Review of every Playero album ever

 My bad.  Sorry for the long delay in posts.  I have heard every Playero album ever.  I even heard that fake greatest hits bootleg that they used to sell in New York, though I think I heard Playero bootlegged it himself because BM Records wouldn't put it out.  It's a lot of them, and yes these will all be official albums.  I will not include albums that Playero produced mostly like Yankee's debut "No Mercy" or Rey Pirin's "The Professional".  I will only include albums where Playero is presented as the lead producer.  I will include The Legend as a bonus because the internet relabeled that one as a Playero album even though DJ Goldy made just as many or possibly more beats on it.  These albums are listed chronologically.   I will start with Playero 34 as that is when he began recording original Reggaeton artists like Daddy Yankee, Ranking Stone, Lisa M and others...

Playero 1 -33 (198x-1992) - There will be no review of these.  Contrary to popular belief, these actually exist.  Though I did find a Playero 27 cassette uploaded online once.  It was all freestyle.  The first Playero tapes were mostly mixes like regular mixtape dj's used to do in New York, Cali etc...  They would mix House, Freestyle, Reggae, Rap etc... together like a DJ Kid Capri tape.  I do think some of the earlier Playeros did have original blends, and the freestyle tape I heard had an unknown Freestyle song in spanish.  Freestyle was an EDM style of music from the 80's, for those unaware.  I have seen Playero 33 online, I also saw some of the one's in the 10's.  I downloaded a couple but didn't hear most of them.  Then I lost those files.  Most of these remain lost on the web.  I hear even Playero doesn't have them.  Rating:  N/A because of lack of availability.

Playero 34 (1992) - This is often considered the first Playero to have original Reggaeton songs, but mainly because no one really knows.  It has been preserved however because it has the debut of Daddy Yankee.  Playero was ahead of his time.  Although 80% of the songs here are well known Dancehall Reggae tracks from Jamaica and Panama from the likes of Shabba Ranks, Nando Boom and many others...  Playero would then mix those songs with the original ones from Daddy Yankee, Ranking Stone, Lisa M and Apache.  But possibly Playero's greatest achievement here was speeding up the Reggae Dancehall Riddims up to around 106-110 BPM.  It made the songs sound different.  And it have Reggaeton it's somewhat unique sound in the 90's.  What's funny is Playero knew how to program beats using drum machines and keyboards.  He famously produced "La Recta Final" and "Viernes 13" for Vico C with these techniques among other songs for pioneers like Brewley MC, Kid Power Posse, Lisa M and 3-2 Get Funky.  But he built the Playero Reggaeton sound mostly off of sampling the Jamaican Riddims and speeding them up.  Then, every dj in Puerto Rico would follow his template.  This one is very interesting and historic because of how much of an important building block it was towards creating the Reggaeton sound of the 90's.  It is somewhat imperfect.  Not all the songs are great, nor the mixes perfect.  But it's still pretty good.

Rating:  8/10

Playero 35 (1993)  I have actually heard this one.  But I don't remember it.  My computer got messed up shortly after I downloaded it (Damn Windows Vista!) and the original link was removed from the website that had it.  I believe Frankie Boy and OG Black are on it.  I don't recall if Daddy Yankee is in it.  I remember feeling it was better than 34, but not by much.  I do recall it being in the same vein if I am not mistaken.  Rating:  7-8/10 (but I don't really remember)

Playero 36 (1993) - Now this one is amazing!  I honestly could go without 34, even DY's songs.  It's not bad, but it wasn't that special either.  But I hope this one never gets lost again.  Playero 36 was lost for many years.  It was the holy grail of Reggaeton albums for years.  Uploaders would claim to have it but it would either be Rap & Reggae 96 or something obscure they would try to pass off as Playero 36.  But we all knew it really existed.  The singers that participated would talk about it in the magazine.  And the few that heard it called it a masterpiece.  This was essentially done in the same vein as #34, but the song selections and mixes are quite superior.  And the original songs here are much better.  About 30% of the mixtape is original.  You have Daddy Yankee, Apache, Lisa M and Third World Underground (Blanco, Maicol y Manuel).  This is where the all time Reggaeton classic "Vamos Pa San Juan" first appeared.  This one is a must listen, but you need to hear the remastered version to really appreciate it, which is nearly impossible to find and only Side A is available for now.

Rating:  9.25/10

Playero 37 (1994) -  Ok this is complex.  To understand, you would first have to be aware that there was an original version of Playero 37 around 88 mins. long where only 10 copies were given out on tape in December of 1993.  But the music was so hot, it spread like wildfire within the barrios of Puerto Rico.  We will review that version later, there is a reason for that.  But most people never heard the 1st version of Playero 37 and unless there is another restoration in the future, we will never hear that version unedited.  What happened was that the popularity of the Playero tape was noticed by BM Records and its owner Don Pedro Merced.  Mr. Merced knew the album was a surefire hit so he offered Playero a 50-50 partnership to distribute the album between Puerto Rico, New York and the Dominican Republic.  The only thing, Playero had to cut about 40 minutes in order for it to fit on tape as double discs/tapes often did not sell very well due to the added expense back then.  Even though the original version became available in 1999 (more on that later), the overwhelming majority of the audience are mostly familiar with this version of Playero 37.  Most people never knew the behind the scenes story until many years later.  Playero 37 is a landmark album.  It is the most influential album in Latin Urban music history and one of the most historic recordings in all of Latin music.  It is also perfect in this incarnation which is arguably superior to the 88 min. version.

