Daddy Yankee

Artist Image: Daddy Yankee
Attribution
Image Credit: Daddy Yankee (YouTube: Daddy Yankee vs Don | San Juan, Puerto Rico (Official Q & A)l – View/save archived versions on archive.org and archive.today), CC BY 3.0

Biography

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1977), known by his stage name Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, and record producer. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and was raised in the neighborhood of Villa Kennedy Housing Projects. Daddy Yankee is the artist who coined the word Reggaeton in 1994 to describe the new music genre that was emerging from Puerto Rico. According to the New York Times, he is known as the "King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike. Ayala aspired to be a professional baseball player, and tried out for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. 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 mix tape icon DJ Playero. Ayala spent roughly one and a half years 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. In 2004, Daddy Yankee released his internationally acclaimed single "Gasolina", which is credited with introducing reggaeton to audiences worldwide, and making the music genre a global phenomenon. Since then, he has sold around 20 million records. Daddy Yankee's album Barrio Fino made history when it became the top-selling Latin music album of the decade between 2000–2009. 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 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since "Macarena" in 1996. The single gained global success. The official video for "Despacito" on YouTube received its billionth view on April 20, 2017 after 97 days, becoming the second-fastest video on the site to reach the milestone behind Adele's "Hello". Its success led Daddy Yankee to become the most listened artist worldwide on the streaming service Spotify in June 2017, being the first Latin artist to do so. Daddy Yankee has received various awards and nominations throughout his career. As of 2017, he has won 82 awards from 270 nominations since his rise to international fame in 2004. He has won 5 Latin Grammy Award, 2 Billboard Music Awards, 14 Billboard Latin Music Awards, 2 Latin American Music Awards, 8 Lo Nuestro Awards, an MTV Video Music Award and 6 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.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1992
Number of Albums 98
Record Label
Website daddyyankee.com
Wikipedia Daddy Yankee on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What was the name of the new music genre that was emerging from Puerto Rico?

Reggaeton

... Projects neighborhood. Daddy Yankee is the artist who coined the word Reggaeton in 1994 to describe the new music genre that was emerging from Puerto...
How long did Ayala spend recovering from his wound?

one and a half years

...ng session with reggaeton artist DJ Playero. Ayala spent roughly one and a half years recovering from the wound; the bullet was never removed from his...
Who was the reggaeton artist Ayalla recorded with?

DJ Playero

... taking a break from a studio recording session with reggaeton artist DJ Playero . Ayala spent roughly one and a half years recovering from the wound; ...
What was the name of the song released by Daddy Yanks in 2004?

Gasolina

...ic career. In 2004, Daddy Yankee released his international hit single Gasolina , which is credited with introducing Reggaeton to audiences worldwide, ...
Gasolina is credited with introducing Reggaeton to what audience?

worldwide

...le Gasolina, which is credited with introducing Reggaeton to audiences worldwide , and making the music genre a global phenomenon. Since then, he has s...
When did Daddy Yankee coin the word reggaéton?

1994

... fans alike. Daddy Yankee is the artist who coined the word reggaeton in 1994 to describe the new music genre that was emerging from Puerto Rico that ...
What was the new music genre that was emerging from Puerto Rico that synthesized American hiphop, Hispanic Caribbean music, and Jamaican reggas?

reggaeton

...critics and fans alike. Daddy Yankee is the artist who coined the word reggaeton in 1994 to describe the new music genre that was emerging from Puerto...
Where was he born?

Río Piedras

...ed as an influence by other Latin urban performers. Ayala was born in Río Piedras and was raised in the Villa Kennedy Housing Projects neighborhood. H...
What team did he try out for?

Seattle Mariners

...aspired to be a professional baseball player and tried out for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. Before he could be officially signed, he...
How long did Ayala spend recovering from his gunshot wound?

a year and a half

...ding session with reggaeton artist DJ Playero. Ayala spent roughly a year and a half recovering from the wound; the bullet was never removed from his ...
In what year did Daddy Yankee release his hit single Gasolina?

