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Music of Puerto Rico
Son, rumba and danzón from Cuba, Haitian vodou drumming and kompa, Jamaican mento, ska and reggae, calypso and steelpan from Trinidad, bouyon and cadence-lypso in Dominica, tumba and tambú on Curaçao.
Sung and searched in Spanish. The YouTube button above can run your search in that language.
A brief history
Early music
The music culture in Puerto Rico during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries is poorly documented. Certainly, it included Spanish troubadour, church music, military band music, and diverse genres of dance music cultivated by the jíbaros and enslaved Africans and their descendants. While these later never constituted more than 11% of the island's population, they contributed to some of the island's most dynamic musical features becoming unforgettable and distinct indeed. On September 19, 1512, the customs house Casa de la Contratación recorded the first known instance of a European music instrument to Puerto Rico, a small vihuela property of Alonso de Buenaño. These were popular with the early settlers, and by November 1513, proved enough for merchant Juan de Vizcaínos to import eighteen rolls for them. On January 3, 1516, Catalina Ortiz brought with her a tambourine. Vihuelas continued arriving from several sources during this year. The first guitar on record arrived on December 11, 1516, property of Juan Martín.
Popular music
Traditional, folk, and popular music
The music culture in Puerto Rico during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries is poorly documented. Certainly, it included Spanish troubadour, church music, military band music, and diverse genres of dance music cultivated by the jíbaros and enslaved Africans and their descendants. While these later never constituted more than 11% of the island's population, they contributed to some of the island's most dynamic musical features becoming unforgettable and distinct indeed. On September 19, 1512, the customs house Casa de la Contratación recorded the first known instance of a European music instrument to Puerto Rico, a small vihuela property of Alonso de Buenaño. These were popular with the early settlers, and by November 1513, proved enough for merchant Juan de Vizcaínos to import eighteen rolls for them. On January 3, 1516, Catalina Ortiz brought with her a tambourine. Vihuelas continued arriving from several sources during this year. The first guitar on record arrived on December 11, 1516, property of Juan Martín.
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Playing now
What Puerto Rico is listening to in 2026
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Live radio
Radio from Puerto Rico
Music only, no news or talk. Stations that play the local tradition come first, then the most listened. They play in the corner of the page.
Station directory by Radio Browser Streams come from each station's own server.