Daddy Yankee

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known by his stage name Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, songwriter, producer and actor. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was raised in the neighborhood of Villa Kennedy Housing Projects.

Ayala aspired to be a professional baseball player, and tried out for the Seattle Mariners Major League baseball team. 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. Since then, he has sold over 18 million albums.

Musical career

1992–2003: Early music career

Daddy Yankee first appeared on the 1992 DJ Playero's Mixtape, Playero 34, with the song "So' Persigueme, No Te Detengas". Ayala was originally going to become a professional baseball player but he was shot in his leg while taking a break from a studio recording session. The bullet was never removed and he credits this incident with allowing him to pursue a musical career. He made a few songs talking about the shooting incident, but his most "complete" song about it was "6 De Enero", released in 2012. His first official studio project as a solo artist was No Mercy, which was released on April 2, 1995 through White Lion Records and BM Records in Puerto Rico. Early in his career he attempted to imitate the style of Vico C. He went on to emulate other artists in the genre, including DJ Playero, DJ Nelson, and DJ Drako, taking elements from their styles in order to develop an original style. In doing so, he eventually abandoned the traditional model of rap and became one of the first artists to perform reggaeton.

Chino & Nacho

Chino & Nacho is a Venezuelan pop duo, consisting of Jesús Alberto Miranda Pérez (Chino) (born November 15, 1984) and Miguel Ignacio Mendoza Donatti (Nacho) (born August 22, 1977). In 2010, the group won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Album for Mi Niña Bonita.

History

Before making a duo, Chino and Nacho were both part of a boy band Calle Ciega. That was where they started their musical career, and released five albums, and had their hit single, Mi Cachorrita. They gained a lot of airplay in Venezuela and surrounding countries. The group fought for having more publicity than other Venezuelan groups like 3 Dueños and others, and Calle Ciega had the most airplay.

The group had musical genres, though most reggaeton, and liked to mix salsa and merengue with reggaeton. The group later stopped releasing singles, and eventually broke up into what is now Chino & Nacho and Los Cadilacs. Chino y Nacho created their first album debut nationwide in the year 2008, becoming known in their country: Venezuela.