Ivy Queen: Reggaeton Pioneer & Icon

0:00On April 20th, Ivy Queen has ruled as the Queen of Reggaeton for over 30 years, kicking off in the early 90s when the genre was raw. Underground Vives run by dudes. She stacked 20 entries on Latin Rhythm Airplay, 9 on top Latin albums with 3 top 10s and 11 solo spots on Latin Rhythm albums, including 2 number 1s. Her breakthrough hit in 1999 was in the zone with Wyclef Jean, hitting number 38 on Rhythmic Airplay. Now she's snagging the Pioneer Award at Billboard's 2026 Latin Women in Music for smashing barriers and paving paths. She dropped her most legendary track, Quiro Baylar, back in 2005, peaking at number 16 on Tropical Airplay while hitting Hot. Latin songs in Latin Airplay, that song straight up calls out how flirting ain't consent and it blew up. Fresh off her icon award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music, Ivy's legacy keeps building in a scene that started Super Male Heavy.

1:00Puerto Rican star Wizen, whose collab with her before, calls her a total game changer. He grew up on her music from her noise collective days with DJ Negro, right alongside Daddy Yankee and others. As one of the few women in a 90% guy crowd, she fought for the whole urban movement when it got dissed by the mainstream. Wizen shouts out her grime not just for ladies, but for everyone in reggaeton, opening doors so artists like him could eat off their craft. They got a joint from 2010, called Acerra Cate, and now there's fresh heat. An unreleased reggaeton banger recorded at his La Basse studio, packed with that classic 90s rap fire. Ivy stays true to her barrio roots, humble despite the winds, repping folks without the easy shots. She's the blueprint for holding it down and lifting the whole genre up. That rap's music news today brought to you with AI.