They could not stop it. Reggaetón -the dangerous cocktail of Dancehall, Hip Hop and 'latin riddims' born in the ghettos of Puerto Rico and Panama- survived the establishment's persecution and consolidated itself as the biggest thing to come out of Latin America since Salsa.

Flavour of choice of the Spanish-speaking youths, and the new exotic craze elsewhere, the genre -popularised by Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderon, among many others- has arrived to the UK and is making itself a name within the Urban scene, especially in London.

Artists such as La Raza, Latin Clan, Cultura Londres, Kid Afrika and Criola are bubbling in the underground; and nights like Latin Flow, Barrio Fino, Heatwave vs Más Fuego, Tequila Sunrise and Que Rico, among many others, are drawing more and more clubbers from different backgrounds.

We must mention the work of Candela, the promotions company behind the Latin Hip Hop & Reggaetón festivals (next one 11/12/05 @ Islington Carling Academy), the Reggaetón.co.uk site and many of the above mentioned nights. According to DJ Jose Luis, the man behind Candela, "Things are going well but they'll take a while to blow. What comes quickly, goes quickly. I hope things develop steadily, neither too slow nor too fast (because the market is not ready). In the end it's all down to how Reggaetón is marketed to the non-Latinos. The music is funky and has a lot of Hip Hop and Dancehall influences, so I think it stands a chance... If the promoters, record labels and media work appropriately, it will happen. If not, it will remain in the underground" .

Read also:

And Reggaetón arrived to Japan

History of Reggaetón

Reggaetón in Puerto Rico