combat the wave of criminality in the area. In \u201cPuerto Rico\u2019s War on Its Poor\u201d (2022), Dr. Marisol Lebron explores the underlying effects of this political campaign. In the article, Lebron explores the relationship between the exploitation of lower-income communities and the privatization of public housing as a means of controlling this population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe privatization process was fundamentally undemocratic, and many low-income and black Puerto Ricans rightly felt that <\/span>Mano Dura<\/span><\/i>\u2019s aim of increased safety was simply a front for their dispossession\u201d (Lebron, 2022)<\/span><\/p>\n

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The project included employing police force and the National Guard within public housing which in turn exacerbated the violence and drug activity. Its implementation disproportionately affected Black and lower-income communities who then became vulnerable to the economic and legal changes in the island. As these communities became exposed to economic instability, the youth began to find alternative forms of financial support. Marginalized youths started to express themselves through underground rap music with lyrics that would highlight the systemic failures of their government. The genre continued to challenge the structural inequalities and police brutality, as they reflect on their lived experiences and began to serve as a source of community and economic advancement, in an environment where art and expression became a safe haven for venting frustrations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Puerto<\/p>\n

Puerto Rico Reeling Under Scourge Of Drugs and Rising Gang Violence<\/a><\/p>\n

The New York Times article from July 23, 1995 which details the drug trafficking and National Guard raiding in housing projects in Puerto Rico. Credit: The New York Times (1995)<\/em><\/p>\n

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As the genre became more popular, a larger debate began on how underground music could possibly be fueling drugs and gang violence. During February of 1993, Governor Pedro Rosello announced his call to arms in order to permanently control and diminish drug circulation in the island but implicitly it was a matter of reengineering Puerto Rico\u2019s Public Housing Authority (Lebron, 2022). More challenges arose, as these rappers were at risk of censorship out of the government’s fear that the music would morally destroy the sociopolitical structure of the island. Many communities became impacted by these efforts and underground became a scapegoat for rising violence and crime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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During the emergence of the genre, rappers like Vico C were at the forefront of this conversation. In \u201cPolicing Life and Death: Race,Violence, and Resistance in Puerto Rico\u201d, Lebron touches upon how the greatest underground rappers would use the genre in order to highlight the violence and poverty experienced within the sectors of public housing. Lebron provided a broader analysis of his song \u201c La Recta Final\u201d (1995) which included stories of violence and political corruption which in turn affected his own communities. In his lyrics, he states:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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La clase alta tambi\u00e9n tiene culpa de los actos<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00bfPor qu\u00e9?, \u00bfpor la corrupci\u00f3n?, exacto<\/span><\/p>\n

Matan la gente, sin pena, esa es su misi\u00f3n<\/span><\/p>\n

As\u00ed es que viven ganando dinero a mont\u00f3n<\/span><\/p>\n

No le interrogues, fiscal, no busques pistas<\/span><\/p>\n

Ponte a pensar, hay que ser realista<\/span><\/p>\n

El rico invierte dinero de inmediato<\/span><\/p>\n

Despu\u00e9s, el pobre se da el arrebato<\/span><\/p>\n