Ramón Luis Ayala Rodrguez is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor professionally known as Daddy Yankee (also known by the moniker D.Y). Both music critics and fans recognize him as the “King of Reggaetón.”
In 1994, Daddy Yankee developed the term reggaeton to characterize the new Puerto Rican musical genre that fused hip-hop, Caribbean, and reggae beats with Spanish rapping and singing. He is frequently mentioned as an inspiration by other Latino urban musicians.
As a youngster, Ayala resided in the Villa Kennedy Housing Projects community of Ro Piedras, Puerto Rico. Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners gave him a tryout, and he hoped to become a professional baseball player.
During a recording session with reggaeton musician DJ Playero, he was inadvertently shot and murdered by an AK-47 bullet. When Ayala was wounded in the hip, the bullet never left, but he was able to focus exclusively on his music profession for around 1.5 years.
The 2004 release of Daddy Yankee’s international smash single “Gasolina” is credited for bringing reggaeton to global audiences and transforming the music genre into a global sensation.
Since then, he has traded approximately 20 million records, making him one of the most successful musicians in Latin music. Between 2000 and 2009, the album Barrio Fino by Daddy Yankee was the best-selling Latin music album of the decade.
Together with Latin pop musician Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee created the blockbuster tune “Despacito” in 2017. Since “Macarena” in 1996, it has been the first Spanish-language song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The track achieved worldwide popularity.
The “Despacito” video on YouTube surpassed one billion views on April 20, 2017, becoming the most-viewed video.
In June of 2017, Daddy Yankee became the most popular Latin musician on the streaming site Spotify due to the success of his music.
Daddy Yankee declared his retirement from music in March 2022, following the release of his forthcoming seventh studio album Legendaddy and its accompanying tour.
Daddy Yankee has won 184 awards from 484 nominations as of March 2022. (see List of awards and nominations received by Daddy Yankee).
He is the recipient of five Latin Grammys, two Billboard Music Awards, fourteen Billboard Latin Music Awards, two Latin American Music Awards, eight Lo Nuestro Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and six ASCAP Awards.
He also got a star on the Puerto Rican Walk of Fame, special accolades from People en Espaol magazine, and the Harvard University Presencia Latina. CNN named him the “Most Influential Hispanic Artist” of 2009, and Time 100 selected him in 2006.
Daddy Yankee Before And After
Daddy Yankee was originally featured on DJ Playero’s 1992 mixtape Playero 34, but he did not become a household name until his 2004 album Barrio Fino.
In addition to being renowned as the “King of Reggaeton,” the gorgeous 40-year-old singer converted himself into a worldwide brand when his 2007 album El Cartel: The Big Boss was published.
Since then, he has won a Grammy, inked a clothing line contract with Reebok, got a star in the Paseo de la Fama in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and even appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful on CBS. Daddy Yankee has, to say the least, go a long way. Continue reading to see how far this goes.
Daddy Yankee Personal Life
Ayala has rarely discussed his personal life in interviews, keeping most of his life private. He has stated that he avoids doing so since such information is the only area of his life that is kept private and that it is a “small gem.”
In an interview with Mara Celeste Arrarás for Al Rojo Vivo in 2006, he discussed his relationship with his wife, Mireddys González, and their children.
He claimed that his marriage is healthy because he and his wife are “friends above all else” and that he has attempted to resist other temptations because “weakness is the source of many artists’ demise.”
He met his wife while they were children, and at the age of 17, they decided to wed. The union resulted in the birth of their first daughter, Yamilette Ayala González.
His first child was born when he was just 17, which he described as first puzzling, adding that parenting a girl at that age was difficult. He has a 1998-born son, Jeremy, and a 1996-born daughter, Jesaaelys.
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Daddy Yankee’s Net Worth
Latin hip hop singer Daddy Yankee has a net worth of $40 million. He is currently one of the most recognized and successful musicians in the entertainment world. Daddy Yankee announced his retirement from the music industry in March 2022, following an upcoming album and tour.
Throughout his three-decade career, Daddy Yankee has sold approximately 30 million recordings.
His 2017 duet “Despacito” achieved number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for four months and is presently the second-most viewed video in YouTube history with approximately 8 billion views.