This is an accepted version of this page Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez[a] (born February 3, 1976),[2][8][9] known professionally as Daddy Yankee (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdædi ˈjæŋki]), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina".

[11] Before he could be officially signed, he was hit by a stray round from an AK-47 rifle while taking a break from a studio recording session with reggaeton artist DJ Playero.

[11] Ayala spent roughly a year and a half recovering from the wound; the bullet was never removed from his hip, and he credits the shooting incident with allowing him to focus entirely on a music career.

[11] In 2004, Daddy Yankee released his international hit single "Gasolina", which is credited with introducing reggaeton to audiences worldwide, and making the music genre a global phenomenon.

He also received a Puerto Rican Walk of Fame star, special awards by People en Español magazine, and the Presencia Latina at Harvard University.

[21] Often considered to be one of the pioneers within the reggaeton genre,[22] Ayala was originally going to become a professional baseball player but he was shot in the leg while taking a break from a studio recording session.

[23][14] Daddy Yankee would then rise to prominence after his appearance on "Playero 37" which includes his first hits "Donde Mi No Vengas" and "Yamilette" which he continued to perform live in concert throughout his career until his recent retirement.

[28] In 2002, El Cangri.com became Daddy Yankee's first album with international success, receiving coverage in the markets of New York City and Miami with hits including "Latigazo", "Son las Doce", "Guayando" and other songs like "Enciende", which talks about different social problems of the era, mentioning 9/11, corruption and religion.

In 2003, Daddy Yankee collaborated for the first time with the prestigious reggaeton producers Luny Tunes on the album Mas Flow, with his commercial success song "Cógela Que Va Sin Jockey" (a.k.a.

Daddy Yankee's next album, Barrio Fino, was produced by Luny Tunes and DJ Nelson among others and released in July 2004 by El Cartel Records and VI Music.

[29] Barrio Fino was followed up by an international tour with performances in numerous countries including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Honduras, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and the United States.

[34] Barrio Fino also won the "Reggaeton Album of the Year" award in the Latin Billboard that took place on April 28, 2005,[34] where he performed a mix of three of his songs in a duet with P. Diddy.

[citation needed] Due to the album's success, Daddy Yankee received promotional contracts with radio stations and soda companies, including Pepsi.

[36] The group's label had solicited the copyright permission to perform the single and translate it to a different music style, but did not receive consent to change the lyrics; legal action followed.

[41] Between 2007 and 2008, Daddy Yankee made several guest appearances in famous reggaeton compilation albums including Caribbean Connection, Echo Presenta: Invasión, Mas Flow: Los Benjamins, and 20 Number 1's Now.

In 2010, Daddy Yankee participated in the song "Somos El Mundo 25 Por Haiti", by providing the rap vocals alongside rapper Pitbull.

The first single, "Ven Conmigo", featuring bachata singer Prince Royce, was released on April 12, 2011, and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Latin Charts.

[59] On June 17, 2014, the single "Ora por Mí" (Spanish for "Pray for Me") was released as part of the King Daddy's bonus tracks and uses the Scorpions' "Send Me An Angel" instrumental, with a rap sampler.

[62] On September 2, 2014, it was released another single called "Palabras Con Sentido" (Spanish for "Words With Sentiments"), which defends reggaeton and urban music of all the accusations of being a "society poison".

On his single, he also says that urban music saves lives, like his own, and the solution would be that churches have to remain, journalists have to tell the truth, artists have to have more inspiration, and the rich people have to help the poor ones.

[65] The tour announcement left many fans in disbelief as it sold out in minutes in major cities like Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, New York.

[66] The concerts were structured like a boxing match, where the two artists got to trade off musical rounds, and fans voted for their winner in each city via an app designed for the event.

In 2005, he became the first Latin artist to sign a deal with Reebok,[1] in order to produce accessories,[86] including the licensed clothing line "DY", which was released in 2006.

[89] Ayala played the main role, "Edgar Dinero", in Talento de Barrio, which was filmed in Puerto Rico and directed by José Iván Santiago.

[92] On release, Talento de Barrio broke the record held by Maldeamores for the most tickets to a Puerto Rican movie sold in a single day in Caribbean Cinemas.

[94] On April 26, 2008, he was presented with a "Latino of the Year Award" by the student organization Presencia Latina of Harvard College, receiving it for his work with Puerto Rican youth and creating Corazón Guerrero.

[99] Daddy Yankee served as an executive producer of Neon, A Netflix series about three friends who move from a small town in Florida to Miami with the hopes of making it big in the reggaeton world.

[117][118] Rachel Grace Almeida from Vice felt Daddy Yankee paved the way with his music to amplify and normalize the "marginalised" Latino identity.

She also commented that Yankee played a vital part in "bringing glamour to the barrio and challenged the mainstream media's portrayal of Hispanic poverty in those neighbourhoods".

[64] Roy Trakin from Pollstar considered his collaboration with Luis Fonsi in "Despacito" helped "turn his native Puerto Rico's music into a global phenomenon".