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1 of 12Reggaeton artist El Yonki prepares for his concert in Varadero, Cuba on Nov. 7, 2015. His spiky hair is synonymous with the genre, as he was the first to come out with the long-on-top, shaved sides look, according to photographer Lisette Poole.Lisette Poole—Redux -
2 of 12A crowd gathers in Old Havana on set for a music video, "Por Tu Amor" with Reggaeton musicians Divan and El Principe on Sept. 23, 2015.Lisette Poole—Redux -
3 of 12Artist Jacob Forever's living room in Havana is decorated with photos of himself and various famous Cuban singers on May 14, 2015. He recently signed with Sony records after the release of his international hit song "Hasta Que Se Seque el Malecón."Lisette Poole—Redux -
4 of 12The VIP room of a Reggaeton concert afterparty in Varadero, Cuba, a known tourist destination in Cuba, on Nov. 7, 2015. Poole says that women, money, drugs and alcohol are often part of the mix of Cuba's Reggaeton lifestyle.Lisette Poole—Redux -
5 of 12Guests attend Cabaret Guanimar Chacal y Yakarta before a show in the outskirts of Havana on April 25, 2015. Entree fees are high in Havana, with this show ringing in at $15 (CUC) for entry, where the average Cuban's monthly salary is around $25.Lisette Poole—Redux -
6 of 12Reggaeton singer El Chacal sings at a county fair in the Ciego de Avila province on Oct. 11, 2015. He has become infamous in Cuba, known for his lewd behavior onstage, Poole said.Lisette Poole—Redux -
7 of 12Reggaeton rapper Insurrecto records in a small studio in Centro Havana, he wipes his sweat with an American flag bandana on Sept. 21, 2015. Insurrecto, along with many of the genre's top artists, are able to fly abroad and perform in the U.S.Lisette Poole—Redux -
8 of 12Local kids join Damian from Los Desiguales on a video shoot in the Lawton neighborhood in Havana on Sept. 11, 2015. This song, "Infelices," is heavily hip-hop based.Lisette Poole—Redux -
9 of 12Fans gather around the tour bus waiting for photos and autographs after Chacal y Yakarta performed at a county fair in the Ciego de Avila province of Cuba on Oct.12, 2015.Lisette Poole—Redux -
10 of 12Damian from Los Desiguales practices a rap before his video shoot for "Infelices" at his home in Havana, while his girlfriend watches on Sept.10, 2015.Lisette Poole—Redux -
11 of 12Teenage girls attend try-outs for El Yonki's music video, "Apululu" in Havana, where they dance before a panel in bikinis on Nov. 8, 2015.Lisette Poole—Redux -
12 of 12Singer El Principe from Los Desiguales is followed by fans during a late night portrait session on Havana's Galiano Street on Feb. 15, 2016. He is known for his keen fashion sense which he calls Fashatón.Lisette Poole—Redux
The language can be explicit, the lyrics could be considered immoral, and the genre was once banned entirely by Raul Castro’s administration. So how do performers from the now-ubiquitous Cuban Reggaeton scene find celebrity, let alone spread their music in a country where internet connectivity relies on expensive, government-approved WiFi hotspots that are unreliable and inundated at best?
The El Paquete (The Packet), a hard drive that is delivered weekly for a nominal fee, is a significant player in the dissemination of media not accessible to legions of Cubans hungry for information. It is on this semi-clandestine device that proprietors of a phenomenon that has infiltrated Cuban airwaves spread music that has everyone from children to teens to grandparents dancing along.
Photographer Lisette Poole had been living in Cuba for about a year when she noticed Reggeaton music permeating Cuban culture. She amassed tracks from hard drives and approached artists, once in an airport—who despite their star power are much more accessible than their American cultural counterparts. “In Cuba in general I found that people are pretty accessible, even if they are really famous,” Poole tells TIME. “Everywhere they go they get mobbed by young kids who want their autograph and want their picture taken.”
Despite the limitations on connectivity, artists can create songs and videos that circulate “all over Cuba within a couple of days,” says Poole. She says the creation and distribution of Reggaeton content is in ‘constant flow’ where artists keep up with a demand for new music.
Reggaeton, which is a style that incorporates elements of hip-hop, electronic music and rap with influences of Jamaican dancehall, is at its core, dance music. “Cubans really love dancing,” says Poole, an American born to a Cuban mother. “And so for them it’s more preferable to go out and listen to something that they can dance to.”
The photographer began visiting the country as a teenager and took up primary residence there in late 2014. She says she is motivated to look at the country objectively to “show Cuba the way that it really is, as I’ve seen it living there. I feel like showing Reggaeton is just part of that.”
Lisette Poole is a freelance visual journalist. Follow her on Instagram @lisettepoole. Watch her documentary on Reggaeton, Reggaeton Revolución: Cuba in the Digital Era
Chelsea Matiash is TIME’s Deputy Multimedia Editor. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @cmatiash.
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