Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Plan B have been around long enough for most fans of the club music genre to consider them veterans. Cousins Chencho (Orlando Javier Valle Vega) and Maldy (Edwin Vázquez Vega) released debut album El Mundo Del Plan B: Los Que La Montan nearly 15 years ago as Puerto Rico became recognized as the mecca of the pan-Hispanic, polyrhythmic descendent of dancehall reggae and Spanish rap.
In the bigger picture, they represent the latest branches of a family tree with roots that go back to the digging of the Panama Canal. That’s where Jamaican workers encountered Spanish culture, with a substantial population staying and adding to the cultural mix. In the wake of hip-hop and dancehall reggae emerging in the ’80s, the Jamaican-friendly Panamanian culture responded with rhythms dominated by electronic snare drum loops and free-flowing legato lyrics en español. “Spanish rap” was embraced by Puerto Rico youth—including Chencho and Maldy, who were joined by established reggaeton stars Daddy Yankee and DJ Blass, before releasing hit singles and albums often thematically related to the title of their track “Love and Sex.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 7:30 p.m. June 16, $55 plus tax and fee, 18+. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
