Daddy Yankee has quit music to dedicate his life to Jesus.
The ‘Gasolina’ rapper – who is often referred to as the King of Reggaeton – confirmed last year he will hang up his microphone after three decades and eight albums following the release of his LP, ‘Legendaddy’, and his final tour, ‘La Meta (The Goal)’, which wrapped on Sunday night (03.12.23) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He told fans at the live-streamed event: “Tonight I recognise, and I am not ashamed to tell the whole world, that Jesus lives in me and that I will live for him.
“For many years I’ve tried filling a hole in my life that no one could fill. I tried finding a purpose, on many occasions, it seemed as if I was happy but something was missing for me to feel complete.”
In Spanish, he said: “I took note of something the Bible says.”
Before reciting: “What good will it be for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
In a statement on YouTube last year, the 46-year-old Puerto Rican star – who will now go by his real name Ramon Luis Ayala Rodriguez – said: “This race, which has been a marathon, finally sees the finish line. Now, I am going to enjoy what all of you have given me.
“People say that I made this genre worldwide, but it was you who gave me the key to open the doors to make it the biggest in the world.”
Yankee’s farewell record, released in March, was an amalgamation of all the styles that have “defined” his career.
The music star has sold more than 30 million records and is best known for his 2004 hit ‘Gasolina’, which became the first reggaeton song to be nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
Yankee leaves on a high after scoring a global hit with ‘Despacito’ with Luis Fonsi in 2017.
A remix of the popular track featuring pop megastar Justin Bieber later topped the charts in 10 countries.
During a dazzling career, the reggaeton icon has scored an impressive haul of accolades, including Latin Grammys, Billboard Music Awards, Latin American Music Awards and an MTV Video Music Award.