Daddy Yankee is giving up his music career to devote his time to his religion. The Puerto Rican superstar announced his retirement during the last show of his La Meta (The Goal) world tour, held at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan over the weekend.
In a video posted to Instagram, the 46-year-old rapper and singer revealed that he plans to dedicate himself to Christianity and hang up his professional name in favor of his given one, Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez.
“My people, this is the most important day of my life. I want to share it . . . because living a life of success is not the same as living a life of purpose,” the “Gasolina” singer told fans in Spanish, per People.
Widely considered one of the leading voices in reggaeton, the singer explained that despite his success in the music industry, he felt a void in his life that he only filled when he began focusing more on his faith. “This is why tonight I acknowledge that Jesus lives for me — and I will live for him,” he said, adding that “all of the tools that I have within my power – like music, social media, my platform, the mic, everything that God gave me is now for him.”
“I am human and everyone that follows me should follow Jesus Christ,” he concluded in the video, which ended with a fireworks display of a cross and the words “Christ loves you” in Spanish.
In the post’s caption, Daddy Yankee wrote, “Family: This day for me, is the most important day in my life.. tonight I recognize and am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Christ lives in me and that I will live for him. This is the end of one chapter and the beginning of a brand new one.”
He concluded the post with lines from the Bible: “‘For what good is it for 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 each one according to what he has done.'”
Daddy Yankee initially announced that he would retire in March 2022, when he released his most recent and final album, Legendaddy.
“Today, I’m announcing my retirement from music by giving you my best production and my best concert tour,” the King of Reggaeton said in a statement at the time. “I will say goodbye celebrating these 32 years of experience with this new collector’s item, the album Legendaddy. I’m going to give you all the styles that have defined me, in one single album.”
“This career has been a marathon,” the musician added. “I finally see the end goal. Now I’m going to enjoy with all of you in what you’ve given me. In the barrios where we grew up, the majority of us wanted to be drug dealers. Today, I go to barrios and caserios, and the majority want to be singers, and that means a lot to me.”
Daddy Yankee’s career has lasted roughly three decades, with some particularly standout moments being his songs “Barrio Fino,” “Con Calma” and “Rompe.”
Daddy Yankee was responsible for giving the Latin music genre its name in the early ‘90s and bringing it to the global forefront of music with the release and success of his 2004 hit, “Gasolina.” Over the course of his career, the “Dura” rapper has gone on to become one of the best-selling Latin Artists, releasing seven studio albums, and has won a host of awards, including Latin GRAMMYs, Billboard Latin Music Awards, Billboard Awards, MTV Awards and Latin American Music Awards. The rapper also shattered records alongside Luis Fonsi with their 2017 hit, “Despacito.”
In addition, Daddy Yankee has been credited for his work in the music industry and community. In 2021, the musician was awarded the Agent of Change Award at the 2021 Premios Juventud. The same year, he was awarded the Hall of Fame Award during the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Luis Fonsi, who performed with Daddy Yankee on Sunday night, 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 emotional to be there with you @daddy_yankee I owe you a lot bro, a lot! Enjoy this well-deserved break, we will continue to enjoy and celebrate your music ALWAYS,” Fonsi wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, which included several photos of him performing on stage with Daddy Yankee during the latter’s final show.
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