The first Reggae recordings

The first Reggae recordings in Latin America were made in Panama in the mid-1970s. A large number of Jamaican immigrants, brought in to build the Panama Canal, brought Reggae music with them and introduced it to the local population.

Nando Boom is considered one of the first raggamuffin deejays from Panama. Without Panamanian ragga deejays like El General, reggaeton would never have caught on.

Some even argue that reggaeton itself started in Panama, and that Puerto Rican artists merely added influences from house music and hip hop. Those, however, are defining elements of the reggaeton sound. Reggae is a style of music developed in Jamaica and is closely linked to the Rastafari movement, though not universally popular among Rastafarians.

This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s.
Panama Canal The Panama Canal is a large canal, 82 kilometres (51 miles) long, that cuts through the isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Jamaicas style of rapping that was the predecessor of todays rap/ hip-hop.
Raggamuffin (or ragga) is a kind of reggae that includes digitized backing instrumentation.
House music refers to a collection of styles of electronic dance music, the earliest forms beginning in the early- to mid- 1980s.

In 1985, rapper Vico C from Puerto Rico produced one of the first Spanish-language hip hop records in Puerto Rico. Thus the two main influences of the genre were in place, as well as the two main producing countries. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.
Vico C ( born Armando Lozada Cruz on September 8, 1971) is a Puerto Rican rap singer who was born in New York but raised in Puerto Rico.

Reggae production took off seriously in Panama in the early nineties, about the same time Jamaican ragga imports were becoming popular in Puerto Rico. It was common practice to translate an original Jamaican reggae song (the same melody and rhythm, but with translated lyrics). Towards the middle of the decade, Puerto Ricans were producing their own "riddims" with clear influences from hip hop and other styles. These are considered the first proper reggaeton tracks, initially called "under", a short form of "Underground".

The reggaeton scene widened when Puerto Rican and Cuban styles perfused the Panamanian-style reggae. Today, the music flourishes throughout Latin America..