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Borikén Syllabus 2.0 Part 6: Music as Resistance | Música es Resistencia

Date postedSeptember 3, 2026
Borikén Syllabus 2.0,

In Borikén, musical expression has served as a historical archive of ongoing defiance against colonial rule and resistance to cultural erasure. Understanding Puerto Rican music offers a vital interpretive lens into dynamic forms of expression that transcend geography and time through plena, bomba, salsa, merengue, and reggaetón, amongst other musical traditions and genres. Underlying these musical genres is a shared foundation of resistance rooted in AfroBoricua, Indigenous, and Jíbaro traditions.

Bomba, one of the oldest AfroBoricua musical forms, served as a space for communal celebration, communication, and spiritual affirmation, establishing a foundation for expression of cultural identity and resistance. Plena, referred to as “el periódico cantado” (the singing newspaper), served as a form of community dialogue and told the stories of the working class. Salsa became central to diasporic identity, especially within urban communities in cities such as New York and Chicago, connecting Puerto Ricans through songs that affirmed collective belonging. Merengue, which originated in the Dominican Republic, became deeply integrated into Puerto Rican culture, reflecting broader Caribbean histories of cultural kinship and resistance that transcend national borders. More recently, reggaetón’s global rise has continued this historical pattern of transforming marginalization into cultural innovation, as Puerto Rican artists challenge colonial narratives and honor the enduring presence of ancestral traditions within contemporary culture. Although we introduce these genres individually, it's important to recognize that bomba and plena are influential within the contemporary music of Borikén, giving rise to the interconnection of these intergenerational traditions and new forms of musical interpretation.

Whether through bomba and plena’s embodied dialogue of resistance, salsa’s diasporic connections, merengue’s Caribbean kinship, or reggaetón’s defiance, Puerto Rican music repeatedly transforms rhythm into an artistic form of historical memory. The music of Puerto Rico and the diaspora reveals how colonialism, migration, race, and nationalism are not abstract historical concepts but lived realities embedded in the sounds, movements, and solidarity of a community. To listen carefully to the music of Puerto Rico is to listen to the narratives of the people continually negotiating sovereignty, belonging, survival, and resistance through rhythm. In Borikén and throughout the diaspora, music is not only artistic expression—it is historical testimony and a continuing act of resistance.

Videos and Podcasts

The following musical artists represent a range of genres, including bomba, reggaetón, salsa, merengue, and pop. We include their place of birth in Puerto Rico and the diaspora to emphasize the significance of music as a cultural preservation and pride that transcends national borders and histories of forced migration. Artist names are linked to a playlist so you can enjoy the music of Borikén. While this list is not exhaustive, these artists illuminate the enduring and evolving expressions of Puerto Rican identity across geographical space, musical traditions, and time.

Artists, Genre, and Place of Birth or Group Formation 

Playlists

Reflection Questions

  • How can music be understood as a form of historical memory and resistance in Puerto Rican culture?

  • How do genres like bomba, plena, salsa, merengue, and reggaetón reflect the experiences of forced migration and diaspora?

  • What does the global rise of reggaetón show about the historical relationship between culture, identity, and resistance?

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