2004

...oting incident with allowing him to focus entirely on a music career. In 2004 , Daddy Yankee released his international hit single Gasolina, which is c...
How many records has Daddy Yank have sold since 2004?

20 million

...g the music genre a global phenomenon. Since then, he has sold around 20 million records, making him one of the bestselling Latin music artists. Daddy...
What was the top selling Latin music album of the decade between 2000 and 2009?

Barrio Fino

... him one of the bestselling Latin music artists. Daddy Yankee's album Barrio Fino made history when it became the topselling Latin music album of the ...
What language did Daddy Yankee listen to when he was a teenager?

Spanish

...ment full of musicians. When he was a teenager he listened to Hiphop in Spanish , his idol was Vico C, what he was most passionate about were his lyric...
Who was he most passionate about?

his lyrics with a conscious message

...s idol was Vico C, what he was most passionate about were his lyrics with a conscious message . He rhymed and improvised with his friends in the neighb...
How did he rhyme and improvise?

with his friends in the neighborhood

...yrics with a conscious message. He rhymed and improvised with his friends in the neighborhood . Daddy Yankee was invited to be part of DJ Playeros firs...
When was Daddy Yankee invited to be a part of DJ Playeros first studio album?

1992

...Daddy Yankee was invited to be part of DJ Playeros first studio album in 1992 . At age 18, Daddy Yankee made his first official project, entitled No Me...
What was the name of the first official project?

No Mercy

...992. At age 18, Daddy Yankee made his first official project, entitled No Mercy (1995), with the support of DJ Playero, who became a great friend and ...
When was No Mercy released?

1995

...age 18, Daddy Yankee made his first official project, entitled No Mercy ( 1995 ), with the support of DJ Playero, who became a great friend and one of t...
When did Yankee dabble as a producer?

Starting the new millennium

...became a great friend and one of the promoters of his career. Starting the new millennium , Yankee dabbled as a producer; The poster: the untouchables ...
In what year was The poster II: the Cangris released?

2001

...cer; The poster: the untouchables (1997) and The poster II: the Cangris ( 2001 ). His lyrics were inspired by the conflictive environments of his neighb...
What were very popular among the young people of the island?

homemade recordings

...he studio. DJ Playero knew that Daddy Yankee had a great aptitude for rap, homemade recordings were very popular among the young people of the island....
What year was Ramon Ayala born?

1977

...Ramon (or Raymond) Ayala was born on February 3, 1977 , in Rio Piedras, an area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Under the influence of an island that often i...
What area of Puerto Rico is Ramon's birthplace?

Rio Piedras

...Ramon (or Raymond) Ayala was born on February 3, 1977, in Rio Piedras , an area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Under the influence of an island that often i...
What was the name of the housing project in which he began to rap?

Villa Kennedy

... was young. But it was in the streets around his boyhood home at the Villa Kennedy housing project, an area redolent with Spanishlanguage hip hop, tha...
What is Daddy Yankee's brother's name?

Nomar

...ly backwards so that Ramon's (Daddy Yankee's real name) brother is named Nomar . They have three children. From his experience with the active street l...
How many children does Nomar have?

three

...hat Ramon's (Daddy Yankee's real name) brother is named Nomar. They have three children. From his experience with the active street life around him, Y...
What career did Yankee originally want to pursue?

baseball

...r instance, the budding performer had originally hoped for a career in baseball , but when he was 17, he was inadvertently caught in the middle of a ba...
Hip hop and rap were still underground movements in what country?

Puerto Rico

...First Album While hip hop and rap were still underground movements in Puerto Rico , there was one club where the new fusion was welcome called The Nois...
What club welcomed the new fusion of rap and hip hop?

The Noise

...rst Album While hip hop and rap were still underground movements in Puerto Rico, there was one club where the new fusion was welcome called The Noise ....
Who is the artist behind 'Impacto'?

Stacy Ferguson aka Fergie

...st. With his infectious and danceable tune 'Impacto' featuring Stacy Ferguson aka Fergie , all he needed was to sit down, relax and watch his legacy in...
What is the name of Daddy Yankee's infectious and danceable tune?

