Since reggaetón was developed in Puerto Rico, Cuban reggaetoneros have considered the genre that traveled from there as a “colonizing music." Musicians have explained that the electronic musical elements of reggaetón have set the country’s musical development by several years. With this, and with Cuban’s tradition of mixing international genres of music, Cuban reggaetoneros are striving to “Cubanize” the genre. Many take inspiration from recent development of rap cubano (Cuban rap) which have incorporated Cuban musical elements, such as African drums and African Yoruba chants.
A genre that has an important influence on reggaeton in Cuba is timba, a Cuban dance genre that combines jazz, funk, and Cuban rumba. This genre incorporates specific electronic sounds to mimic drum instruments, timbres, and rhythmic or melodic virtuosity. The collaboration between timba and reggaetón has allowed for reggaetón to be recognized as more of a national genre.
Through Cubanizing reggaetón by including instruments that create the “distinctive Cuban sound,” artists have been able to share important widespread elements of Caribbean culture. Many instruments that artists will stress in their art are: the piano, the violins, tumbadoras (tall Cuban drums), guiros (metal percussion instrument sused to create a scratching sound), and especially orchestral brass instruments such as the trombone and trumpet. It is clear that reggaetón is extremely important beyond the important aspects of personal freedom and the speaking up about political issues.
Aside from the musical sound, Cuban reggaetón shares a connection of empowerment with timba. It can be said that Cuban reggaetón continues the theme as an homage to the earlier created genre. The most prominent theme between both genres is strength that stems from identity and that relationship to money. For women, the genres allow them to feel empowered and lackthereof. While timba is playing, women dancing can be symbolically understood as “the convertible currency” of the time, allowing them to feel empowerment through sexual work they may have engaged in because of their connection to money. In reggaetón, this similar theme is understood through its lyrics. Additionally, many male timberos and reggaetoneros sing about women threatening male identity, especially black male identity. As a result, there is an emphasis on hypermasculinity and men wanting women’s attention. Through this, Cuban reggaetoneros have been inspired by timba’s intertwining of identity, focusing on gender, sexuality, race, and relationships with others.