Rating:  10/10

Playero 38 (1994) -  It is unknown exactly why for a long time, Daddy Yankee stopped performing his songs from Playero 37-40 at most of his live concerts outside of Puerto Rico and DR.  It might have been his short lived feud with Playero in the early 2000's.  Maybe DY felt that international audiences weren't familiar enough with those works.  Who knows?  What is most astonishing is that these songs are often show stoppers even for the pop audience who are mostly unfamiliar with them.  It is incredible to think that DY came up with these songs when he was only a teenager and has been performing them since.  But for some reason from his Talento De Barrio tour forward, Daddy Yankee has been performing a medley of his songs from Playero 37-40 (41 is always omitted).  It is often "Yamilette" and "Yo Nunca Me Quedo Atras" from Playero 37 which captivates audiences the most.  That is the only reason why Playero 37 is now more popular than 38.  But when I was growing up, Playero 38 was always the more popular and generally more well received album.  Dembow music from the Dominican Republic practically founded their genre on sampling Playero 38, including one of the few original Dembow riddims programmed by Nico Canada and Playero.  Hear the album and you will recognize plenty of samples used in Dominican Dembow classics.  38 isn't a better album, but it requires much less effort to enjoy.  37 is very experimental and in many regards, only made for people that love the 90's.  Not everyone loves the 90's... they should, but not all do.  For some reason from "Gasolina" forward, most of Reggaeton fans that got into the genre from then onwards strongly dislike the Reggaeton from the 90's/Playero Reggaeton sound.  Like J Balvin fans hate it for some reason I can never quite comprehend.  It seems like it sounds old to them.  And for younger generations, they feel like it's music their grandparents might listen to when trying to be hip.  I guess?  I haven't done enough research into this but I plan to.  I just think they aren't familiar with it as today's generation are much more open to different sounds than in the past.  But thus far, yea they hate that 90's sound just as much as the "Gasolina" generation which was my generation ironically.  I was a teenager when "Gasolina" came out and one thing I figured out was only kids that grew up on Reggaeton, liked the music from the 90's.  But there was a large portion of Latino kids that did not know what Reggaeton was until the mid 2000's.  That's why the majority of the "Gasolina" generation of fans also hated the Playero Reggaeton sound.  Just look at the streaming numbers and you will see how abysmal Playero, The Noise, DJ Adam all do on the DSP's, yet this was the foundation of all modern Reggaeton music.  People just don't know.  What I remember is kids back then saying that it sounds like what their uncles and aunts listened to, which is why they didn't like it.  But the rest of us that was around that music since kids loved Reggaeton from the 90's.  My parents played Nando Boom at my 4 year old birthday party so I was around that music my entire life.  But I remember growing up how a few latino people/kids that listened to Shakira and Ricky Martin looked at us Reggaeton people like of a lower class or a bunch of burnout weeders.  But they also felt the same about Latinos that were into Rap music.  They used to really look down on us before "Gasolina".  Apparently that sentiment was more prevalent among upper class Latinos from Central and South America.  But Playero 38 is the perfect introduction for anyone who really is interested in the vibe of old school 90's Reggaeton.  The only thing missing was socially conscious lyrics which would be much more present in volume 39, I'll explain why later.  I could see Playero 38 becoming much bigger with future generations if the music stays up.  Songs like Alma's "Microphone Cheka" who I think was also known as La China although many confuse her with La Nana, Glory and others... "Microphone Cheka" is a masterpiece that I could see reaching millions in the future.  She's Yaviah's cousin btw.  Grupo Nizze's "Puerto Rico" is the ultimate weed anthem.  And some songs like "Somos De La Calle" by Maicol y Manuel and "No Te Canses" by Daddy Yankee were sampled by future generations because it is timeless music.  Some said Playero 37 was too slow and kinda dull.  I disagree but can see how that perspective can exist for someone as 37 had more Hip Hop breaks and slows down at points.  Playero 38 es mucho mas movido y casi puro Reggaeton.  And that's why I think it resonates with more people than the legendary 37.  I think that for Reggaeton to really become more meaningful and impactful long term, works like Playero 37 and Playero 38 have to become for our Latin Urban music what Run DMC's "Raising Hell" or Rakim's "Paid in Full" is to Hip Hop.  Yes these works were before your time.  It doesn't mean they weren't great.  The only country I see paying homage to Playero and The Noise albums as true classics is the Dominican Republic and to a lesser extent Panama.  Not even in Puerto Rico are these albums hailed as the true masterpieces they are anymore much less in trendy places like Colombia or Chile where most don't even know these albums exist.  The pundits in Puerto Rico are too busy glazing over "Pal Mundo", Bad Bunny and "Barrio Fino" that they often fail to even make mention of albums like Playero 38 except for Benny Benni.  Shout out to Benny Benni, the legendary rapper/writer/ghostwriter and now podcaster.  He is the only one bigging up these classic productions next to Bad Bunny and Don Omar.  I saw him do an entire breakdown on DJ Adam's "Mad Jam" and he could recite Mexicano's "Se Testigo" line for line.  Now that is someone who knows what he is talking about.  A lot of you other guys over exalt your own limited knowledge about this culture "*cough* Westcol *cough*" yet you guys are the ones setting the trends.  Whatever.

Rating:  9.25/10

Reggae 4 U (1995) - Most people have no idea this album exists, much less that it is a Playero album.  The album has 3 On A Mic, Wise Da Gangsta's old trio where he first started singing Reggaeton.  Pocho Pan who was one of Panama's first big Spanish Reggae stars also participates.  Off and On were Negro G and Funky Man of the DJ Crane crew.  I have no idea who Baby King or Baby Glack are.  I heard this album twice in its entirety.  Once when I owned a physical copy, but I opted to sell my copy to a collector.  I don't recall exactly for how much.  I think it may have been the same price I got it for, 8 bucks.  Then a download copy I had for years at 128kbps.  I appreciated it much more the second time around, but it's so imperfect and so not catchy.  The singers don't do bad, particularly Wise who stood out the most.  But none of the songs are memorable.  And Playero doesn't do anything wholly original from the production standpoint.  DJ Black was credited as co-producer.

Rating:  5/10

Playero DJ - Rap & Reggae 96 (1995) - This one only came out in Cassette and if I'm not mistaken was part of a special radio contest.  "Rap & Reggae 96" was the first successful Reggaeton radio show in Puerto Rico.  I believe they gave away this cassette at in stores and concerts within Puerto Rico.  Some of these songs later appeared in Playero Street Mix 1.  Some online tried to pass this one off as Playero 36 to no avail.  This one is only 14 minutes and 30 seconds long.

Rating:  8/10

Playero 39 - Respect (1995) - This album came out after the government in Puerto Rico forbade music with explicit lyrics.  The Noise 3 was the first Clean Lyrics album, but then Playero 39 followed shortly after.  Playero went in a whole new direction on this one as artists like Don Chezina, Rey Pirin and Manec had socially conscious lyrics over the danceable Reggaeton beats.  On this one Playero also brought more original fusions to his Jamaican infused sped up Dancehall Reggae beats.  Reggaeton was really beginning to form its own identity around this time.  The dirty lyric ban from the government was in fact a blessing in disguise because it forced artists to be more creative and not rely on the shock value of explicit lyrics in Spanish.  It possibly made the music better and produced more talented artists.  Some did not like 39 because Playero went clean, but that would be the new wave moving forward.  The special slow jam bonus track which was exclusive for the Compact Disc edition back then just adds onto an already great album.

Rating:  9.5/10

Playero Greatest Hits Street Mix (1995) - The first Street Mix was the first Playero album to have a music video... well at least that was saved.  41 had 3 music videos that are now lost to time.  This one includes songs from Playero 34, 35, 36, the lost tracks from 37, Rap & Reggae 96, 37 to 39, and many of the songs are remixed exclusively for this album.  It is very very good.

