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Daddy Yankee

Daddy Yankee
Daddy Yankee in 2021
Born
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez[1]

(1976-02-03) February 3, 1976 (age 48)[2]
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Other names
  • The Big Boss[3]
  • El Cangri (The Chief)[4]
  • Winchester[5]
Occupations
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
  • actor
Years active1992–present
Notable workDiscography
Spouse
Mireddys González
​
(m. 1995)​
[6]
Children3
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Websitedaddyyankee.com Edit this at Wikidata
Signature

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez[a] (born February 3, 1976),[2][8][9] known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, and actor who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina". Dubbed the "King of Reggaeton",[4] he is often cited as an influence by other Hispanic urban performers. He retired on December 3, 2023, after completing his final stage performance on his "La Meta" tour in Puerto Rico.[10]

Ayala was born in Río Piedras and was raised in the Villa Kennedy Housing Projects neighborhood.[11] He aspired to be a professional baseball player and tried out for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball.[11] Before he could be officially signed, he was hit by a stray round from an AK-47 rifle while taking a break from a studio recording session with reggaeton artist DJ Playero.[11] Ayala spent roughly a year and a half recovering from the wound; the bullet was never removed from his hip, and he credits the shooting incident with allowing him to focus entirely on a music career.[11]

In 2004, Daddy Yankee released his international hit single "Gasolina", which is credited with introducing reggaeton to audiences worldwide, and making the music genre a global phenomenon.[12] Since then, he has sold around 30 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists.[10][13] Daddy Yankee's album Barrio Fino made history when it became the top-selling Latin music album of the decade between 2000 and 2009.[14][15]

In 2017, Daddy Yankee, in collaboration with Latin pop singer Luis Fonsi, released the hit single "Despacito". It became the first Spanish-language song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 since "Macarena" in 1996.[16] The single gained global success. The video for "Despacito" on YouTube received its billionth view on April 20, 2017, and became the most-watched video on the platform. Its success led Daddy Yankee to become the most-listened artist worldwide on the streaming service Spotify in June 2017, the first Latin artist to do so.[17][18] In March 2022, Daddy Yankee announced that he would be retiring from music after the release of his seventh studio album Legendaddy and its supporting tour.[19]

During his career, Daddy Yankee earned numerous accolades, including five Latin Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, 14 Billboard Latin Music Awards, two Latin American Music Awards, eight Lo Nuestro Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and six ASCAP Awards. He also received a Puerto Rican Walk of Fame star, special awards by People en Español magazine, and the Presencia Latina at Harvard University. He was named by CNN as the "Most Influential Hispanic Artist" of 2009, and included in Time 100 in 2006.[20]

  1. ^ "The Boss is Back: Daddy Yankee Returns to his Roots". LatinRapper.com. May 22, 2007. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Daddy Yankee on Instagram". instagram.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  3. ^ Cobo, Leila (September 15, 2021). "The Big Boss talks: Daddy Yankee is teaching reggaetón's stars how to own their careers". Billboard.
  4. ^ a b Corbett, Sara (February 5, 2006). "The King of Reggaetón". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  5. ^ Domínguez, Tony (September 1, 2018). "15 Reggaeton & Hip-Hop Collaborations You Probably Forgot About". remezcla.com. Remezcla.
  6. ^ Daddy Yankee (March 20, 2020). "Una reina cree en ti, no te desanima. Una reina es leal, no piensa en traición. Una reina es como el ajedrez, siempre protege a su rey. Una reina como la que Dios me regaló no la cambió por nada en el mundo. Hoy esta reina y yo cumplimos #25 años de casados. Quizás mis fans me conozcan por ser el mejor pero yo soy fan de ella y te puedo dar fe, que ella es la mejor. En estos tiempos difíciles, sigo contagiado con su Amor y ella es mi corona!". Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via Instagram.
  7. ^ "Daddy Yankee | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Meganoticias (October 6, 2020). "[VIDEO] La hija de Daddy Yankee eclipsa a su papá bailando reguetón". meganoticias.cl (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Yankee cumple 45 y así lo mimó su esposa". ADN Cuba (in Spanish). Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Annie Martin, Bryan (March 21, 2022). "Reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee shocks fans by announcing retirement, farewell tour and album". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d Reid, Shaheem (April 20, 2006). "Daddy Yankee Explains Why Getting Shot Made Him The Man He Is". MTV. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  12. ^ "Daddy Yankee Backstage Behind the Scenes". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  13. ^ Martin, Annie (March 21, 2016). "Daddy Yankee to retire from music after 'Legendaddy' album". United Press International. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  14. ^ Leila Cobo (August 10, 2014). "Daddy Yankee Remembers 'Gasolina' 10 Years Later: 'I Knew It Was a Home Run'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  15. ^ "Exclusive: Daddy Yankee's Track-by-Track Review of His 'Barrio Fino,' 10 Years Later". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  16. ^ "'Despacito' Becomes First Spanish #1 Song Since 'Macarena'". Nbcmiami.com. May 19, 2017. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  17. ^ Ratner-Arias, Sigal (July 9, 2017). "Daddy Yankee is #1 on Spotify; 1st Latin artist to do so". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  18. ^ Pickens, Ashley (July 10, 2017). "Daddy Yankee Breaks Barriers Becoming Top Streamed Artist On Spotify". Vibe. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  19. ^ "Daddy Yankee, the 'King of Reggaeton' announces retirement". New York: WABC-TV. March 20, 2022. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022 – via KABC-TV.
  20. ^ "Latin Hearthrob Daddy Yankee Joins "B&B"". Canyon-news.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2018.


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