Double D and Christian reggaeton

And the whining continues...

Alright, so many reggaeton artists DO refer to women as "gatas" (cats) and "perras" (dogs) quite a bit, which has been the source of much controversy since the genre's inception. Interestingly, reggaeton albums are mostly bought by women, which means that a substantial contingent of women consider these terms to be slangy terms of endearment, rather than derogatory assaults.

Is this interesting? Absolutely. Does it speak to larger social issues? Quite possibly. But it's not a clear-cut, black-and- white issue. Truth is, for every artists that says "gata" affectionately, there's one that says it with contempt. But if the the term "gata" is flying out of people's mouths in the 'hood, then should artists be held accountable for reflecting that in their music? And what about the argument that they're reinventing the term, imbuing it with a new and endearing sentiment? The point is: as with a lot of issues in rap music (remember the hoopla about rappers using the term "bitch"), this one is a lot deeper than it might seem at first sight.

But there's always people ready to criticize and preach. Among them is rapper Double D or David Disciple, who hosts a radio show called "Reggaeton Night" on Saturday evenings on 90.5 FM. The show discusses a lot of issues like the treatment of women within the genre, while also providing exposure for Christian reggaeton artists.

The problem? These Christian reggaetoneros seem to want to distance themselves from other artists and the overall tone seems to be a quite uppity and snobbish. In a recent interview, Double D said he hoped to have more of an "intellectual" audience and that he wants to dispel any notions that "all reggaton stars come from the projects." Is he friggin' serious?!!!! First of all, whether or not he came from the projects is inconsequential -- what does matter is the fact that he's referring to being born in poverty as if it were a crime (as if anyone actually WANTS to be born poor or wants to deal with living in the PJs). And that intellectual bit? What does that mean -- that he wants people with PHDs? Puhhh-leeze.

Even the whole term "Christian reggaeton" is a bit much, as it suggests those not in that niche are simply heathens. In reality, many folks (from Yankee to Don Omar to Alexis y Fido reference God in their lyrics and are firm believers).

And, side note: if your name is Double D and you're playing off that double entendre to get attention, then you're obviously no saint yourself...