Rating:  9/10 

Playero presenta Exitos 95 (1995) - This compilation wasn't as good as it could have been.  Half of the songs are from Playero 37-39.  The songs are too short.  Playero did not show much love to the other dj's on the BM Records roster.  It is mixed well and good for a party.  The song selection wasn't bad, but its potential would not be realized until its only sequel in 1997.

Rating:  7.5/10

Playero DJ - Montana Collection (1995) - This hidden gem is not known by most fans.  At the time, however it was fairly popular.  Montana Collection was a famous car dealership in Puerto Rico and Montana was the dude who sponsored this album.  He also later helped Don Chezina with "Don Fichureo" which just got taken off of Apple Music.  Apple just keeps getting wacker when it comes to old school Reggaeton.  Some big names appear here including Don Chezina, Rey Pirin, Original Q, Frankie Boy.  In my opinion Danny Banton steals the show with his homage to Shaggy in "Chica Plastic" which has such a dope ass beat.  Pretty solid stuff overall.

Rating:  8.25/10

Playero DJ - Play That Beat (1995) - I am not going to lie, many who bought this beat tape did so in regret.  The best beat tape from this era was DJ Nelson's Rap & Reggaeton Beat Tracks.  That one had the hard hitting dembow beats people were looking for.  It remains a rarity to this day as the album only had limited distribution in the Dominican Republic.  However, Playero's "Play That Beat" was more widely available but disappointed greatly thus sold poorly.  Playero probably would have sold at least 50 thousand units if he gave people what they wanted but he was probably limited by legal loopholes in sampling which remains a very complex issue many years later.  So Playero instead created rare blends of Rap, Dancehall and Reggaaeton beats, but people were probably expecting beats that sounded like Playero 38.  It's not bad and ages better.  There are a couple of genuinely good instrumentals, but nothing that will make you sound better if you don't necessarily have the highest level of talent.

PS:  Original Beats (1996) by Felito Point Breaker and DJ Dicky is also a real good beat tape

Rating:  6/10

Playero 40 - New Era (1996) - I don't know how true this is but the following is what I read in the issue of In The House Magazine which covered this album.  I think it was the 2nd ever volume which had Tony Touch and Eddie Dee on the cover.  The 1st volume had Point Breakers on the cover.  The second was Horny Man y Panty Man.  The third was Daddy Yankee.  And the 4th was Tony Touch and Eddie Dee.  I don't recall the order after that.  In the beginning they only did about 3-4 issues a year.  There was one year where they were bi monthly.  I didn't own any of those first issues, but the dude that did was cool enough to give me the CD of the second volume.  I cherish that CD.  It was like Boricua Reggae Hits but with exclusive selections just for the magazine.  I think it had a lost Guanabanas mix from the long lost Fistball album they made in Philadelphia.  I still don't know where that Guanabanas mix was from, but I remember hearing that song on an album that featured American talent.  Whatever.  But this is what I read in that magazine.  Playero 40 is apparently the first Reggaeton album where all the dembow loops were programmed using drum machines.  The story apparently is that Nico Canada became the first guy in Puerto Rico to chop and cut all the drums from the old Jamaican Reggae Vinyls and feed them through a sampler, in Panama the first guy to do this was El Chombo.  This was commonplace in Hip Hop and Techno but had not yet been done in Reggaeton.  Many of the Reggaeton producers back then knew how to use drum machines, but felt that the sounds that came with the 808's or 909's weren't right for Reggaeton.  So they continued to sample for the first couple of years of the Underground era of Reggaeton.  The way the Jamaicans were able to get their sound is by often using acoustic elements even from live instrumentation and they would sometimes fuse that with drum machines to get their incredibly unique sound.  So a drum machine alone could not replicate that.  Thus Nico took forever doing that as it appears back in those days, cutting and chopping drums was a much longer process.  Today, all it takes is a click of the mouse and you can slice a beat up.  Though they used some of these elements beginning with Playero 38, then 39, it wasn't until volume 40 that the first Reggaeton album was made using purely original instrumentation.  And the sound is noticeably different here.  Playero would still sample later on, especially in Street Mix II where some of the loops are straight from Jamaican dub plates.  But this was where Reggaeton producers learned to create their original drum loops with the Jamaican drums chopped.  There were some Reggaeton albums produced in the 90's from the likes of Kid Power Posse, Big Boy and El General which used drum machines with the original drum presets.  Some of them worked, but many of them did not.  That's why after Playero 37, everyone started sampling the Jamaican drum patterns.  But it appears Nico knew one day the genre would need to evolve so whenever you see a library with Reggaeton kicks, snares, hats and drums that allow you to make dembow style beats, you have to thank Nico Canada for that.  Many historic things happened on Playero 40.  The big one was Baby Rasta y Gringo coming over from The Noise when the crews were dissing each other on the first volumes despite the fact DJ Negro and Playero remained cool throughout this period.  It was the fastest Playero to reach sales of over 50 thousand units achieving said feat in 2 months.  The album had a mixed reaction outside of Puerto Rico at first although in the island it always had universal acclaim.  It took some people awhile to get accustomed to the new sound.  But now the album is hailed as an all-time classic by those in the know.  It has a stellar list of singers including Daddy Yankee, Mexicano, Rey Pirin, Maicol y Manuel, Alberto Stylee, Miguel Play, Don Chezina among others...  O yea and since Rauw Alejandro introduced it to a new audience, Baby Rasta y Gringo's original version of "Punto 40" which premiered here is at over 10 million plays on Spotify alone.

Rating:  9/10

Playero DJ Live (1996) - In its day, this album only did ok.  I don't know why but for some reason it ended up being bootlegged heavily in Central America, specifically Honduras.  This has led Playero DJ Live to become the most streamed album in the series even surpassing "37" and "38" in terms of nuumbers.  You would think that 42 would be the most streamed one as that is the only Playero that was heard in Colombia, but no, it's actually this one.  I have only heard "Playero DJ Live" about twice and there are several "live" albums better than it.  But for a live album, it's good and very interesting.  For example, you get Mexicano and Daddy Yankee performing several songs together.  The popular combination of Rey Pirin and Chezina also appear along with performances from Miguel Play, Kalil, Frankie Boy and Ruben Sam.  As of this writing this is the highest streamed Playero album with over 20 million streams on Spotify alone.  Sadly, it was recently taken down from youtube music so one could not calculate the numbers on that playform.  But it is still available on Apple Music as of this writing.  It is a solid album.

