Daddy Yankee's 'Despacito' collaboration made him a Guinness World Record winner
Who is Daddy Yankee? If you’ve busted a move to the song “Gasolina” at your cousin’s quinceañera or sung along to the megahit “Despacito,” then you’ve already been exposed to Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, aka Daddy Yankee (El Cangri, the Big Boss, El Jefe).
He’s not only the man behind some of Latin music’s biggest tunes; the Puerto Rican rapper is also a pioneer. He is credited with starting reggaetón, a musical genre that mixes Spanish-language hip-hop with Caribbean beats. The birth of his song “Gasolina” in 2004 changed everything. Fans and critics hailed him as “the King of Reggaetón,” and the tune became a global phenomenon. “Gasolina” was featured on his history-making album Barrio Fino. It became the top-selling Latin music album of the decade between 2000 and 2009. It was also the first reggaetón album to ever reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin album chart.
If we’re talking stats, Daddy Yankee has the most No. 1s on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay chart since 2005. He’s also the first Latin artist to reach No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Artist chart, and he has 10 Guinness World Records (yes, 10!). Seven of those are for the song “Despacito.”
While the Big Boss has collaborated with stars like Janet Jackson, Camila Cabello, Bad Bunny and French Montana, his collabo with Luis Fonsi, on the 2017 hit “Despacito,” skyrocketed the Puerto Rican pair to a new level of stardom. The song has 6 billion views on YouTube, making it the most-viewed music video on the platform. It’s also the most-liked video and the most-streamed video worldwide — Yankee, you’ve earned that king title!
A post shared by Daddy Yankee (@daddyyankee) on Oct 29, 2018 at 7:28am PDT
His single “Con Calma” started the social media dance challenge, appropriately called #ConCalamChallenge. Fans are posting their best dance moves to the reggaetón artist’s hot track — and the videos are on fuego (fire)! If anyone can make people dance, it’s Daddy Yankee.
A post shared by Daddy Yankee (@daddyyankee) on Feb 8, 2019 at 10:48am PST
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Follow Yahoo Entertainment’s La Lista: Latinx on Instagram and Facebook. La Lista celebrates all things Latinx — from celebrities to culture to lifestyle.
