Daddy Yankee, the reggaeton superstar often credited with bringing the genre into the mainstream, is retiring from music to focus on his faith.
The artist announced his intention to devote himself to Christianity and abandon his professional name in favor of the one he gave, Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, during the last show of his farewell tour on Sunday evening. The final concert of his latest tour, titled “La Meta” (The Goal), brought a massive crowd of fans to a stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Daddy Yankee is from.
“Family: this day for me is the most important day of my life. Tonight I recognize and I am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Christ lives in me and that I will live for him. It is the end of one chapter. and the beginning of a whole new one,” he announced in a post shared on Monday. on Instagram.
The post’s caption accompanied a video clip of Daddy Yankee sharing his plans to devote himself to his religion in retirement. He then quoted lines from the Bible: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, if he loses his life? Or how much can a man pay for his life? For the Son of Man will come. in the glory of his Father and with his angels, and then he will reward everyone according to what he has done.'”
Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP
Daddy Yankee initially announced that he would retire in March 2022, when he released his latest and final album, “Legendaddy.” His career spanned approximately three decades, with particularly notable moments being his songs “Gasolina” and “Despacito”.
Luis Fonsi, who performed with Daddy Yankee on Sunday night and collaborated with him on “Despacito,” their 2017 hit, shared a message praising the mark his fellow artist has left on the industry.
“Last night I had the privilege of accompanying , who changed Latin music forever, in his farewell to the stage. It was very moving to be there with you @daddy_yankee, I owe you a lot bro, very much! Enjoy this well-deserved break, we will ALWAYS continue to enjoy and celebrate your music,” Fonsi wrote in a post onformerly Twitter, which included several photos of him performing on stage with Daddy Yankee during the latter artist’s latest show.
“Despacito” received numerous accolades, including a Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year, and gained worldwide popularity following its debut in 2017 and the subsequent release of a remixed version featuring Justin Bieber. Journalists highlighted the song’s role in the resurgence of popularity of Spanish-language music in the United States.
