Omaha native's beat is reggaeton - Reggaeton News

By Josefina Loza, www.omaha.com (Omaha World Herald)

April 12, 2006

La Princesa Morenita is ready to share all the juicy chisme (gossip) on the reggaetón scene.

Quinée Butler

Is an Omaha native and 1991 Benson High School graduate.

As a kid, wanted to become a plumber. "It sounds silly, but for me it was going against the grain," she said.

Is writing a book about reggaetón, a mixture of salsa, bachata and hip-hop music.

Whenever Quinée Butler, "the dark-skinned princess," talks about reggaetón, her voice rises with excitement. The 33-year-old single parent is chief executive officer of reggaetonline.net, a Web site based in Canada that promotes Latino music artists.

Butler, a University of Nebraska at Omaha student, maintains the popular site. She moved from Omaha to Puerto Rico - the hub of reggaetón - earlier this year to get closer to the artists, although she still takes classes through UNO.

She recently shared with us her involvement in the reggaetón movement.


Q. You were a senior at UNO. It was 15 credits until your graduation, right? So why did you decide to move to Puerto Rico?

A. There's no reggaetón scene in Omaha. I had to be where the artists are. I've flown into places like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago for different concerts and events. It's a lot for me to play the role of a journalist because I would have to run after somebody to get a quote or a picture. Running after people is not my style and being put off was a waste of time.

Q. Do you think it was a good move?

A. It was a good move. I'll be able to finish my courses. I've had the chance to meet Tego Calderon, H-man and P-man, who are old-school reggaetón artists. I've also met Tito El Bambino, Glory, Hector El Bambino, Luny Tunes and Mr. Phillips in Puerto Rico.

Q. Have you met up with other people from America's hip-hop scene?

A. No. But I've worked with a couple of artists from the U.K. that make up the Rishi Rich project.

Q. Wow, Brit Hindi pop producer Rishi Rich? So there's a lot of mixing of cultures in reggaetón?

A. The Rishi Rich Project is made up of Jay Sean(Singer), Juggy D (Bhangra rapper), Mentor and Rishi Rich (both producers).
Yes. Rishi Rich does a lot of fresh contemporary styles of music like Bhangra, which is sung in the language of Punjabi. It's a lot of the music you hear in Bollywood.

He's working with reggaetón producers Luny Tunes. They've created Bhangratón - which is a mixture of the Indian culture and the Puerto Rican culture all put together in reggaetón music.

Reggaetón is transforming and changing all the time. Before you had reggaetón, it was Spanish rap. Then it transformed into reggaetón, because Puerto Ricans started mixing a little bit of salsa, bachata and hip-hop together in the music. For that reason, it appeals to many people.

Did you know a portion of Daddy Yankee's song Mirame was done in Hindu?

Q. What's the difference between hip-hop and Latino hip-hop?

A. To me, it's just hip-hop. Latin hip-hop is just Latinos doing hip-hop. In a world of everyone wanting peace and harmony, this is a great example of something that divides us. It shouldn't be a surprise when a white man raps. . . when he's poor and comes from the same neighborhood. It shouldn't be a surprise when a Latino person raps when they have the same educational background and when they come from the same living environment.

Q. What are some of your goals with reggaetonline.net?

A. My goal is to get the site full of information about reggaetón artists in both English and Spanish. It soon will be translated into French. I want to promote reggaetón because the artists are real people with a message.

Not many people know that several of these reggaetón artists have degrees. Female rapper Glory, for instance, has a master's degree. Education is important to reggaetón artists. They're musicians and artists, but they're also role models for the Latino community.

Q. Do you think Omaha's ready for reggaetón or new styles of hip-hop? We hear a little bit of it, but we're no Miami.

A. If Omaha wasn't ready for reggaetón, then some of the local radio stations wouldn't have been able to play Daddy Yankee's "Gasolina" or Don Omar's "Reggaetón Latino" on the air. There are people in Omaha who want to bring in more reggaetón artists for concerts. I feel that it's about time . . . Omaha needs to pay more attention to the Latin community. It's a very important part of Omaha and its history and its future.