Rating:  8/10

Playero Greatest Hits Street Mix II (1996) - It appears that Playero was working on Street Mix 2 and 40 around the same time.  But if I'm not mistaken Street Mix II came out at the tail end of 1996.  On this one Playero goes back to using sampled drum loops, but there is something futuristic about it.  I cannot explain it.  If I have to guess.  I think this may be the first Playero album to be made digitally (IE Using computers to make music instead of analog beat machines, vinyl samples and keyboards).  And maybe that's why there is not as much original drum programming because they were transferring so much information with such limited space back then.  I don't have the scoop on this one.  This is just my educated guess as a fellow musician, albeit mostly unknown.

Rating:  8.5/10

Playero DJ & Nico Canada - Boricua Guerrero The E.P (1996)

This is practically an album.  It came out at the tail end of 1996 as a prelude to the Boricua Guerrero album "First Combat".  That one won't be reviewed here because Playero only made a couple of beats on it and the project was not sold as a Playero album.  The EP however is entirely produced by Nico Canada & Playero except for the Rap preview at the end which featured Q Tip, The Lost Boyz, Chezina and others...  The Rap preview was produced by little known producer Select from New York who apparently was an affiliate of Kool G Rap's producer Dr. Butcher with some co-production from Maestro.  This album has only 9 tracks with 2 intro and one preview track which is why it was sold as an EP.  The complete songs from the EP were originally supposed to be on "First Combat" but it seems that it sold well enough that they did not feel the need to put the songs from the EP on the final version which I feel was a mistake long term.  It appears they only printed around 40 thousand units and all copies were eventually sold.  This EP has the Reggaeton anthem "Presa I'm Ready" by Maicol y Manuel.  It also has one of Mexicano's biggest hits in "Razor Sharp" featuring New York based Jamaican singers Curly & Demus Demarco.  There is a somewhat historic but obscure collaboration between Mr. Notty Boy from The Noise and then kid prodigy US Rapper A+ in a pretty good Rap song.  There are additional tracks from Miguel y Kalil, Bebe and an amazing song from The Black Hearted Scavengerz, another Jamaican combo based outta New York.  It could have been sold as an album, but they did the right thing labeling it an EP as the last track which is 11 minutes was just a preview track from the upcoming Rap side of Boricua Guerrero First Combat.

Rating:  8.75/10

The Legend (1997) - Now I have to state, this album is mislabeled by the file sharing community online.  It is not and was never a Playero album.  Playero does produce on it however.  And he appears to do several songs.  Now the logical reason why this is labeled as "Playero The Legend" is to not confuse with the dozens of movies, games and albums with the title "Legend" or "The Legend" in it.  That's why I am not against this.  But since everyone now thinks this is a Playero album, I might as well review it.

The Legend is an all-time masterpiece.  It is so amazing and ages incredibly well.  The production is top notch with beats by Playero, DJ Goldy, DJ Dicky, Nico Canada, Benny Blanco, Harry Digital and DJ Alex.  The lineup is unbelievable.  Mexicano, Hector & Tito, Alberto Stylee, Eddie Dee, Daddy Yankee, Las Guanabanas, Rey Pirin, Ruben Sam, Maicol y Manuel, Bebe, Glory and even more notable names.  There is not a bad song on the album.  And most range from good to great, to some of the greatest songs in Spanish Rap and Reggaeton history.  Without any exagerration.  This one is a must listen to all old school fans.

Rating:  10/10

Playero Exitos 97 (1997) - Where Playero appeared to be semi lazy with "Exitos 95", he more than made up for it with the follow up "Exitos 97".  This time he definitely went a couple of levels above.  For starters, it is not littered with mainly Playero songs.  Playero starts off with the famous All Crew Freestyle from Guatauba which is one of the most legendary songs in Reggaeton history.  Of course he then goes into Blanco's track from Street Mix 2, but of course Playero has to showcase his works too.  And that was one of the hottest songs of that timeframe.

But unlike Exitos 95, on the 97 version Playero gave plenty of exposure to his fellow dj's and co contributors of Reggaeton-Rap culture.  He gave placements to songs from DJ Stefano, DJ Chiclin, DJ Eggie, DJ Black, the already mentioned Guatauba, Felito's Tha Crew, Wise Da Gangsta, and U Records.  The individual singers include Rey Pirin, Eddie Dee, Maicol & Manuel, Hector & Tito, Ruben Sam, Don Chezina, Beba, Panny, among others...  It has a great selection of songs, mixed uniquely and is a perfect introduction for the clean lyrics era of Reggaeton.

Rating:  9/10

Mexicano 777 - Entre El Bien y El Mal (1998) - Playero was credited as the lead producer of this album and made the majority of the beats.  He is even a central figure in the music video for "Hagan Ruido Las Pistolas".  Dr. Butcher, Maestro, Select and DJ Black also contributed but most of the production was handled by Playero.  In The House Magazine named this the best album of 1998.

Rating:  9/10

Playero 41 Past, Present & Future Part 1 (1998) - The long awaited Playero 41 would finally reach music stores in Puerto Rico and mom & pop shops in the USA in December of 1998.  But Playero divided the project into 2 parts.  The first one was all Reggaeton and in my opinion is the greatest Electro Reggaeton album of all time.  We'll delve into part 2 later.  Interestingly enough, the critical reception was somewhat tepid in its day although sales were the best ever for a Playero album.  Playero 41 sold over 100 Thousand units in 6 months which was huge back then.  Check out the classic Reggaeton Album review on Reddit.

Rating:  9.75/10

Tempo - Game Over (1999) - This was another solo album were Playero was selected as the lead producer.  There is co-production from DJ Black, DJ Goldy and DJ Magic.  I firmly believe that "Game Over" is among the greatest works ever in Rap & Reggaeton.  Tempo virtually came out of nowhere as he had just had his first big hit with "Donde Estan Las Girlas" on Playero 41.  The features from Mexicano, MC Ceja and Hector & Tito are top notch.  "Ven y Vuela", the lead single is a master class in Spanish language Rap lyricism.  Tempo would go on a historic run beginning with this album.  Playero produced almost every track.

