Reggaeton originated as Spanish reggae in Panama in the late 1970s. It evolved and gained prominence in Puerto Rico, where artists blended Jamaican reggae with Spanish lyrics. Reggaeton spread through Latin American communities in the Caribbean and U.S. cities. Puerto Rican rapper Vico C released Spanish hip hop records in the 1980s that helped spread the early reggaeton sound by mixing reggae and hip hop.

7. Reggaeton Reggaeton'sroots started off as Spanish reggae in panama. The music eventually made its way and continued evolving and coming to prominence in puertorico where it became reggaeton. Reggaeton started as an adaptation of Jamaicanreggae (and later Jamaican lala to the Spanish language and overall culture in Panama.Theorigins of reggaeton begin with the first reggae recordings being made in Panama during the late 1970s. Reportedly, the Jamaican influence on Panamanian music has been strong since the early 20th century when Jamaican laborers were used to help build the Panama Canal. Afro-Panamanians had been performing and recording Spanish-language reggae since the 1970s. Artists such as El General, Chicho, Nando Boom, Renato, and Black Apache are considered the first [[raggaeton DJs from Panama. El General is often considered as the father of reggaeton, blending Jamaican reggae into a Latin-ised version. It was common practice to translate the lyrics of Jamaican reggae song into Spanish and sing them over the original melodies, a form termed "Spanish reggae" or "Reggae en español." Meanwhile, during the 1980s the Puerto Rican rapper Vico C released Spanish-language hip hop records in his native island. His production of cassettes throughout the 1980s, mixing reggae and hip hop, also helped spread the early reggaeton sound, and he is widely credited with this achievement. The widespread movement of "Spanish reggae" in the Latin-American communities of the Caribbean and the urban centres of the United States help increase its popularity.

8. Artist singing His first album, titled No Mercy, was produced in 1995 when Ayala was eighteen years old. The production did not sell well, and he continued his work within the genre for the rest of the decade, eventually forming a duo with Nicky Jam. One of the duo's songs, "Posición", was included in the soundtrack of One Tough Cop, a movie directed by Bruno Barreto, that was released in 1998. Beginning in 2000, Ayala began concentrating more on his solo career, releasing albums produced outside studios. The first production he released was titled El Cartel, featuring elements of the mixtape style. In 2001 El Cartel II was released, a direct sequel to the previous production, and influenced by similar genres. In 2002 El Cangri.com was released, and became the first album in Ayala's career to sell well outside Puerto Rico, mostly in the United States. The album was produced by VI Music, an independent recording studio in Puerto Rico, and was not supported by a major label. The most successful single from the album was "Latigazo", which received significant play on radio stations in New York and Miami. The album reached #43 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart. Following the release of this disc, Ayala performed at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum before 12,000 fans. The following year VI Music produced Los Homerun-es. The album became the leader in sales in Puerto Rico during a year in which several other reggaeton artists released significant productions, including Luny Tune's Mas Flow, Don Omar's The Last Don, and TegoCalderón's El Abayarde. The album's success helped Ayala receive the publicity required for a crossover to the United States market, and marked the last album he released with VI music before signing a contract with Universal.