Skip to main content
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
When a merengue band slows down, it's playing bachata, the other music of the Dominican Republic. Marked by the bright sound of cleanly plucked guitar, bachata moves at the same pace as Latin America's other romantic ballad form, the bolero. But bachata is very different. A music of the underclass, bachata was banned from mainstream radio for decades because of its tough, streetwise subject matter. Singers openly discussed crime and prostitution in their songs, and though their albums were top sellers, bachata records never appeared on official charts. In the 1990s, mainstream musicians began to experiment with the style, and bachata was rehabilitated.
Text fits
Save
Cancel