Don Omar
William Omar Landrón Rivera, born in 1978 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, emerged from the island's underground scene and broke through with his 2003 debut album 'The Last Don,' quickly becoming one of reggaetón's defining voices. Nicknamed the 'King of Kings' after his 2006 album of that name, he pushed the genre toward anthemic, melodic songwriting and global crossover, culminating in the worldwide 2010 hit 'Danza Kuduro.' His work — from perreo staples like 'Dale Don Dale' to a 2007 urban tribute reworking Héctor Lavoe's salsa classic 'El Cantante' — helped carry reggaetón to international audiences.
Don Omar drew directly on Héctor Lavoe's salsa legacy: in 2007 he recorded a reggaetón-era reworking of Lavoe's signature 'El Cantante' for the tribute album 'Tributo Urbano a Héctor Lavoe,' built around Lavoe's own vocal.
listen forHear Lavoe's aching, improvisatory phrasing on the 1978 salsa classic 'El Cantante,' then Don Omar's tribute version — the reggaetón beat is new, but Lavoe's melody and voice are the whole foundation the track is built around.
Wikipedia notes Don Omar showed interest in the music of Vico C from an early age; Vico C's pioneering Spanish-language hip-hop supplied the rap cadence and storytelling that Don Omar carried into his reggaetón.
listen forPlay Vico C's 'La Recta Final' for the clipped Spanish-rap delivery, then Don Omar's 'Dale Don Dale' — the rhythmic, rapped verses riding over the dembow beat trace straight back to Vico C's flow.
The Spanish-language reggae and dancehall El General popularized out of Panama seeded the dembow rhythm that Puerto Rican reggaetón, Don Omar's included, was built on.
listen forPlay El General's 'Tu Pum Pum' for the raw reggae-en-español skank, then Don Omar's 'Reggaeton Latino' — the same dembow pulse, now claimed and named as the sound of a whole movement.