00:00In Latin America's reggaeton capital, dancing until you drop isn't just encouraged, it's the best way to see the city.
00:06Hi Afar, my name is Kat Sposado and today we are in the beautiful city of Medellin, Colombia, and we're going to be taking a musical tour of the city.
00:14Medellin is Colombia's second largest city with more than 2.3 million residents.
00:19Travelers usually come seeking out the country's most popular music genre, reggaeton, a pop music sound that combines elements of reggae, hip-hop, salsa, and trap.
00:28Since the late 2010s, Medellin has transformed into the epicenter of reggaeton music in Latin America, earning it a UNESCO Creative Cities designation back in 2015.
00:38They say you can find a performance almost everywhere you turn here. I decided to see how many I could find.
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01:01We started off in Comuna 13, one of the most inaccessible parts of Medellin.
01:05Built into the Andes Mountains, it didn't have paved roads or public transit until the early 2000s.
01:11Now, buses, escalators, and walkable paths have opened up the area to tourism.
01:15I visited with Casa Colacho, a non-profit that empowers local musicians and tells the Comuna story through art and music.
01:22The guides are musicians themselves, and our three-hour walk brought us through vibrant murals, community landmarks,
01:28and stories about how local hip-hop collectives used music to resist violence and organize during the 1990s.
01:34We stopped for live performances, breakdancing, salsa, and a full-blown concert by Bene's Music,
01:40a freestyling reggaeton group that makes up songs using audience members' hometowns.
01:46Later, in the Comuna's artistic corridor, we visited the Salvajes Gallery and El Flow Machine recording space
01:52at the Colectivo de Artistas Salvajes Studios, where musicians come to record their songs.
01:58Afterward, we grabbed a mango biche, or bitter mango, ice pop from Cremas Doña Consuelo,
02:03a favorite among celebrities like J Balvin, Maluma, and even former president Bill Clinton.
02:09We wrapped up our tour at Casa Colacho HQ, where I saw their performance space and recording studio.
02:14I even got to leave my own mark by spray-painting part of a mural on their walls.
02:19Next, I met up with Ian Londoño from Living Tours Medellín,
02:23who took me to the city's biggest reggaeton landmarks and neighborhoods.
02:26We started off with a visit to the neighborhood of Colombia's biggest reggaeton artist, J Balvin,
02:31the first musician to get a song entirely in Spanish to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S.
02:38This is Barrio Alfonso López, a working-class neighborhood here in northwest Medellín.
02:43This park is known as Cinco Siete Cuatro and J Balvin Park,
02:46and it's the birthplace of Medellín's reggaeton revolution.
02:50If you're a fan of J Balvin, you'll definitely recognize this park from the music video for his hit song, Amarillo.
02:56He spent thousands of dollars to revitalize it and make it into a destination for this community.
03:00We then headed off to Barrio Aranuez and Barrio Antioquia,
03:04two neighborhoods that are home to two of Medellín's biggest artists working today,
03:09Alcolíricos and Bless, who host free sidewalk reggaeton concerts here every December.
03:14Pro tip, make sure you stretch and prepare to be winded for this tour if you're not already physically fit.
03:20Medellín's incredibly hilly landscape is no joke on the calves or the lungs.
03:25I was definitely left breathless in more ways than one.
03:28Welcome to Provenza, Medellín.
03:30Our final stop was Provenza, Medellín's most famous neighborhood.
03:34Colombian pop star Karol G made this place famous with her song of the same name,
03:38breathing new life into it for tourists.
03:41It may not look like much during the day,
03:43but at night, these streets are filled with energy.
03:46Here you can find several world-famous discotheques like Perroneiro and El Agite,
03:51all frequented by reggaeton stars.
03:53There is also El Teatro Victoria, which hosts several concerts by musicians across the city.
03:58You can also just catch live performances by buskers on the streets, like I did.
04:03I closed out the trip in one of the most traditional ways possible,
04:06by visiting Mad Radio, one of Provenza's best bars for music listening.
04:10I ordered a quick drink from the bar and then sat down to jam out to some of my favorite tunes
04:15and rest my legs after a long day.
04:18If there's any music landmarks we missed in Medellín, let us know in the comments.
04:21Otherwise, don't forget to like and subscribe so that you never miss a video.
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