Latin trap

Latin trap (also known as Spanish trap) is a latin style of trap music that originated in Puerto Rico. The genre takes influence from reggaeton and Southern hip hop, gaining popularity after 2007, and has since spread throughout Latin America. Latin trap is similar to mainstream trap with lyrics about life on la calle ("the street.")[1]

Latin trap
Stylistic origins	trap reggaeton southern hip hop latin music[1]
Cultural origins	2000s–2010s, in Puerto Rico.
Typical instruments	Vocals synthesizer sampler drum machine (Roland TR-808)
Regional scenes
Latin America United States Spain

Characteristics

Latin trap is a subgenre of Latin hip hop, taking influence from Southern hip hop as well as Puerto Rican genres like reggaeton and dembow. Vocals include a bend of rapping and singing, often in Spanish, while still maintaining the trap style sonic circuitry.[2] The lyrics in Latin trap are often about street life, violence, sex, and drugs.[1]

History

2000s

Latin trap originated in Puerto Rico and gained popularity throughout Latin America. The exact date of origin is unknown and has been widely debated. Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer Ozuna states that it originated in 2007 with the song "El Pistolón", performed by Arcángel & De La Ghetto, Yaga & Mackie, and Jowell & Randy (the former two were duo at the time). De La Ghetto on the other hand, states that he has been performing Latin trap since around 2005 or 2006, and that people thought "he was crazy". Reggaeton artists at this time wanted to introduce elements of American hip hop and R&B to a Spanish audience.[3]

2010s

Latin trap began to gain prominence around 2014 when artists such as Alvaro Diaz, Myke Towers and Fuete Billete, the very first Puerto Rican artists using early Latin trap beats to rap, began posting their songs through social media platforms. This new sound eventually gained popularity in Puerto Rico, and many Latin trap hits emerged, such as Bryant Myers's "Esclava Remix", Lary Over and Brytiago's "Tú Me Enamoraste Remix", Farruko's "Ella y Yo", and De La Ghetto's "La Ocasión", the latter to which Ozuna credits with expanding Latin trap internationally.[4]

In July 2017, The Fader wrote: "Rappers and reggaetoneros from Puerto Rico to Colombia have taken elements of trap – the lurching bass lines, jittering 808s and the eyes-half-closed vibe – and infused them into banger after banger."[5] In an August 2017 article for Billboard's series, "A Brief History Of", they enlisted some of the key artists of Latin trap, including Ozuna, De La Ghetto, Bad Bunny, Farruko and Messiah- to narrate a brief history on the genre.[6][7] Elias Leight of Rolling Stone noted: "[Jorge] Fonseca featured Puerto Rican artists like Anuel AA, Bryant Myers and Noriel on the compilation Trap Capos: Season 1, which became the first "Latin trap" LP to reach number one on Billboard's Latin Rhythm Albums chart."[8]

Many other reggaeton and Latin trap artists contributed to the popularity of Latin trap, such as Bad Bunny who led an explosion to the popularity of the genre.[9] Bad Bunny produced several songs that made it into Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart and has multiple collaborations with popular American artists such as Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, and Cardi B.[10][11] He shortly became the face of Latin trap's sudden rise in popularity.[12] Through collaborations with other artists, such as his appearance in Becky G's "Mayores", Bad Bunny was among the first Latin trap artists to ever rap on the radio. His appearance on the radio has led to an increased recognition of Latin trap in the United States.[12] His debut album X 100pre was released in December 2018 and was awarded with a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Music Album.[13]

In April 2018, the song "Te Boté", a mix of Latin trap and reggaeton, was released by Nio Garcia, Casper Magico, Darell, Ozuna, Bad Bunny and Nicky Jam.[14] It became the first song with Latin trap elements in it to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. It currently has over 1.8 billion views on YouTube.[15]

In 2018, Cardi B's hit single "I Like It" featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin became the first Latin trap song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[16]

Criticism

Latin trap's inability to be played on the radio stems from the profanity and lasciviousness of the lyrics.[12] The song "Cuatro Babys" by Maluma has received much controversy over its lyrics as they arguably appear to suggest direct violence towards women. A petition was posted on Change.org demanding for the removal of the song from digital platforms.[17] Despite this controversy, the popularity of "Cuatro Babys" has only risen with the song having gone quadruple Platinum.[2] Because of this, Latin trap has had a large, but primarily underground, following.[18]

On September 15, 2018, Anuel AA released a diss track aimed at fellow rapper Cosculluela. The track was widely criticized due to its foul language and offensive remarks about homosexuality and HIV patients.[19] Due to the public backlash, Gazmey's concert at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico venue scheduled for October 12 of that year was canceled by his production staff and main producer Paco López. Gazmey later issued an apology for the song.[19]

References

1. Portilla, Christina (August 23, 2017). "Latin Trap Brings New Music to Miami". Miami New Times.
2. "Inside Latin Trap, the Viral Sound Too Hot for American Radio". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
3. name=":1">"Ozuna, Bad Bunny, De La Ghetto, Farruko & Messiah Narrate a Brief History of Latin Trap". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
4. Zraick, Karen (January 10, 2019). "Kevin Fret, Openly Gay Latin Trap Artist, Is Shot and Killed in Puerto Rico". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
5. "Trap's Latin American Takeover". The FADER. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
6. "Ozuna, Bad Bunny, De La Ghetto, Farruko & Messiah Narrate a Brief History of Latin Trap". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
7. "Rappers Discuss Brief History Of Latin Trap". Vibe. August 21, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
8. Leight, Elias; Leight, Elias (November 7, 2017). "Inside Latin Trap, the Viral Sound Too Hot for American Radio". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
9. Telemundo Entretenimiento (March 11, 2018). "Bad Bunny nos habla de cómo el éxito le cambió la vida – Don Francisco Te Invita – Entretenimiento". Retrieved June 11, 2019 – via YouTube.
10. FARRUKOVEVO (December 22, 2017), Farruko, Nicki Minaj, Bad Bunny – Krippy Kush (Remix) ft. Travis Scott, Rvssian, retrieved April 16, 2018
11. Cardi B (April 5, 2018), Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin – I Like It [Official Audio], retrieved April 16, 2018
12. "Bad Bunny: The Four-Billion-Stream Man Leading the Latin Trap Explosion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
13. Cobo, Leila (December 24, 2018). "Bad Bunny to Drop Debut 'X100PRE' Album on Christmas Eve: Exclusive Interview". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
14. "How Latin Trap Helped My Heartbreak, A Love Story". Vibe. February 5, 2019.
15. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/record-labels-said-latin-trap-was-going-nowhere-billions-of-youtube-views-proved-them-wrong/2019/02/28/9d614286-2ee7-11e9-813a-0ab2f17e305b_story.html
16. "The Times Have Changed: What 'I Like It' Hitting No. 1 Means to Latin Music". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
17. "Maluma Responds to Online Petition Against His Song 'Cuatro Babys'". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
18. Leight, Elias; Leight, Elias (September 12, 2018). "How Puerto Rican Producer Tainy Became an Architect of Modern Reggaeton". Retrieved June 11, 2019.
19. Fernandez, Suzette (September 13, 2018). "Anuel AA Apologizes For Offensive Song Directed at Cosculluela: Watch". Retrieved December 29, 2018.

See also

List of Latin trap artists