eat + drink

Being a phenomenon in Latin music isn't always a good thing. Especially when the American market takes interest in you. Remember the Macarena? Ricky Martin? Those trends were quickly downgraded to fads, and then fodder for VH1's "I Love the '90s." Not a fun place to be.

The latest Latin music import, reggaeton, promises to be different. Like hip-hop, the booming dance music simmered for years in an underground scene (Puerto Rico in this case). Now it has hit U.S. cities like a juggernaut, and major record labels are jumping on its crossover potential.

"Nobody gave reggaeton any credibility in its early days, even in its homeland of Puerto Rico," said Gus Lopez, president of Universal's reggaeton imprint, Machete. "But it was the same thing that happened to hip-hop. No matter how many doors were closed, the music was able to find a way in. And it's not a one-hit wonder like the Macarena phenomenon. It's multi-artist driven and multi-hit driven. It truly is a movement."

But to genuinely cross over, the music must move out of its coastal epicenters, Lopez added.

And it is. While a full-fledged reggaeton scene is still a dream here, a handful of artists and promoters are working to keep us from missing the boat.

Minnesota is a long way from Puerto Rico -- and from reggaeton's second home, New York City, for that matter -- but the music is definitely here.

In September a team of local salsa promoters, the Salsa Police, held their first monthly reggaeton night at the Conga Latin Bistro in northeast Minneapolis. They dubbed it the Reggaeton-A-Thon.

The event, which featured a lineup of local reggaeton and dance hall acts, drew more than 400 people -- more than they expected.

As a duo called the Caribbean Connection took the stage and started into their infectious song "Candela," it didn't take long for the packed house to start singing along to the catchy hook.

The song's title literally translates as "candle," but here it means "fire" -- as in "the girl got the fire." The place really heated up when one of the rappers, 24-year-old Onán Barrera, helped a young woman onto the stage to do reggaeton's popular dance, the perreo, or doggie dance. Saying the dance is suggestive would be an understatement.

After finishing the set, Barrera was charged up about the performance, surprised that anybody even knew the words to "Candela."

"That was the first time we ever performed that song," he said.

Looking for the beat

Two other clubs are promoting reggaeton in the Twin Cities.

Euphoria in downtown Minneapolis is just getting started with its mix of reggaeton and hip-hop on Wednesday nights.

And El Nuevo Rodeo, the metro's largest Latin club, has a Thursday dance night that at first had trouble filling the huge floor but is drawing bigger crowds every week. The owners are hoping a major reggaeton concert Monday, featuring nationally known artists Baby Ranks, Big Boy and members of the LunyTunes crew, will bring in new clubbers.

You also can find reggaeton barging in on other Latin music nights around the Twin Cities. DJ Angel spins during Quest's salsa night on Wednesdays, but recently began mixing in reggaeton after getting requests from clubgoers.

Likewise, the small group of local reggaeton artists, such as Maria Isa (see story on this page), Papo and the Caribbean Connection, often find themselves mixing in with rappers at local hip-hop shows.