The reggaeton genre in itself is built upon a beat entitled dembow riddim. In 1989, Jamaican dancehall producers Cleveland “Clevie” Browne and Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson released a track called “Fish Market”. This was the first track that exemplified what denbow riddim actually was. In Jamaica, it has been common for dancehall and reggae artists to record dozens of different tracks over the same riddim, or backing track.
Steely & Clevie recently filed a lawsuit claiming alleged copyright infringement that targets dozens of giant global celebrities in the reggaeton genre. On Sterogum.com, the lawsuit claims that over 1,800 reggaeton tracks allegedly stole their protected drum pattern, specifically citing 56 different tracks that allegedly use the dembow riddim. The tracks included are songs like Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” and the Luis Fonsi/Daddy Yankee collaboration “Despacito”. It also names artists like Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Stefflon Don.
The judge ruled that the drum pattern used in all those reggaeton tracks is original enough for copyright protection. The case still has a long way to go before it’s decided, but its implications could be massive for the reggaeton genre and beyond. On a more positive note, country music’s biggest icons are joining forces to create a reggae album. Mxdwn.com states the idea for a Country Goes Reggae album came on a trip to Negril, Jamaica in 2019, when the brothers were sitting at a sunset, beach bar listening to Reggae classics as a car passed by blasting U.S. Country songs. They knew the two worlds and styles and cultures would blend perfectly together.
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