Salsa emerged in 1960s New York City as Puerto Rican and Cuban musicians fused son montuno, mambo, and Latin jazz with urban energy and Afro-Caribbean percussion. Built around the clave rhythm, brass-heavy arrangements, and call-and-response vocals, salsa transformed Latin dance music into a socially conscious, street-level art form. Pioneers like Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, and Willie Colón brought raw passion and storytelling to nightclubs from the Bronx to San Juan, while orchestras like El Gran Combo and Grupo Niche expanded its reach across the Americas. Unlike the big-band swing of mambo or the improvisational looseness of Latin jazz, salsa thrives on tight, syncopated grooves and vocals that convey both romantic longing and working-class struggles.
By the 1980s, salsa romántica softened the edges with smoother production and love-focused lyrics, championed by artists like Gilberto Santa Rosa, Frankie Ruiz, and Marc Anthony. Yet the genre never lost its rhythmic complexity or its ability to pack dance floors, blending Caribbean tradition with urban grit. Whether it's the scorching trombone solos of Willie Colón, the virtuosic piano montunos of Eddie Palmieri, or the infectious coros that turn every track into a communal experience, salsa remains the heartbeat of Latin music—irresistibly kinetic, unapologetically bold, and endlessly alive. If you crave music that moves both body and soul, salsa demands your attention.
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List updated:
| #47 | ByWillie Colón | Released:1968-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #40 | ByWillie Colón | Released:1972-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #69 | ByWillie Colón | Released:1972-01-01 | latin jazzsalsa | ||
| #7 | ByWillie Colón | Released:1973-12-31 | salsa | ||
| #30 | ByHéctor Lavoe | Released:1975-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #25 | ByHéctor Lavoe | Released:1976-01-01 | |||
| #22 | ByHéctor Lavoe | Released:1978-01-01 | salsamambo | ||
| #82 | ByHector Lavoe | Released:1978 | salsa | ||
| #13 | ByHéctor Lavoe | Released:1982-01-01 | salsabolero | ||
| #51 | ByGrupo Niche | Released:1984-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #10 | ByEddie Santiago | Released:1986-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #49 | ByHéctor Lavoe | Released:1987-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #55 | ByFrankie Ruiz | Released:1989-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #42 | ByWillie Gonzalez | Released:1989-09-05 | salsa | ||
| #39 | ByTito Rojas | Released:1990-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #94 | ByIsmael Rivera | Released:1990-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #11 | ByGrupo Niche | Released:1990-06-08 | salsa | ||
| #41 | ByJerry Rivera | Released:1990-09-25 | salsa | ||
| #53 | ByGrupo Niche | Released:1990-12-20 | salsa | ||
| #76 | ByLos Titanes | Released:1991 | salsa | ||
| #20 | ByJerry Rivera | Released:1992-05-26 | salsa | ||
| #83 | ByCelia Cruz | Released:1992-11-16 | salsamambo | ||
| #100 | ByRubén Blades | Released:1992 | salsa | ||
| #36 | ByGaly Galiano | Released:1993-03-30 | salsa | ||
| #61 | ByWillie Colón | Released:1993-05-18 | salsalatin jazz | ||
| #15 | ByGloria Estefan | Released:1993-06-22 | salsalatin pop | ||
| #28 | ByJerry Rivera | Released:1993-11-05 | |||
| #5 | ByMarc Anthony | Released:1993 | |||
| #85 | ByIndia | Released:1994-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #66 | ByJoe Arroyo | Released:1994-01-11 | salsaworld | ||
| #23 | ByMarc Anthony | Released:1995-01-01 | salsalatin pop | ||
| #79 | ByGrupo Niche | Released:1995-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #96 | ByTito Rojas | Released:1995-07-18 | salsa | ||
| #12 | ByAdolescent's Orquesta | Released:1995 | salsa | ||