Rating:  10/10

Playero 41 Past, Present & Future Part 2 (1999) -  Audiences have warmed up to this one over time.  At first it only sold 30 Thousand in its first year which pales in comparison to Playero 41 part 1's 100 Thousand +.  Even today, the streaming numbers are dysmal.  Its most streamed song is the Mexicano - Vico C collaboration "La Leyenda" which has a music video that is now lost media.  But there is not a single song on this album that has reached over a million streams.  The reason why this album has sold so poorly despite having very big names like Tempo, Mexicano, Vico C, Baby Rasta & Gringo, Yaviah, Mr. Notty Boy & many more...  is very simple... the album is half Rap songs.  Now Playero had achieved much success in producing Rap albums with the Boricua Guerrero EP, Mexicano and Tempo's albums.  But people were not expecting this on a mainline Playero album.  I worked selling music on the weekends with my family back then and many of the people who bought a Playero album were into Latin House like Fulanito or Merengue like Grupo Mania.  It wasn't just Underground fans buying Playero CDs as his influence had stretched out in the Northeast of the United States.  These people who just wanted to dance were most likely to be thrown off at witnessing Playero do so much Rap on one of his main projects.  The Rap songs were good but not to everyone's liking.  I remember people criticizing the Rap beats saying they all sound the same which is a fair criticism as Playero had a distinct style in Hip Hop.  Maestro and DJ Magic assisted on the Rap beats.  Everyone loved the Mexicano Vico collab which was historic but many international fans of both don't even know the collaboration exists because of Playero's limited reach back then.  The Reggaeton side received an equally mixed reaction, possibly because there's so little of it and only a couple of big names on that side of the album.  I however feel that Playero 41 part 2's Reggaeton beats are at least as good, if not superior to Part 1.  The Street Mix 3 preview mix exclusive is amazing!  Mr. Notty Boy's beat is out of this world!  And K-2 Young made one of the best Reggaeton songs I have ever heard in my entire life.  Go listen to it.  You have never heard anyone more gifted over a Reggaeton beat and you never will.  This one is much more appreciated now.  But this is the only mainline Playero album I have never seen anyone call a classic.  I however think that it is.  It is almost a masterpiece as a matter of fact.

Rating:  9/10

Playero Street Mix 3 - Sextravaganza (1999) - This came out right around Christmas that year if I recall correctly.  I think Playero was capitalizing off of Xtassy Reggae which was becoming the biggest thing in Reggaeton at the time which is why this album is marketed as a Sex/Perreo album.  It is not.  There is no bellquera at all here.  The beats are "bellacoso" but the content is not.  You can also hear Playero exploiting the popularity of "El Tra" in Chezina's song as that track had already become one of the most famous Reggaeton songs of all time by this album's release.  In my personal opinion, Playero was 2 years too late with the sound of Street Mix 3.  If people remember the 90's correctly, from around 1995-1998, sampling the 70's and 80's was all the craze.  You had Wyclef doing The Bee Gees, Bad Boy made its Bones off of classic 80's records and kids were wearing bell bottom jeans again.  But by the end of 1999, mainstream society's fascination with the 70's and 80's had waned.  The sound of Hip Hop was now domineered by either slick R&B production like Brandy & Monica's "The Boy is Mine" or Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" meanwhile in Hip Hop The Neptunes and Swizz Beatz brought in new original sounds that appealed to the masses like in songs such as "Ruff Ryders Anthem" by DMX.  I remember playing Street Mix 3 for people and them thinking the samples were corny and that it sounded too dated.  I however was mesmerized.  Still, had it come out in mid 1998, it would have been way bigger.  The biggest song off the project was Baby Rasta & Gringo's "Punto 40 Remix" because it was bootlegged on a cassette that appears to have originated in Honduras but reached all the way to New York and the Dominican Republic.  Sadly over time, every song from this album has been forgotten.  The numbers on streaming services are abysmal with 0 songs reaching 100 thousand plays and most of them in the low 5 figures.  Meanwhile Playero Street Mix 1 and 2 have done respectable numbers with several songs at 6 figures and some even reaching over a million plays.  This one has always been forgotten as even in its day, it sold poorly and was the least sold Street Mix album during its physical run.  It is unknown how poorly this one sold, but Street Mix 1 and 2 both sold 50 thousand units each.  So it's safe to say that Street Mix 3 probably did around half.  And it's disappointing because Street Mix 3 is the best one and such a phenomenal album.  It is near perfect and one of Playero's best works in his illustrious career.  It is very danceable and although maybe in the year 2000 the samples then came across as corny to some, to me it now sounds timeless.

Rating:  10/10

Playero & Berto Guayama - Deja Vu (2001) - Playero was mostly quiet in the year 2000.  He did work on Tempo's follow up "New Game" but was no longer highlighted as the lead producer now that Tempo and DJ Black were taking on more production duties.  Rumors were that Playero was fielding major label offers, but instead decided to go with Ivan Joy who was breaking free from Prime Records to start his own label "Diamond Music".  In the meantime Playero produced for Rey Pirin's "Da Professional" and DJ Nelson's "Music" before releasing Deja Vu in 2001.  He would also work on The Warriors 3 with DJ Blass later this year.

Berto Guayama is possibly a known name in the Reggaeton world from these days.  He was a concert promoter most known for producing the concert tapes Guayama Live vols 1, 2 and 3 which took place in the municipality of Guayama, Puerto Rico.  Those 3 tapes sold fairly well, but outside of that little was known about the producer.  At least that's who I hypothesize he was.  I am actually not sure.  He could have been a local baseball or basketball team owner as individuals from that world are known for investing in Reggaeton like Hector Macho Camacho did in the 90's and Carlos Arroyo later on.  I honestly have no idea who Berto Guayama is.  This was my best guess.

Point is, he was the money guy behind Playero's second to last album using that moniker (more on that later).  "Deja Vu" was Playero adopting his sound to modern changes recently implemented by DJ Blass and he did a hell of a job in modernizing his sound.  Audiences of the day gave "Deja Vu" generally positive reviews.  The historic collaborations of Alberto Stylee with Falo and Don Chezina alongside Cavalucci disappointed some however.  After warring for many years, Alberto Stylee and Falo finally made peace and collaborated on a track together for a Playero album!  But the sound had changed greatly by Summer 2001 and some fairly criticized the sound of the track for being stuck in 1998.  

I am not gonna lie, some of these songs do sound like they came from the late 90's and lacked adapting to DJ Blass' transformative sound.  What Playero instead did which was clever was that on songs like Blanco's intro mix, Rey Pirin's jam and Frankie Boy's song at the end was that he took the sound back to 1994 while combining it with electro sounds giving the tracks a distinct flavor.  Plus, because it was 2001 and the government ban was long over, this was the first Playero album in years with bellaqueria which we all know is why Perreo lovers even listen to Reggaeton.  Frankie Boy's track at the end sounds like him back in 1994 talking about "Zafatas Bellacas" like people love.  It's one of the album's highlights.

