Daddy Yankee

Known artistically as Daddy Yankee, Ramon Luis Ayala Rodriguez, the “King of Reggaeton,” is a record- breaking rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and icon. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Daddy Yankee aspired to be a professional baseball player, amost signing with the Seattle Mariners before a stray bullet subsequently ended that dream.  

Turning to music, Daddy Yankee broke into the mainstream in 2004, releasing his international hit single "Gasolina," along with his history making album Barrio Fino. As of 2021, "Gasolina" is ranked number 50 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of all Time” and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry. Barrio Fino has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.  

In 2006,Time Magazine ranked him as one of the top 100 influencers in the world. Ten years later, he and Luis Fonsi collaborated on "Despacito," the first primarily Spanish song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since 1996 and a chart topper in close to 50 countries. Today, Despacito is the second most-watched YouTube video ever and is credited with being instrumental in the renewed popularity of Spanish-language pop music in the mainstream market.  

After 8 studio albums, 94 singles, and over 100 music videos, Daddy Yankee holds numerous accolades, including five Latin Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, 14 Billboard Latin Music Awards, two Latin American Music Awards, eight Lo Nuestro Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and six ASCAP Awards. ReaDY is Daddy Yankee’s first book.