Courtesy of Miami New Times.

Reggeaton has its roots in Latin America, mainly Panama, and the Caribbean as it infuses aspects of salsa, bomba, Jamaican dancehall and Trinidadian soca. What pushed its boundaries were the Puerto Rican artists who added vocals, drum machine, a hint of electronica and rap over its infectious tunes. Perhaps the most groundbreaking of these artists was Ramon Rodriguez, known by his stage name Daddy Yankee.

Within the first second of “Gasolina,‰” you know something is about to go down. Back in 2004, when the song was released, it became the party anthem of not only Latin America, but Europe and the U.S. The reggaeton hit spread like wildfire across the world.

The beat was sexy and loaded with hard, raunchy sounds that a body could naturally find the rhythm to. The chorus was simple: Daddy Yankee, in his Rico Suave Puerto Rican accent, rapping with a girl screaming “dame mas gasolina‰” in the background. The song could most closely be related to Robin Thicke‰’s “Blurred Lines” given how catchy the tune of it is, yet how extremely degrading and sexist the lyrics are.

To break it down, it compares a woman‰’s sexual endeavors to an engine, where she provides the motor and the man provides the gasoline. Hence the chorus: “She likes the gasoline.‰” It is disappointing to know that such an impeccably catchy beat accompanied such disturbing lyrics, but mass audiences rarely put any focus on the message of the song; they focus on how the tune will make their bodies feel. This is not to say that this is the only genre that sexualizes women and mentions them as mere objects because it is evident that this issue more or less crosses almost all genres. “Gasolina‰” was the reggaeton savior, in that it produced a greater demand for the genre after its worldwide success, popularizing reggaeton artists like Tito el Bambino, Wisin y Yandel, Don Omar and more.