(NewsNation) — Daddy Yankee, during his farewell concert in Puerto Rico on Sunday evening, announced that upon retirement he would devote his life to religion.
The rapper and singer, born Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, announced for the first time that he would retire from music last year he bid farewell to his fans with an album “Legendaddy” and a concert tour, La Última Vuelta. As part of the tour, he performed four consecutive shows called “La Meta” at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José.
It was during the last evening of La Meta, broadcast live for those who had a $20 ticket, that Daddy Yankee announced his next moves.
NBC writes that Daddy Yankee told the crowd in Spanish: “Today is the most important day of my life for me. »
“I want to share it with you because living a life of success is not the same as living a life with purpose,” said Daddy Yankee, one of Latin music’s biggest idols and winner of six Latin Grammy Awards, after performing his worldwide hit “Gasolina”.
Quoting the Bible in Spanish, Daddy Yankee asked, “What good will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” » according to NBC.
“That’s why tonight I recognize, and I’m not ashamed to tell the whole world, that Jesus lives in me and I will live for him,” Daddy Yankee said, adding that he would embark on “a new start”. using his birth name.
“Every tool I have, like music, social media, platforms, a microphone, everything Jesus gave me, is now for his kingdom,” Daddy Yankee said, urging his fans not to follow him, but Jesus Christ. , “which is the way, the truth and the life”.
The Ultima Vuelta, according to Billboard‘s Year-End Boxscore Charts, landed at No. 13 on the Top 40 Tours of 2022 and grossed over $125 million.
The media writes that Daddy Yankee is not the only one to speak about his faith: Farruko and Héctor “El Father”, among others, have also done the same.
Luis Fonsi, with whom Daddy Yankee sang the song “Despacito” in 2017, wrote on X, the social networking site formerly known as Twitter, that Daddy Yankee changed Latin music forever.
Fonsi, who accompanied Daddy Yankee on stage Sunday, said “it was emotional” to be there.
“@daddy_yankee I owe you a lot my brother, a lot! Enjoy this well-deserved break, we will ALWAYS continue to enjoy and celebrate your music,” Fonsi wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
