Rating: NR
Genre:
Culture & Society
Release Date: 08/05/2008
SubTitles: English/Espanol
Dubbed: Espanol/English
Sound: DD2
Run Time: 71 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Xenon
The Spanish-language musical form known as
reggaeton took shape in Puerto Rico during the late 1990s. In lieu of emerging as its own unique and inimitable genre, it actually comprised a
mélange of several pre-established genres - specifically,
rap,
hip hop,
reggae and Caribbean music. Per its title, the documentary
Straight Outta Puerto Rico: Reggaeton's Rough Road to Glory discusses the evolution of
reggaeton from an indigenous Puerto Rican style (born and bred in the poverty-strewn barrios of San Juan) to a transcontinental phenomenon. It also details reggaeton's ultimate status as a government-discouraged form of grassroots personal expression with incendiary political content that prompted widespread censorship, political crackdowns, and suppression. The program contains interviews and performances featuring
reggaeton superstars such as
The Luny Tunes,
DJ Nelson,
Mexicano 777 and many others.
~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide