Daddy Yankee is retiring from the entertainment world and will devote his life to his religious faith, the reggaeton artist declared on stage during the last date of his farewell tour, “La Meta (The Goal)”.
In a video from the Dec. 4 event, which was also streamed live, Yankee said in a speech that he was embarking on “a new beginning” after finding fulfillment in Jesus. Yankee also reposted this speech on his Instagram and reiterated his message in the caption.
“Tonight I recognize and I am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Jesus lives in me and I will live for him,” he told the crowd in his native Puerto Rico. “For many years, I tried to fill a void in my life that no one could fill. I tried to find purpose, many times I felt like I was happy but something was missing to make me feel complete.
He went on to state that even though he had traveled the world with his music, he still felt empty. “I took note of something the Bible says,” Yankee continued in Spanish before reciting: “‘What good shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?'”
The singer, born Ramón Ayala, has long heralded this tour – which began last summer as “La Última Vuelta World Tour” (“The Last Tour”) as his last set of dates before his retirement. The tour was hugely successful and grossed a total gross of over $125 million, according to Billboard Year-End Boxscore Charts.
After popularizing reggaeton in 2004 with timeless hits like “Gasolina” and “Lo Que Pasó, Pasó,” Yankee said he plans to use “the tools that I have in my possession like music, networks social media, platforms, a microphone – everything Jesus gave me – for his kingdom.
See Yankee’s speech and message below.
