Comment: Rosal铆a: raising reggaet贸n鈥檚 鈥榞lobal cachet鈥�? Published on: 8 April 2022 Writing for The Conversation, Ellen Rebecca Bishell discusses whether Spanish singer Rosal铆a鈥檚 success is raising reggaet贸n鈥檚 鈥榞lobal cachet鈥� or robbing it of its roots. , Spanish singer Rosal铆a鈥檚 new album, , has received a lot of media attention for its melding of 鈥溾��. Grounded in her flamenco background, the album sways from pop to jazz, is inflected with hip-hop and reggaet贸n beats and even features elements of bachata and salsa. Rosal铆a rose to mainstream visibility in 2018 when her studio album El mal querer (The Bad Loving) . But the recent comparison by academics of Rosal铆a鈥檚 rise to fame with the 鈥溾�� speaks to the silencing of the music鈥檚 rich socio-cultural history. Rosal铆a is not alone, however. Throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, there鈥檚 been a slew of popular songs by white and European Spanish artists that borrow heavily from aLatin and Caribbean music while erasing its Black roots. Reggaet贸n and the 鈥楧espacito effect鈥� Reggaet贸n is an Afro-Caribbean music genre with a complex history of musical encounters between Panama, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and New York. Influenced by and built upon styles as diverse as dancehall, hip-hop, merengue, reggae and rap, reggaet贸n鈥檚 roots are in the African rhythms that were carried over during the colonisation of the Americas. In the 1990s in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, reggaet贸n became a vehicle for Black resistance against . But as the global popularity of the music has risen, reggaet贸n has become increasingly 鈥�. An obvious example of this was when Canadian artist Justin Bieber featured in a remix of Puerto Rican artists鈥� Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee鈥檚 reggaet贸n hit in 2017. Despite the original version鈥檚 enormous popularity, Bieber has often been . Despacito ft. Justin Bieber official music video, YouTube. This so-called 鈥濃�� echoes broader patterns of appropriation and consumption of Caribbean music genres by Euro-American markets 鈥� and the resulting exclusion and marginalisation of their founding figures. One of the most famous examples of this in Latin music is Enrique Iglesias鈥檚 collaboration with Cuban duo Gente de Zona and singer/producer Descemer Bueno in the 2014 remix of . The track is the . As American Studies scholar Petra Rivera-Rideau has , Bailando allowed Enrique Iglesias to reinvent himself as a hip Latin urban singer by relying on Afro-Latino cultural markers 鈥� in this case, reggaet贸n 鈥� while simultaneously embodying Latino whiteness鈥�. El mal querer: robbing reggaet贸n鈥檚 roots The creative and commercial construction of a white Latino image by European artists who produce reggaet贸n is more than simply whitewashing. The shared language might impart a sense of authority and authenticity to these Spaniards. But we must remember that this language is shared precisely because of Spanish colonisation. Bailando official music video, YouTube. Rosal铆a鈥檚 success in the 鈥淟atin鈥� music market as a Spaniard has been met with accusations of cultural appropriation 鈥� a term used to describe the thoughtless adoption of elements of a culture or cultural identity by someone who does not belong to it. Such accusations were particularly loud after the release of the distinctively reggaet贸n track in 2019. The song was also made in collaboration with Colombian singer J Balvin 鈥�- a white artist who recently unabashedly accepted an award for 鈥溾��. The issue deepened after her subsequent appearance on the cover of as a 鈥淟atina artist鈥� (Latino/a refers to someone of Latin American heritage living in the US). The criticism gave rise to important debates about race, class and privilege in Latin and Spanish music. Talking about Rosal铆a鈥檚 hit Malamente, the Spanish rapper C. Tangana : 鈥淸Reggaet贸n is] very valuable to urban culture and Spanish culture. It鈥檚 helped people think different, look for a different sound鈥�. Thanks to Rosal铆a鈥檚 whiteness and Europeanness she has received credit for bestowing Latin culture with an 鈥渙riginality鈥� and 鈥渧alue鈥�. However, that comes from harnessing and combining music rooted in cultural and ethnic backgrounds to which she does not belong. These colonial legacies of inequality and white privilege can be seen very clearly in Rosal铆a鈥檚 collaboration with Dominican rapper on the hit song . Here, explicit references to Rosal铆a鈥檚 Spanish heritage are made in an Afro-Dominican space upon which she can capitalise and over which, as the lyrics go, she is 鈥渞uling鈥�. Linda official music video, YouTube. Rosal铆a鈥檚 2020 Grammys win in the 鈥渂est Latin rock, urban, or alternative album鈥� category adds more fuel to the fire. Rosal铆a is not Latina. Also, the since-renamed 鈥渦rban鈥� award is a racially marked category into which Black artists 鈥� be it of reggaet贸n or other genres 鈥� have been pigeonholed. Competition in the Latin Grammys鈥� 鈥淏ig Four鈥� (album, record and song of the Year and best new artist), on the other hand, has been , who have also been able to win in 鈥渦rban鈥� categories. Practices of exploitation and discrimination embedded in the music industry are irrefutable. White artists have beaten Black artists on an incredibly uneven playing field. When we recognise reggaet贸n鈥檚 rich and complex cultural history, it becomes obvious that Rosal铆a is not raising its 鈥済lobal cachet鈥�. And as reggaet贸n continues to gain visibility on the global stage without its history, we cannot overlook the injustices that have been imposed upon its creators throughout its international boom. Reggaet贸n historian (aka ) is one important figure who deserves our attention. As Eccleston makes clear in her recent article on J Balvin鈥檚 participation in the reggaet贸n scene, 鈥溾��. It is down to musicians and industries, scholars and audiences alike to elevate, celebrate, and preserve its roots. So, when we鈥檙e performing, analysing, or dancing along to the next hottest reggaet贸n hit, let us remember where it came from and be critical of who is performing it. , PhD Researcher and Associate Lecturer in Modern Languages, This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the . 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