Impacto

...s by sitting at the first post. With his infectious and danceable tune ' Impacto ' featuring Stacy Ferguson aka Fergie, all he needed was to sit down, r...
What was Ramon exposed to since his childhood?

lively music

...egun more than a decade ago. Little Ramon had always been exposed to lively music since his childhood, mainly from his father. A salsa percussionist o...
What salsa percussionist was Ramon's father known as?

bongosero

..., mainly from his father. A salsa percussionist or more often known as bongosero , Ramon's father would demonstrate the skill in front of his son who i...
At what age did Ramon start demonstrating his skill in rapping at parties and clubs?

13

...cape the thick influence of hiphop and rap in the area that at the age of 13 , he started demonstrating his skill in rapping at parties and clubs. Thro...
What was Ramon Luis Ayala Rodriguez's birth name?<extra_id_51> What was Daddy Yank's career?

singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor

...Career Born as Ramon Luis Ayala Rodriguez, this singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor from Puerto Rico is best recognized by his stag...
What did he want to become?

professional baseball player

... Even though he had interest in music, he wanted to become a professional baseball player . However, after being shot in the hip, he started to complet...
What was his first solo project?

Mercy

...artists and contributed to their projects. His debut solo project titled Mercy was released in 1995. He is one of the pioneering artists to perform re...
What is the most viewed video on youtube?

Despacito

... huge success with the single he featured alongside Luis Fonsi titled, Despacito . It gained worldwide recognition and is the most viewed video ever on...
Who ranked him as one of the top 100 influencers in the world in 2006?

Time Magazine

...hrough album Barrio Fino along with its hit track Gasolina. In 2006, Time Magazine ranked him as one of the top 100 influencers in the world. Ten year...
When did Time Magazine rank him as a top influencer?

2006

...his breakthrough album Barrio Fino along with its hit track Gasolina. In 2006 , Time Magazine ranked him as one of the top 100 influencers in the world...
How long did Yankee spend in bed?

six months

... when he was caught in the crossfire between gangs. He spent the next six months in bed. In a New York Times magazine profile, The King of Reggaetón, ...
What was the title of Yankee's New York Times magazine profile?

The King of Reggaetón

...he next six months in bed. In a New York Times magazine profile, The King of Reggaetón , Yankee credits that hiatus from street life for redirecting hi...
Yankee credits his hiatus from street life for what?

redirecting his focus on making music

...d. 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 ....
When did Daddy Yankee become one of the most influential voices of the genre?

early 2000s

...ee has been one of the most influential voices of the genre since the early 2000s . He did more than anyone to establish reggaeton as a marketable musi...
What was Daddy Yankee's syndicated show called?

Daddy Yankee on Fuego

...on, growing to include a syndicated show for ABC Radio Networks ( Daddy Yankee on Fuego ) and a feature film for Paramount Pictures (Talento de Barrio)....
What was the name of Paramount's feature film?

Talento de Barrio

...(Daddy Yankee on Fuego) and a feature film for Paramount Pictures ( Talento de Barrio ). He stayed active between more fully realized studio albums like...
What was the name of the mixtape produced by Los De La Nazza?

King Daddy

...12's Prestige with assorted singles, and other projects including the King Daddy mixtape in collaboration with productionurbano duo, Los De La Nazza (...
When did King Daddy begin recording its sequel?

2014

...cólogo García and Eduardo Menes López). He began recording its sequel in 2014 . Originally slated for a 2016 release, it was delayed several times. Yan...
When was Yankee's release originally scheduled?

2016

...s López). He began recording its sequel in 2014. Originally slated for a 2016 release, it was delayed several times. Yankee released a handful of char...
What year did Yankee release Problema?

2021

... delayed several times. Yankee released a handful of charting singles in 2021 including Problema and El Gran Robo, Pt. He closed a tenyear gap between...
When did Yankee close a ten year gap between albums with LegenDaddy?

2022

...Gran Robo, Pt. He closed a tenyear gap between albums with LegenDaddy in 2022 . His father was a bongosero (a salsa percussionist); his mother's family...