Reggaetón in the Movies

When you feel the beat, you can't help but dance, even if it is in a movie.

Just like Tresillo said in the Trolls World Tour movie, we can't live in a world without reggaetón. And in a perfect world, this urban genre and movies collide. But, that wasn't always the case. Reggaetón started as an underground genre in the barrios of Puerto Rico and slowly, but surely, made its way to world-renowned stages worldwide.

With the fusion of other genres and artists emerging not only from the Island but across Latin America, reggaetón has evolved significantly in the last two decades. It went from being the beat-up street genre to the most played music in clubs and is now featured in movies, not only the songs but also the artists.

Anywhere you go in Puerto Rico, you'll hear a beat. You'll feel it too. You'll experience reggaetón! In this episode of our "Sounds like Puerto Rico" series, we're sharing the secret behind Puerto Rico's vibrant musical genre. Move to the beat of our Island with urban rhythm, swagger, and of course, lots of dembow – hit the beat!

Here some Puerto Rican reggaetón singers that made the crossover to the screen:

Nicky Jam

You might have seen him singing alongside Will Smith at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and dominating the stages worldwide. The "X" and "El Amante" singer made a crossover to the big screen in 2017 when he debuted in

Vin Diesel's "xXx: Return of Xander Cage." He also played antagonist Lorenzo "Zawy-Lo" Rodriguez in Bad Boys for Life opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawerence. Be sure to catch his autobio-series "El Ganador" streaming on Netflix.

Don Omar and Tego Calderón

They've made us dance over the years with hit songs like "Danza Kuduro" and "Guasa Guasa" respectively. Still, Don Omar and Tego Calderón made us laugh even more with their breakout roles as Leo and Santos in the Fast and the Furious franchise. They first appeared in Vin Diesel's short film "Los Bandoleros," and then they became part of Dominic Toretto's familia in 2009's "Fast & Furious." In 2011, they reprised their roles in "Fast Five" and again in 2017's "The Fate of the Furious."

Ozuna

El Negrito de Ojos Claros is another Puerto Rican artist set to join the Fast and the Furious family in the upcoming 2021 movie "F9" (alternatively known as "Fast & Furious 9"). Besides this forthcoming role, Ozuna made his big-screen debut locally with the leading character in movies "Qué León" and its sequel "Qué leones."

René Pérez (Residente from Calle 13)

He's had many tracks featured in films such as "Miss Bala" and "Feel the Noise," but you might have caught a peek of a crazy-haired Residente portraying a tattoo artist in the comedy "Old Dogs" featuring Robin Williams and John Travolta. Residente has a cameo as the person that misspelled William's "free man" tattoo across his chest before the big bonfire scene.

Daddy Yankee

His soundtrack filmography is longer than any other reaggaetón artists, with songs featured in movies, series, and video games such as "Bad Boys for Life," "Spies in Disguise," "Just Dance," "The Do-Over," "Benchwarmers," "The Bold and the Beautiful," and many more. Daddy Yankee had his actorial debut in "Talento de Barrio," a 2008 movie shown in New York, Los Ángeles, New Jersey, and across Latin America. The film tries to depict the beginnings of reggaetón in Puerto Rico, following Yankee's fictional character who battled between the thug life and a music career.

Bad Bunny

An artist who has taken the world by storm is indeed this young rapper from Vega Baja that made it to the Super Bowl halftime stage with Jennifer López, Shakira, and J Balvin. Bad Bunny made his big screen debut in "Bullet Train," facing off against Brad Pitt. He also appeared in the Netflix series "Narcos." He's set to appear in "American Sole," a film produced by Kevin Hart starring Pete Davidson and O'Shea Jackson