Daddy Yankee
FameRank: 10

"Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez", known by his stage name "Daddy Yankee", is a Puerto Rican people/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.

More Daddy Yankee on Wikipedia.

I am excited about the great opportunity this new radio show will give my Hispanic community.

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The people that love us most are the women. There are so many bad things you see on the news these days, but with reggaetón, you can escape; it liberates your life.

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I'm from the crime capital / And the air smells like death that eats everything that lives / If it was up to me / I would reunite every gang in the name of the fearless people that have fallen / I am a valiant man who's just asking you to stop spilling innocent blood.

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I'm representing for Latinos all over the world. ... This ain't a one-hit-wonder thing. It's just the beginning. And it's a special moment for me and my culture.

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The shooters had mistaken me for someone else. I entered a total rebellious phase. It completely changed me.

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I'm all about breaking stereotypes.

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I'm ready to contribute a lot in the genre and, you know, I feel a little responsibility over my shoulders because right now,' Daddy Yankee said. 'I'm the ambassador of my movement. But, being honest with you, I'm ready to represent my people all over the world.

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The shooters had mistaken me for someone else.

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