![]() ![]() ![]() In January 2017, Fonsi released his song, “Despacito,” which featured Daddy Yankee - and the rest is streaming history. Despite not knowing English, he felt connected to the music, and at 13, he gave himself the new moniker Daddy Yankee, which means "powerful man." A year later, he began recording himself rapping in Spanish. When he was a child, Yankee was glued to MTV and BET, watching rap music videos of Dr. "I thank God every day for that bullet," he said. He also went to college, and earned an associate's degree in accounting in 1998, in order to help himself better navigate the music business. In a New York Times magazine profile, “The King of Reggaetón,” Yankee credits that hiatus from street life for redirecting his focus on making music. It was a year before he could walk and he still carries a bullet lodged in his right thigh. In a 2006 interview with MTV.com, he said he had tried out for the Seattle Mariners and had every expectation of being signed when he was caught in the crossfire between gangs. Though Yankee grew up immersed in music, his first love was playing baseball. Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, known professionally as Daddy Yankee, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on February 3, 1977. From Aspiring Ballplayer to the King of Reggaetón Yankee’s unique rap style has made him the most-streamed musician on Spotify in 2017. Ten years later, he and his good friend Luis Fonsi collaborated on the single “Despacito,” not knowing it'd become a chart topper in close to 50 countries and become the most-watched YouTube video ever. In 2006, Time Magazine ranked him as one of the top 100 influencers in the world. In 2004, he broke into the mainstream with his breakthrough album Barrio Fino along with its hit track "Gasolina." At only 21 he launched his own label called El Cartel Records in the late 1990s. Daddy Yankee starting singing and rapping at 13, right when the rap scene began taking root in Puerto Rico. ![]()
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