Another bellquera/Perreo track was Maicol y Manuel's "Dale Mami" which is so up to date, it sounds like it came from Playero's The Majestic days in 2002-2004.  Playero shows on that song he could quickly update himself to the sounds of the time and Maicol & Manuel hit it out the park in a song about getting down & dirty with a girlie who cheats due to an unsatisified relationship.  Hector y Tito's song is a malianteo track that sounds like if from mid 2000, but it wasn't completely dated, just that by Summer 2001 people stopped making songs like these.  Cheka's song, co-produced by Cheka himself is sonically up to date with a beat that sounds as if DJ Pablito had made it for La Factoria that year.  The Rap beats are pretty good too and sound as if from their time.

The most acclaimed song on "Deja Vu" was Master Joe's opening track reuniting and making peace with Playero in a song about the Underground's glory day and even hypothesizing what if Tempo and Master Joe could rip the stage together in the middle of their war with one another.  DJ Blass appears on a Rap track billed as "Vlady", Blass' birth name is Vladimir Felix, with Blass himself producing his own track.  Blass is an underrated Rapper.  And there are several more appearances of note from OG Black, Tempo, Rey Pirin, Chezina and others...

On one of Chezina's two tracks he collaborated with Cavalucci which was one of the most desired collaborations from 1996-2000, but Cava's star had dwindled by then and this appeared an attempt at reigniting his flame.  *This was due to his 2000 debut album "Cavalogia" underwhelming in sales moving only about 20 thousand units, despite projected to do much more.  And the song was... ok.  The song has no chorus, the beat is good, but neither verse is stellar.  Chezina's solo song on "Deja Vu" was considerably superior.  Cavalucci's lyrical abilities had notably declined by 2001 and I believe to know why* but I will touch upon that on an Editor's note entry.

"Deja Vu" is the only Playero album never made available on Spotify nor Apple Music.  I see a buy link via Play Playero Presenta-DEJA VU by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Amazon Music.  Buy it soon before they take it down.  But it was a very good and high quality album from Playero like we had come to expect over the years.

Rating:  8.5/10

Editor's Note:  I have not written about this on Reddit in detail because I am aware how far anything written there can go.  I don't want the following to be more than speculation because I have no insider knowledge on the matter.  I do have the following info however.  The reason why Cava's lyrics notably decreased in quality from 2000 forward was because he used to have co-writers.  This was the scuttlebutt online back in the day.  I used to speculate whether it was Carlitos or Luiso who collaborated with Cava in his early days and have a similar style.  But apparently it's neither of them.  I don't remember the name of Cava's co-writer but supposedly he shunned the spotlight.  He was supposed to be a great writer and a solid Rapper but did not want to become famous so he chose to write with Cavalucci instead.  That supposedly explains Cavalucci's legendary run from 1996-1999.  By the year 2000, Cava's co-writer moved to the United States.  This forced Cava to write most of the lyrics to "Cavalogia" himself.  Cava's lyrics range moreso on the level of what he did on "Como Hermanos" or his mixed reaction appearance on "La Mision 3".  He's not bad, but he himself is incapabale of coming up with such great lyrics like we heard on "Nuestro Destino", "Sabio Como Clinton" or "Liricalmente".  That supposedly was due to his co-writer.  I read online that his co-writer either died and/or converted into Christianity in the early 2000's.  But supposedly before he died, he had ghost written for some American Rap acts in Español as I think he moved to New Jersey.  That is all I know and I am unaware how much if any of this is true.  But I had seen several forum users ascertain to this that Cava used a co-writer in the 90's.  This does make sense if it's true.  Like Lele for example supposedly preferred writing for Hector rather than seeking the spotlight himself because he apparently wasn't a good onstage performer.  And because of that no one thought Lele could ever become a star though he had excellent lyrics.

Kilates - Rompiendo El Silencio (2002)

So, what happened here?  It is all speculation.  Playero never clarified in an interview why he became The Majestic, while still continuing to do work as Playero too.  I know enough of what happened, but a lot of what I read online were purely claims or speculation.  But I do know the background.

Kilates was put out by Ivan Joy and 2002 under his newly formed label Diamond Music.  Ivan Joy was a renown executive at the famed 'Prime Records' label before starting 'Diamond Music'.  He apparently brought projects like "Kilates" and other concepts to Jorge El Sexy Boy Oquendo, but "Prime Records" was in limbo at the time due to contractual disputes and delay with Sony who was their parent company at the time.  

Prime Records simply could not back up Ivan's projects at the time, so he left in 2002 to start his own label and took Johnny Prez with him who was an artist of "Prime Records" before signing with Diamond Music.  Johnny was known as EZD "El Macho De La Moda" from Kid Power Posse, who tried to go solo a couple of times, but it never worked back then.  Ivan saw great potential in Johnny's new style adapted to the modern sounds of the era but chose to rebrand Johnny and present him as a new artist.  It worked, most people had no idea at the time Johnny Prez came from KPP.

Ivan also began a working relationship with White Lion Records and co produced the album "Planet Reggae" together which came out shortly after "Kilates".  This is how Eddie Dee became part of the label, leaving White Lion in amicable terms, in order to sign with 'Diamond Music'.  Next, Ivan signed Yaga & Mackie away from Master Joe & OG Black's "Diamond Collections imprint.  And another key piece to the puzzle was Playero.

Although specifics are lacking, what is known is that Playero could not use his name for other projects unless approved by BM Records.  This is why he used the name "Playground" for projects such as Rey Pirin's solo albums and DJ Nelson's "Music".  It was unknown what type of agreement he might have entered into.  Pedro Gerardo Torruellas however, could go and produce for whomever he wanted.  That is where Playero adopted the name "The Majestic" in order to be allowed to work on other projects.

Kilates 1 is considered a classic by many.  It sold an impressive 100,000 units thanks to Johnny Prez's and Ivy Queen's songs which became massive hits.  There are several notable participations from the likes of Nicky Jam, Speedy, Rey Pirin, Tego Calderon, Baby Rasta & Gringo, Don Chezina among others...  Although the beats are mostly done by Playero under the "Majestic" moniker, it wasn't just him.

Several other producers contributed to the music production of Kilates 1, most notably TNB who was an in-house producer for 'Diamond Music' and part of the Nativos Music collective with Zion, Lennox, Yai, Yaga, Mackie and others.  Former Prime Records in house producer, Elvis G, now going by "Mr. G" also contributed beats.  Echo produced a couple of Rap beats.  But Kilates 1 is most famous for being the album where Luny Tunes & Noriega debuted alongside DJ Nelson for Ivy Queen and Baby Rasta y Gringo's tracks.

Kilates 1 is a very vibrant album.  It is definitely of its time.  And it has aged very well with some truly timeless songs.

