WHERE HAVE ALL THE SPANISH GUITARS GONE?

A while back I was readin up on Stax Records, and I noticed that a lot of the heavy producers and songwriters were Burt Bacharaddicts.   I already knew "Walk On By" was a Burt joint, but I enjoyed going back and imagining how many of his fingerprints were on Isaac's hot buttered soul.  That's what was ill about these lil' scenes back in the pre-Innanet days.  Isaac probably bugged out on a BB record, pushed it on his collaborators, and slowly the Stax sound incorporated Bacharach moves.

Now we all know The Showboys are the Burt Bacharachs of New Orleans bounce, but how and why did Spanish guitars become a thing in the late-90s/early-00s?  Were they a thing, or am I misremembering their ubiquity?  Magic & Mystikal's "Did What I Had 2" initially brought this schlock back to my attention, and it's also the apex of this micro-subgenre.  On a pop tip, there was "No Scrubs" by TLC, "Maria Maria" by Santana and The Product G&B, and Jay and 'Yonce's "Bonnie & Clyde '03."  Other marriages of rap and sultry acoustic guitar include Black Rob's "Spanish Fly," Nas's "Message," and "Family Business" by The Fugees.   "Slow Motion" has me thinking Mannie Fresh might have fucked with Spanish guitars, but I can't think of anything at the moment.  And while I would have sworn "Flowers For The Dead" had some soulful acoustic flourishes, it appears to have just been some piano tinkles and mournful braying from D'Mingo.

As usual, we can probably blame it all on Wyclef.  Although I wasn't a big fan at the time, I have grown to embrace this cross-cultural exchange for all its well-intentioned cheesiness.   I usually play Jodeci when I'm writing erotic duets in bed with my lover, but I'd prefer dancing inside her to some caliente Latin rap ballads.