Ramón "Raymond" Luis Ayala Rodríguez (February 3, 1977), known artistically as
Daddy Yankee, is a
Latin Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican
reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in
Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball, and aspired to become a Major League Baseball player. He was unable to continue this sport when he received an injury to one of his legs, leaving him unable to walk correctly. He then became involved in the
underground rap movement that was in its early stages in Puerto Rico, later to be called
Reggaeton. After receiving lessons from several artists within the genre, he developed an independent career, first recording in a production titled
Playero 37. After this he began to produce independent albums. His first solo album was
No Mercy. He subsequently formed a duo with
Nicky Jam, and then continued his solo career with the releases of
El Cartel and
El Cartel II. This led him be one of many pioneers of the reggaeton genre.
In 2002 El Cangri.com became Ayala's first album with international success, receiving coverage in the markets of New York and Miami. Barrio Fino was released in 2004, and the album received numerous awards, including a Premio Lo Nuestro and a Latin Billboard, as well as receiving nominations for the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. Barrio Fino performed well in the sales charts of the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan. On June 5, 2007, El Cartel Records released , which was ranked as the top-selling album in Latin music genres in 2007. He promoted the album with an international tour which began in the United States and continued through Latin America, breaking attendance records in Ecuador and Bolivia.
His performances have appeared on more than 70 albums, including compilations such as Mas Flow 2 and Blin Blin vol.1. Outside of his work as a musician, Ayala has also worked as an actor and producer. Throughout his career, he has been generally reticent to discuss his personal life, but has publicly expressed the importance of his wife and children to him.
Early life
Ayala was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was influenced by several musicians in his family, including his father and some of his mother's relatives. During his childhood he practiced singing and focused on lyrical improvisation. Although Ayala first aspired to join the ranks of baseball’s
Major Leagues, he abandoned this goal after being involved in an accident—at age seventeen, he was caught in the crossfire of a
barrio gun battle and received two bullet wounds. One bullet grazed his arm and the other, from an
AK-47, hit him in the right thigh and left him with a permanent limp.
Following the incident, he became interested in the underground rap movement, which at the time was in an early organizational stage. He also took more interest in the events that took place in the neighborhood in which he was raised, a public housing project named Villa Kennedy. The following year VI Music produced Los Homerun-es. Ayala had enjoyed salsa music since he was young, and this led him to include music of genres besides reggaeton in the album.
In 2005 Ayala won several international awards, making him one of the most recognized reggaeton artists within the music industry. The first award of the year was a Premio Lo Nuestro within the "Latin music" category, which he received for Barrio Fino. His single "Gasolina" received the majority of votes cast for the second edition of Premios Juventud, in which it received eight nominations and won seven awards. The group's label had solicited the copyright permission to perform the single and translate it to a different music style, but did not receive consent to change the lyrics; legal action followed. During this period, Ayala and William Omar Landrón (more commonly known by his artistic name Don Omar) were involved in a rivalry within the genre, dubbed "tiraera". The rivalry received significant press coverage despite being denied early on by both artists. It originated with a lyrical conflict between the artists begun by Ayala's comments in a remix single, where he criticized Landron's common usage of the nickname "King of Kings". Don Omar responded to this in a song titled "Ahora Son Mejor", part of his album Los Rompediscotecas. The album was produced in 2006, and included the participation of will.i.am, Scott Storch, Tainy Tunes, Neli, and personnel from Ayala's label. Singles were produced with Hector El Father, Fergie, Nicole Scherzinger and Akon. Ayala performed in Chile as well, and established a record for attendance in Ecuador. He also performed in Bolivia, setting another record when 50,000 fans attended his Santa Cruz de la Sierra concert. At the moment of release, the album had sold 500,000 copies in the United States and 50,000 in Mexico. In July 2008, Ayala announced that as part of his work, he would produce a cover version of Thalía's song, Ten Paciencia. Prior to the album's release, Ayala scheduled several activities, including an in-store contract signing. On February 27, 2009, he performed at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile. In this event, the artists receive awards based on the public's reaction. After performing "Rompe", "Llamado de emergencia", "Tú me dejaste caer", "Gasolina", "Limpia parabrisas" and "Lo que pasó, pasó" over the course of two hours, Ayala received the "Silver Torch", "Gold Torch" and "Silver Seagull" recognitions. The recognition is given to the artists that participate in community or social efforts throughout the year. The single "Grito Mundial" was released on October 8, 2009, in order to promote his ninth album, Mundial. Despite releasing "El Ritmo No Perdona (Prende)" more than a month before, that single was not considered the first official promotional single.
Film and other career projects
Ayala has negotiated promotional deals with several companies outside of the music industry, releasing merchandise under his name. In 2005, he became the first Latin artist to sign a deal with
Reebok, in order to produce accessories, including the licensed clothing line "DY", which was released in 2006. He also teamed up with the company to have his own shoes and sporting goods made, which were first distributed on May 23, 2006.
In 2008, Ayala participated in a campaign to promote voting in the 2008 general elections in Puerto Rico. This initiative included a concert titled "Vota o quédate callao". On August 25, 2008, Ayala endorsed John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States, stating that McCain "has been a fighter for the Hispanic community". As part of this campaign, Ayala moderated a debate titled “Vota o quédate callao: los candidatos responden a los jóvenes”, which was aired on October 9, 2008.
Ayala has worked in the film industry as both an actor and producer. His acting debut was the lead role of Vampiros, a film directed by Eduardo Ortiz and filmed in Puerto Rico. The film premiered at the Festival of Latin American Cinema in New York, where it received a positive reaction. This led Image Entertainment to produce a DVD, internationally released in March 2005. While the film is not directly a biography, Ayala has stated that it mirrors his early life. After the premier, Ayala expressed satisfaction, saying that he had been invited to audition for other producers. On release, Talento de Barrio broke the record held by Maldeamores for the most tickets to a Puerto Rican movie sold in a single day in Caribbean Cinemas.
Ayala has been involved in the administration of three organizations, the first being El Cartel Records which he co-owns with Andres Hernandez. He also created the Fundación Corazón Guerrero, a charitable organization in Puerto Rico which works with young incarcerated people. On April 26, 2008, he was presented with a "Latino of the Year Award" by the student organization Presencia Latina of Harvard College, receiving it for his work with Puerto Rican youth and creating Corazón Guerrero. On February 6, 2008, Ayala announced in a Baloncesto Superior Nacional press conference that he had bought part of the Criollos de Caguas' ownership.
Personal life
Ayala married Mireddys Gonzalez when he was seventeen years old. The couple have three children: Yamilet, Jeremy and Jesairis. Throughout his career Ayala has kept most of his personal life private, rarely speaking about it in interviews. He has said that he avoids doing so because such details are the only aspect of his life that are not public and that they are like a "little treasure".
Studio Albums
1995: No Mercy
2002: El Cangri.com
2004: Barrio Fino
2007:
2010: Daddy Yankee Mundial
Filmography
See also
Latin American music
List of Caribbean music genres
List of famous Puerto Ricans
List of Puerto Rican songwriters
Urban contemporary
References
External links
Official Site
Official MySpace
Daddy Yankee's page on Reggaetonline
Category:1977 births
Category:1990s singers
Category:2000s singers
Category:2010s singers
Category:People from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Category:Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent
Category:Puerto Rican rappers
Category:Puerto Rican reggaeton artists
Category:Puerto Rican singers
Category:Puerto Rican male singers
Category:Latin Grammy Award winners
Category:Living people
Category:Shooting survivors
Category:Reggaeton musicians
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