Rating:  8.5/10

The Majestic (2002)

Only a few months later, Playero got his own album under "The Majestic" moniker.  He had some help on this one.  Luny Tunes & Noriega did Yaga & Mackie's beat which I believe sample a popular R&B song at the time which I cannot remember as of this writing which song it is.  Echo produced a couple of beats.  And newcomer at the time, DJ Giann Live also contributed.

The biggest song from the album went on to become "Yo Quiero Bailar" by Ivy Queen which was always the album's biggest hit.  The beat is produced by the legendary DJ Adam and samples the famous Liquid Riddim.  Adam also produced "Dame Dame Chance" by Tego Calderon which also premiered here first and became one of Tego's more well known songs pre- El Abayarde.

But there's plenty more from The Majestic that's more than worthwhile.  It has one of Jowell & Randy's first songs as a duo.  All the other songs from the music videos are fondly remembered from the likes of Eddie Dee, Johnny & Pedro Prez, Yaga & Mackie, Falo, Kenny & Eric and Karel & Voltio.  There are even more notable names here like Maicol y Manuel with a sample chorus from Baby Rasta, MC Ceja, Alberto Stylee, Maestro, Bebe, and more...  The album is of equal quality as Kilates 1.

Rating:  8.5/10

Playero - The Best Of (2002)

This is a bootleg which I heard was bootlegged by Playero himself to sell in New York.  Apparently BM Records thought that a regular greatest hits Playero album with no remixes had little retail value so Playero was obligated to put it out himself.  I guess that technically doesn't make it a bootleg, but it was never as widely available as the other Playero albums.

All I can say is that with how streaming has changed the game, whoever holds the Playero streaming rights missed out on a potential large sum of earnings.  This is because although many are aware of the Playero name thanks to Daddy Yankee's fame, most of them remain unfamiliar with Playero's works.

Had a greatest hits been released with all the true big hits and names like Daddy Yankee, Baby Rasta & Gringo, Blanco, Nicky Jam etc...  I think it would do well on streaming.  I believe Playero would have at least twice the listeners he has right now, at the very least.

You have to understand Playero 37-39 were originally released as long Side A and Side B mixes on CD and Cassette.  There were Special Editions later that separated the songs into singular tracks, but they edit the explicit lyrics on 37 and 38 (39 was a clean lyric album from the beginning).  If people could listen to the songs separately, it could make a huge difference.

Plus, someone who is aware of Playero, but never heard his albums will be confused by the presentation.  Why Playero 37?  What is Street Mix 2?  They would ask themselves.  If there was a greatest hits, that isn't a remix album like Street Mix 1,2 and 3, then maybe that could resolve some of the confusion.  Most new listeners would immediately gravitate to a greatest hits collection of Playero over anything else.  

And because of these reasons mentioned which seem like minute details, they really can make a difference. If you notice, the Side A and Side B mixes remain the most popular tracks across all services.  This means, that Playero is not getting any new listeners and it is the same people from way back when hearing his music.  This is why most of the new generation is unaware of Playero's legacy in Latin Music.

As far as "The Best Of" is concerned, there are a lot of songs missing and the ones picked aren't necessarily "The Best".  There are some glaring omissions.  These include songs like "Funk From Da Weed" by Fellas Rican Kings, "Besa Tu Cuerpo" by Blanco, "Microphone Cheka" by Alma", "Ando" by Maicol y Manuel, "Somos De La Calle" by Maicol y Manuel, "Donde Estan Las Girlas" by Tempo, "Pasando El Tiempo/Oye El Beat" by Don Chezina, "Tu Problema" by OG Black & "Hey Girl" by Frankie Boy among many others...

Plus, several tracks are mislabeled.  To be fair, in order to a proper greatest hits presentation from Playero, you would either need to sell it as a double disc album, or do a volume 1 and volume 2 from the jump.  The songs selected here are good.  And most were hits at least on a minor level.  But it could be done much better.  But if they release a greatest hits without separating the tracks into a singular track x track format, it could be a fatal mistake.  Playero messed up by releasing this with special 37, 38, 39 and 40 mixes.  It cheapens the presentation a little.

Rating:  8/10

Los Mas Buscados (2002)

This is an album where Playero is a featured producer but he only made two beats on the entire album.  Those were Jackie La Original's track and Bebe's song.  Both songs are great but they almost sound like throwbacks even for that time.  Still this album is a hidden gem.  Most beats were made by DJ Blass though Nico Canada and DJ Joe also contribute.

Rating:  8/10

Playero 42 parte 1 - El Especialista (2002)

There was a parte 2 announced but it never came to fruition.  I believe it would be smart to release this one as a prelude to Playero 43 in order to test the waters.  If Playero saved at least half his leftover unused vocals, he probably has 5 albums worth of material.  This one was the most mainstream Playero album.  The music video got mainstream coverage on Telemundo, Jamz TV and was even seen in South American countries like Colombia.  But the album had limited distribution.  And though it is probably the most listened to Playero album in history, it was massively bootlegged and share online via services like Naptser, Limewire and Reggaeton blogs.  It still sold 50 Thousand units but it should have sold much more.  Big names like Don Omar, Ivy Queen, Plan B, Nicky Jam, Trebol Clan, Karel & Voltio among others participate.  DJ Joe co-produced making the beats for Ranking Stone's and Trebol Clan's songs.  It is the only Perreo style Playero album in history.

Rating:  8.25/10

Kilates 2 Segundo Impacto - El Silencio Que Duele (2003)

This one was huge because of the lead single "Yo No Soy Tu Marido" by Nicky Jam.  Although Playero received credit for the beat under his pseudonym of The Majestic, Luny recently revealed that he was the beat's ghost producer with Tunes.  Playero produced the majority of Kilates 2 but he had help from Mr. G, Luny Tunes, Nativos Music and Echo.  This one is another album with a stellar list of participants.  Eddie Dee, Ivy Queen, Getto & Gastam, Tego Calderon, H Man & P Man, Zion & Lennox, Jowell & Randy and Johnny Prez among others... It is definitely worth a listen.  I consider it a classic.

Rating:  9/10

Eddie Dee - Los 12 Discipulos (2004)

Believe it or not, Playero under The Majestic pseudonym produced 4 beats from the classic Reggaeton album "Los 12 Discipulos" with Mr. G.  Playero and Mr. G produced Zion & Lennox's track (on the original version), Voltio and Johnny Prez.  Eddie Dee's Perreo "Wao" was produced by DJ Adam.  Most importantly, the titular song "Quitate Tu Pa Ponerme Yo" featuring every artist on the album was made by Playero and Mr. G.  Luny Tunes produced Daddy Yankee, Eddie's ballad "Si Tu No Cuidas Tu Mujer" with Eliel, Tego and Nicky Jam's songs.  Echo produced Vico C's song on the original version with Vico himself.  On the streaming version however, they use the DJ Adam remix for Vico's song which is from the 2005 Special Edition.  Coo-Kee produced Eddie Dee's Rap song.  Meanwhile DJ Urba & Monserrate produced Gallego's track and the "Censurame" remix.  DJ David produces the Wiso G song.  This one is universally considered an all-time classic album.

