Credit: Nuestro Stories
It’s official: Daddy Yankee’s music is forever a part of United States history.
The international star’s Spanish 2004 hit “Gasolina” has become the first reggaeton song to be inducted to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
“For that kid that grew up in Santurce, a song ‘Gasolina’ that originated in a Puerto Rico neighborhood, and is recognized by the ‘Library of Congress’ as one of the songs that transformed the culture, changed musical history in the world and the United States is something I’ve never dreamed of,” the Boricua singer shared in a social media post.
He added: “And the most beautiful thing is that it was in Spanish. When you do things with love, passion, determination, and discipline, and to all that you add the support of all my beautiful people for more than three decades, everything you dream of can be possible.”
The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States. Each year, through the National Recording Registry, this cultural institution chooses a total of 25 recordings that showcase the diversity of American sounds with the purpose of increasing preservation awareness.
According to the Library of Congress, reggaeton had its conception in Panama back in the 1980s. Since then, this music genre has been described as reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, and dembow, among others. However, it was not until Daddy Yankee’s breakthrough megahit “Gasolina” that this Latino music genre reached broader audiences.
Read more: From Satire to Folk Music, the Symbolism Behind ‘La Cucaracha’
As a groundbreaker in music, Daddy Yankee just paved the way for current and future Latino names in reggaeton and beyond.
Guess it’s time to blast “Gasolina” non-stop … for history’s sake, of course.
