Daddy Yankee's Gasolina pumped out of the speakers of my stereo. I wasn't playing a CD; this was drive time on a London radio station! Gasolina went on to reach the UK Top Ten singles chart at number 5, amazing for an all Spanish-language song. It also reached number 12 in France. Of course, it hit the number one spot in the US. Reggaeton was already massive on the Latin music scene and now it had burst onto the international music stage. It filled every street corner at this year's Notting Hill Carnival. It can be heard in clubs from LA to London, Colombia to Cyprus. If you visit any Latin club, it dominates the DJ's play-list. It has pushed aside old favourites salsa and pop to become the most popular Latin music in the US Hispanic communities.

The roots of modern Reggaeton can be traced back to Panama in the 1970's when a large number of Jamaican immigrants, who were working on the Panama Canal, had brought with them reggae music. By the end of the 1970's, the first reggae songs in Spanish were being performed by Panamanian urban artists. In the 1980's and 1990's, artists influenced by American Hip-Hop started to emerge from Puerto Rico. They created a mid-tempo, aggressive alternative to this laid-back Panamanian reggae. What was named Latin Rap became one of the most popular music styles. Being a previous colony of America, American culture had always had a presence in Puerto Rican society. With the big migration of Puerto Ricans to America, Puerto Rican's lived closely with Black Americans in the Bronx, sharing their culture and influences with each other equally. American Hip-Hop had infiltrated Puerto Rican culture just as Puerto Rican culture had always played a big part in Hip-Hop in the US. In the 1990's, being situated in the Caribbean served to expose Puerto Rico to Jamaican Ragga. Take the rapping vocals of US Hip-Hop about sex, money and crime, the rhythm of Jamaican Ragga and mix in a driving drum-machine track borrowed from Puerto Rican music genres Bomba and Plena, and Reggaeton was born. The seeds were planted in the two main producers of Reggaeton, Panama and Puerto Rico, which grew to spread throughout Latin America and the rest of the world. In 2005, US Hip-Hop artists are now looking to Reggaeton artists for inspiration and Jamaican artists are collaborating with Reggaeton artists.

There are countless Reggaeton stars. Here is our focus on some of the biggest:

DADDY JANKEE

Of all the Reggaeton artists, Puerto Rican Daddy Yankee is arguably the biggest. He is best known for his chart topping single and dance-floor anthem 'Gasolina'. It comes from the album 'Barrio Fino', which sold over 1,000,000 copies in Puerto Rico alone. He has also sold well in the US and can be found in other countries all over the world. He has been used to represent reggaeton on over 50 compilation albums. Alongside pioneer Playero DJ, he was involved in the music in its early years in the early 1990's. He has performed with big names Nicky Jam, Luny Tunes, DJ Blass, DJ Eric, Eliel and rapper Nas. He has recorded with Hip-Hop DJ Tony Touch. As well as popular, Daddy Yankee is talented. His album 'Barrio Fino' is a collection of high quality songs. He is currently touring America and Latin American.

LUNY TUNES

The Luny Tunes are Francisco Saldana and Victor Cabrera. The Luny Tunes are the main production team on the reggaeton scene. They are known as "the Neptunes of Reggaeton" as, like The Neptunes of the Hip-Hop scene, every song they produce becomes a hit. Their hits include Zion y Lennox's 'Hay Algo En Ti', Trebol Clan's 'Bailando Provocas' and Wisin y Yandel's 'Rakata'. In a real "rags-to-riches" story, they both used to work at Harvard University as a chef and dishwasher and went on to become the most sought after producers on the scene.

TEGO CALDERON

Tego Calderon is a rapper from Puerto Rico. Having already made a name for himself as a Latin Hip-Hop star, he has naturally switched to Reggaeton, and become a major player on that scene too. In his lyrics, he talks about the racism and inequalities experienced in the Puerto Rican ghettos. After the big success of his first album 'El Abayarde', he appeared as a guest rapper on Hip-Hop veterans Cypress Hill's 2004 album 'Til Death Do Us Part'. Growing up in both Puerto Rico and Miami, probably forged his wide stylistic range and ease at working with US musicians.

DON OMAR

Puerto Rican Don Omar, is one of the best Reggaeton singers. His biggest hits include 'Dile' and 'Dale Don Dale' from his first album 'The Last Don'. Due to his success in the US, along with Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderon, he is one of the more recognisable faces in reggaeton. 'Dale Don Dale' was a dance-floor anthem. His break came when Hector, of Hector y Tito, gave him the chance to be a backup singer for them in their 2003 concert. The concert was recorded and released on CD and DVD, including the songs 'Baila Morena' and 'Amor de Colegio' that became instant hits.