Rating:  9.75/10  

Majestic II - Segundo Imperio (2004)

Finally, Playero's last album.  For this one, Playero made most of his beats with the help of Mr. G.  You also have additional beats by DJ Giann Live, Luny Tunes on Tego's track, Rafy Mercenario, Noriega and DJ Blass on Johnny Prez's song.  There are several really good songs, but some songs are totally forgettable.  The beats are very good though.

Rating:  7.75/10

In 2005 Playero announced to have been signed by an independent company based out of New York City.  They were presenting a duo known as Lil Man & Joker who used to do live performances between New York and Florida.  Playero 43 was also announced on the blogs around this time skipping Playero 42 part 2.  Lil Man & Joker's songs with Playero never became widely available and are now lost media save for a song or two though it appears Playero did not produce those ones.  Playero has remained doing live shows as a dj, but mostly without singer though he has been known to do reunion shows in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic with the likes of Baby Shabba, Ruben Sam, Rey Pirin, Don Chezina, Wiso G, Alberto Stylee and Falo among others...  There has also been the occasional concert with DJ Negro & The Noise in a versus style of performance.  Those shows also occasionally graced stages in Orlando, FL and New York City.

Playero still tours across the United States, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and even Spain recently doing a set in Barcelona in 2025 that is available to stream on YOUTUBE.  He reunited with Daddy Yankee in 2008 for the Talento De Barrio choliseo in Puerto Rico alongside Falo, Rey Pirin, Don Chezina and Alberto Stylee.  They remain friends to this day, occasionally tagging one another on social media.  As recent as 2022, while on tour in the Dominican Republic, Playero confirmed that Playero 43 is still in the making and that Daddy Yankee is a confirmed participant on the album.

Around this time however it came to light that Playero does not make money off of his streaming.  The people who make his music available online are known as Alemer Publishing and AOM Music, the second being an offshoot of the former BM Records founded by Don Pedro Merced.  This was because Bad Bunny was sued in 2021 for sampling from Blanco's "Besa Tu Cuerpo" and other Playero records.  The case was settled in 2023, but Playero claims that he has not made any from his music being sold in the digital space and does not know how these companies gained these rights over his music.  He also claims to have nothing to do with the lawsuit besides being the creator of the music BB sampled.

Let's hope throughout all this that Playero 43 might still see the light of day.  I would however expect Playe to live up to his promise of 42 Part 2 first.

Bonus Hypothesis, How would Playero 43 do in today's climate?:  That is very difficult to gauge.  A Daddy Yankee appearance could make a wealth of difference.  But he's the only confirmed participant.  Though I remember reading back in the day that Ruben Sam and Wiso G recorded for Playero 42 part 2.  I think 3-2 Get Funky did too.  Playero has always had songs that he kept out but he might have erased those vocals too if they did not get used.  I hope not.  I wouldn't mind hearing a lost Frankie Boy song that never came out even if it was recorded way back in 2002.

We would have to answer some basic doubts that most people would have about Playero 43 ever being possible.

Even if Playero can get everyone from Ivy Queen to Daddy Yankee to record for Playero 43.  The paperwork and clearances for artists to appear will be a nightmare and the major companies will disapporove.  Not necesarily.

I know many might feel that Playero 43 in today's climate is impossible, not really.  The same way that J Balvin & Daddy Yankee appeared on the obscure album "La Jaula De Los Vivos" by Lito MC Cassidy in 2022, they could appear in Playero 43 in 2027.  The independent company would just have to get the paperwork right.  Artists like J Balvin and Daddy Yankee who are their own bosses can appear on whatever album they want whether it's from a big name or not.  With a Karol G or ROA, it might be more difficult to get one of them to participate if their management doesn't approve, but it's not impossible neither.

Plus 90% of artists that would appear on a Playero album won't have trouble getting any clearance because they will either be independent and/or in charge of their own careers.  It will probably be someone like El Alfa, Rochy RD and Joyce Santana who appear in Playero 43.  Them signing off won't be an issue.  Same thing with old school artists who have no label or a represented by a friendly indie label like GLAD Empire.  MC Ceja would easily sign off on himself, Polaco, Guelo Star, Jowell & Randy and anyone else looking to participate.  Guys like Tempo, Frankie Boy, Wiso G, Alberto Stylee, Glory and Ranking Stone would sign off themselves.  Clearances from artists won't be an issue.  Plus, Ivy Queen has been indy since like 2017 and when she signs to a major, she's her own jefa.  She won't be an issue either.

Ok.  Even if we get artists to sign off legally, how about all the samples Playero used over the years.  How could Playero afford to pay for samples today?

There is a gigantic misconception that Underground Reggaeton never paid for royalties, this is only partially true.  Some underground records paid for nothing.  But many, especially in Panama actually did.  Because the music was only independent back then and not expected to be released outside of their respective countries, you could pay a rights fee for only in Panama and/or Puerto Rico.  Plus, the rights fees for many of the Jamaican Riddims was handled by Ramon Pucho Bustamante of Panama.  El Chombo might manage those rights someday, I wouldn't be surprised.  Pucho was the one that gave people like Baron Lopez and Vico C the clearances to use the Dembow loops from Jamaican producers for products they released on BMG.

But Playero ceased sampling for the most part in 2002.  He occasionally did and its impossible to know if Ivan Joy ever paid Destiny's Child for the Speedy song, even in local fees (my bad if I get this pulled down).  But practically all of Playero 42 was original production.  Playero knows how to make beats without sampling in the manner that you have to pay royalty fees.  

Most drums used in digital audio workstations were sampled from somewhere, but that's not what you pay for.  It's when your creation directly borrows an element in a record and does not reverse engineer anything to create something new.  Even then speeding up, and cutting up a sample that lasts even a few seconds, you will have to pay.  But cutting and slicing kicks, snares, hihats etc... no one pays for that, unless you sampled the drum loop exactly.  It's hard to explain to someone not versed in music production, but those who understand modern music production will comprehend.

Even if Playero gets all the clearances and artists to sign off.  Who wants to listen to Playero 43 in 2026?

This remains unknown.  Only one way to find out.

Thanks for reading!