The Fundamental Magical Element

Two Jamaican musicians are making a bold claim. They say they invented the now-ubiquitous reggaeton beat on a specific track in 1989. They're suing some of the genre's biggest stars for billions in royalties. But we found someone who’s telling a very different origin story. Hold onto your headphones as we dive into the mystery behind one of the most influential beats in modern music. * On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English Written by Dave Roos Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier Research and Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson, Dave Roos, and Zaron Burnett Original Music by Elise McCoy and Jonathan Washington Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Social Clips by Yarberry Media Executive Producer is Jason English Got a question for Dana, Zaron, and Jason? Hit us up at veryspecialepisodes@gmail.com . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.