Daddy Yankee’s Upcoming Feature Film
Fans of Daddy Yankee are getting ready for the release of his latest project, a feature film that follows the stories of daily life in a barrio of Puerto Rico. It was premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival in July, and theatres will be showing the film in September. Of course, the soundtrack to the feature film, “Talento de Barrio”, which was produced and starred in by Daddy Yankee, has been a great hit since it hit the shelves on 12 August 2008. Indeed, Daddy Yankee is no ordinary reggaeton musician from Puerto Rico, as he is also an actor, brand name and radio host.
Daddy Yankee was born on 3 February 1977, in a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico, named Rio Piedras. His birth name, Ramon Ayala, is seldom used these days, as his is mostly known by his artistic name of Daddy Yankee. He had a passion for music from an early age, but was aspiring to excel in baseball when a barrio (referring to neighborhood) shootout saw him being caught in the crossfire, and bullet wounds sustained to his arm and especially his leg, shattered his baseball stardom dreams.
He turned to music and became involved with an underground rap movement. Daddy Yankee soon realized that by taking the best qualities of various musicians, he could create a unique sound, and he moved over to become a reggaeton artist. In 1992, Playero 37 was released by the established DJ Playero, on which Daddy Yankee appeared as a featured artist. His first solo album was called No Mercy, which he followed up by releasing El Cartel and El Cartel II. Daddy Yankee became known as a reggaeton pioneer, working with other artists and assisting in the transformation of underground rap to reggaeton.
Over and above managing his music career, Daddy Yankee has also been involved with Reebok, producing an accessories range named ‘DY’ and his own shoes. He can also be heard on the ABC Radio Networks, hosting the Daddy Yankee On Fuego show and has been actively involved in the elections to promote voting. As an actor and producer, he has starred in the film Vampiros and produced Talento de Barrio. Daddy Yankee has also helped in the administration of organizations; owns a part of the Caguas Creoles basketball team; and Grand Theft Auto IV fans will recognize his voice as the DJ for San Juan Sounds.
The soundtrack of the film Talento de Barrio will surprise his fans, as he has created a new sound and hopes that soundtrack will appeal to the public. Daddy Yankee is an artist who has made efforts to diversify, thus he has not only secured himself as an artist, but as a role model to many aspiring musicians.