| #70 | ByGrupo Niche | Released:1996-01-09 | salsa | ||
| #31 | ByNuyorican Soul | Released:1997-01-29 | |||
| #6 | ByAdolescent's Orquesta | Released:1997-03-11 | salsa | ||
| #18 | ByMarc Anthony | Released:1997-10-21 | salsa | ||
| #38 | ByWillie Gonzalez | Released:1997 | salsa | ||
| #65 | ByRey Ruiz | Released:1997 | salsa | ||
| #4 | ByElvis Crespo | Released:1998-04-14 | merenguesalsa | ||
| #78 | BySonora Carruseles | Released:1998-08-11 | salsa | ||
| #33 | ByCelia Cruz | Released:1998-09-22 | salsa | ||
| #35 | ByJuan Luis Guerra 4.40 | Released:1998-11-01 | salsa | ||
| #68 | ByFrankie Ruiz | Released:1998 | salsa | ||
| #27 | ByIbrahim Ferrer | Released:1999-05-24 | |||
| #59 | ByGilberto Santa Rosa | Released:1999-07-06 | salsa | ||
| #19 | ByOrishas | Released:1999-09-24 | |||
| #57 | ByGrupo Niche | Released:1999-09-28 | salsa | ||
| #54 | ByAdolescent's Orquesta | Released:1999-11-02 | |||
| #60 | ByPolo Montañez | Released:2000-04-25 | |||
| #80 | ByDLG | Released:2000-05-16 | salsa | ||
| #72 | ByPuerto Rican Power | Released:2000-05-25 | salsa | ||
| #77 | ByGrupo Niche | Released:2000-08-01 | salsa | ||
| #64 | ByJerry Rivera | Released:2000-12-19 | salsa | ||
| #81 | ByTito Puente | Released:2000 | |||
| #92 | ByGilberto Santa Rosa | Released:2000 | salsa | ||
| #52 | ByGilberto Santa Rosa | Released:2001-03-06 | salsa | ||
| #67 | ByMonchy & Alexandra | Released:2001-04-24 | |||
| #34 | ByEddie Santiago | Released:2001-05-29 | salsa | ||
| #62 | ByJerry Rivera | Released:2001-07-05 | salsa | ||
| #58 | ByEddy Herrera | Released:2001-09-14 | merenguesalsa | ||
| #45 | ByMarc Anthony | Released:2001-10-23 | salsa | ||
| #32 | ByAdolescent's Orquesta | Released:2001 | salsa | ||
| #50 | ByFrankie Ruiz | Released:2001 | salsalatin jazz | ||
| #74 | BySergent Garcia | Released:2001 | salsa | ||
| #21 | ByMonchy & Alexandra | Released:2002-05-03 | bachatasalsa | ||
| #1 | ByJuanes | Released:2002-05-21 | salsa | ||
| #95 | BySergent Garcia | Released:2003-09-26 | |||
| #17 | ByMaelo Ruiz | Released:2003-10-27 | salsa | ||
| #86 | ByCelia Cruz | Released:2003 | salsa | ||
| #88 | ByFruko Y Sus Tesos | Released:2004-01-06 | salsamambo | ||
| #24 | ByMarc Anthony | Released:2004-06-08 | salsa | ||
| #93 | ByFrank Reyes | Released:2004-11-02 | salsa | ||
| #75 | ByDLG | Released:2004-12-07 | |||
| #46 | ByTito Nieves | Released:2005-01-01 | salsa | ||
| #44 | ByXtreme | Released:2005-05-18 | |||
| #90 | ByEddie Santiago | Released:2006-01-08 | salsa | ||
| #73 | ByGrupo Niche | Released:2006-06-22 | salsa | ||
| #26 | ByMarc Anthony | Released:2006-06-30 | salsa | ||
| #48 | ByEl Gran Combo De Puerto Rico | Released:2006-11-28 | salsadance | ||
| #43 | ByRhythms Del Mundo | Released:2006 | |||
| #84 | ByEl Puchero del Hortelano | Released:2007-01-06 | salsa | ||
| #56 | ByGilberto Santa Rosa | Released:2007-11-20 | salsa | ||
| #29 | ByAdolescent's Orquesta | Released:2008-01-08 | salsa | ||
| #16 | ByPete Rodriguez | Released:2008-07-14 | |||
| #89 | ByGilberto Santa Rosa | Released:2008-07-21 | salsa | ||
| #14 | ByLuis Enrique | Released:2009-05-19 | salsalatin pop | ||
| #37 | ByMarc Anthony | Released:2009 | latin jazzsalsa | ||
| #99 | ByOscar D'León | Released:2009 | salsa | ||
| #97 | ByEl Gran Combo De Puerto Rico | Released:2010-03-30 | salsa | ||
| #87 | ByHector Lavoe | Released:2010 | salsa | ||
| #71 | ByGilberto Santa Rosa | Released:2011-04-26 | salsa | ||
| #2 | ByMarc Anthony | Released:2013-07-22 | salsa | ||
| #8 | ByCamila Cabello | Released:2017 | popsalsa | ||
| #91 | ByMon Laferte | Released:2018-05-23 | |||
| #9 | ByPabllo Vittar | Released:2018-10-04 | |||
| #98 | ByMeridian Brothers | Released:2022-08-05 | salsa | ||
| #63 | ByRay Barretto | Released:2024-02-16 | |||
| #3 | ByEl Gran Combo De Puerto Rico | Released: | salsa |