In the pulsing heart of reggaeton’s origin story sits Jaime A. Davidson, a Panamanian artist who isn’t just a musician but a cultural architect, activist and reformer.
Davidson, most commonly known by his artist name Gringo Man or Gringo Man El General, was a pioneer in bringing reggaeton music from Panama to the worldwide scale. For him, reggaeton is more than a genre; it’s a movement.
“Reggaeton is the struggle of poor people, the dissemination of information through music,” Davidson said. “It’s the unification of all cultures, nationalities, and genres in one.”
Davidson hasn’t lived an ordinary life. In the midst of working on his first studio album, Davidson was convicted of murder in 1993 on charges that he played a role in planning a robbery that led to the death of an undercover police officer in upstate New York. Davison got three life sentences plus 85 years; however, he was not at the scene of the robbery, and he has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence.
Many would’ve expected that prison would’ve broken Davidson down, but instead, he took it as an opportunity to elevate himself, continue proving his innocence and fight for the wrongfully convicted, “I found my purpose in life behind the prison walls,” Davidson said.
While in prison, Davidson didn’t just sit around waiting for the day he gets let out to come. Davidson organized fundraisers, helped prisoners earn their GED and more. He even gathered fellow prisoners to raise money for Lacresha Murray, an 11-year-old girl who was wrongly convicted in Texas. Davidson’s campaign for Murray played a pivotal role in her release and inspired hope nationwide.
Davidson was granted Clemency by President Donald Trump in 2021. One of the biggest moments for Davidson was when his attorney helped him get in contact with Alice Marie Johnson. Johnson is an American criminal justice reform advocate and former federal prisoner whose clemency was supported by Kim Kardashian. Davidson’s connection with Alice Marie Johnson helped in receiving the pardon from President Trump.
Aside from connecting with Alice Marie Johnson, Davidson’s other pivotal moment was being honored at and attending the La Picardia Awards in Puerto Rico.
“I felt extremely empowered and I felt honored when I saw the reaction of the public and La Picardia awards,” Davidson recalled. “When I was able to give all of the artists that helped me. Up to this day, I am still Panamanian, I still have the same the unique sound that nobody has been able to duplicate, you see, and that’s because of all the those artists that was under that stage, and I was able to give them an award, La Picardia award for being part of the reggaeton movement.”
Davidson is known by many as the Godfather of reggaeton, a title he doesn’t just take lightly.
“I was the only Panamanian in the heart of the dancehall representing Latin America rapping Reggae in Spanish and English,” Davidson said. “Unbeknownst to me, there was also a movement Parallel in Panama…so now everybody knew from the beginning, El General came from Panama, so now people wanted to record me.”
Davidson shared that while he was in prison, it was widely accepted that Davidson’s song, “Donde Lo Conseguiste” influenced the song “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee. A Puerto Rican DJ had told Davidson that his lyrics, “Si yo fuera una roca, tu la carretera. Usaría tu saliva para la gasolina,”Had largely sparked the idea for Daddy Yankee’s hit-song.
Now, decades later, Davidson is reflecting on that pivotal moment that set the course for the reggaeton we listen to now.
“Like the Bible says, ‘to whom much is given, much is required,’ you see, and right now, what I’m doing is what I didn’t do for 30-something years now, I’m actually documenting and letting the world know what reggaeton really stands for,” Davidson said.
Being incarcerated helped influence Davidson’s approach to making music. At first, it was all about ‘wanting to be famous.’ However, Davidson learned the importance of music portraying the struggles of people, cultures, and, most importantly, other falsely convicted individuals.
“I was able to see from the other side of the struggle,” Davidson said. “Now, my music has evolved because it’s one thing when you are in the heart of dancehall, so you don’t see the suffering of other individuals, who are literally your fans. So now, I gotta cater and speak about what’s going on, the suffering, what’s going on behind these (prison) walls.”
Since being released Davidson has written an autobiography called, “Visionary: The Rise and Fall of the Reggaeton Man: Fame Comes with a Steep Price!” in both English and Spanish. In the book, Davidson explains his journey becoming one of the founders of the Reggaeton Movement, being incarcerated for 29 years and more on his life story.
Today, Davidson is no longer just the founding father of the reggaeton movement, he’s also a symbol of redemption and resistance. Davidson is bringing justice to the wrongfully convicted and imprisoned and dedicating himself to reforming the federal habeas corpus process through his foundation, FEHR. This is not the end of Davidson, but it is proof that just like the music he helped create, he refuses to be silenced.
