"I would never have imagined that we would leave a legacy in music". Daddy Yankee decided to put an end to his artistic career with a concert in San Juan (Puerto Rico), his hometown. The artist said goodbye to the fans, declared his faith on stage and hinted that he was leaving the music industry for good to live for Christ.
"I traveled the world for years and won many awards, applause and praise, but I realized something that the Bible says: 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul?' That's why, tonight, I recognize and I'm not ashamed to tell everyone that Jesus lives in me and that I will live for him", he revealed at the Puerto Rico Coliseum.
For the artist, it is the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. With this statement of his faith, Yankee joins the group of urban artists who have decided to leave music to follow the gospel, such as Héctor, el Father , Farruko, Volt, Gocho, Jomar, Larry Over and El Sica .
The artist said goodbye to the stage with a series of four consecutive concerts at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, entitled The goal that was part of the farewell tour, La última vuelta, which began last year and reached no. thirteen on the Top 40 tours of 2022 list, with a total gross of more than 115 million euros, according to Billboard's Boxscore year-end summary.
Daddy Yankee – also known as Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, the real name – has been proclaimed as one of the most influential Hispanics in the world by various publications, and with good reason. For many people, he was the inventor of the term reggaeton, since he used it for the first time on the mixtape, in which he collaborated with record producer dj Playero. Later, in 2004, Yankee became the greatest exponent of the new genre with the global hit Gasolina, a song that has already become a musical classic for new generations.
At the farewell concert he was accompanied on stage by R auw Alejandro, Luis Fonsi, Zuleyka Rivera and dj Luian as special guests. And among the audience was the singer's discreet wife, Mireddys González. In fact, his presence put an end to rumors of a crisis between the couple.
They married in 1995, when they were 19 years old. With González she had her three children, Yamilette, Jeremy and Jesaaelys. It is not usual for Yankee to talk about his private life, but he once explained that his first daughter was born when he was 17 years old, and described that it was confusing at first to have a child at that age. Likewise, he describes communication with his children as "very close", and when he can he talks to them about the dangers of drugs.
His dream now is, apart from continuing to "evangelize the world", to retire. "I want to rest and go to Puerto Rico, feel free", he admitted.
