The hits ‘Safaera’, by Bad Bunny; ‘Gasolina’, by Daddy Yankee (DY), and ‘Despacito’, by Luis Fonsi, reached a place among the 250 best songs of the 21st century ranked by Rolling Stone magazine.
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny features in eleventh place with ‘Safaera’ (2020), alongside compatriots Ñengo Flow and Jowell & Randy, a track with which he established himself “as the ultimate innovator in Latin music,” the magazine described: “Here, with a blunt in hand, Bad Bunny welcomes a new generation of party-hungry music with an artistic feat that traverses decades of references,” it added.
“Gasolina”: the anthem that revolutionized reggaeton
The publication describes Daddy Yankee‘s classic ‘Gasolina’ (2004), ranked number 14, as a “reggaeton storm”.
He revolutionized urban music with a historic Luny Tunes production and a “fast and furious” vocal line.
“Like many classic anthems that came out of the underground, ‘Gasoline’ was about being young and dancing until your body couldn’t take it anymore.”
Rolling Stone noted about one of the most danced to songs at every party to this day.
That “two decades later, it’s still jumping out of the speakers like an over-caffeinated beast.”
The song was the turning point that took reggaeton from the streets of Puerto Rico to the main stages of the world.
It became the first song of the genre to be nominated for a Latin Grammy for Record of the Year.
In 2023, in one of the few Spanish-language songs incorporated into the Library of Congress for its cultural and historical relevance.
“Despacito”: the phenomenon that conquered the world
“Compared to the mammoth success of ‘Despacito’ (2017), the Latin music explosion of the late 1990s seems like a passing mirage.”
Described Rolling Stone on the success of Luis Fonsi and fellow countryman DY, as well as the “high-profile” remix with Canadian Justin Bieber.
With this, both artists became the only Latin artists in Rolling Stone’s top 50.
Led by ‘Get Ur Freak On’ by American rapper Missy Elliot, a 2001 anthem that the publication considers the starting point of a new musical era.
Ranked 134th on the chart, the track demonstrated “the surgical precision with which Puerto Rico knows how to shake up the pop mainstream”.
“It is actually a modest song, of limited creative ambition, and yet it became a gigantic cultural phenomenon, cementing the argument that Latin music is the perfect antidote to the long list of 21st century ills,’ the publication stated.
With more than 8.8 billion views on YouTube, ‘Despacito’ continues to be the most viewed music video clip in the history of the platform, a phenomenon that marked the definitive opening of the Anglo-Saxon market to Latin music.
With information from EFE
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