Daddy Yankee announces retirement, farewell tour and album

Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee shocked fans by announcing his retirement Sunday in a video posted on his website.

Daddy Yankee, 45, also announced the release of a final album, “Legendaddy,” and the farewell La Última Vuelta world tour. The U.S. portion of the tour starts in Portland on Aug. 10, ending in New York on Sept. 20.

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“Today, I’m announcing my retirement from music by giving you my best production and my best concert tour. I will say goodbye celebrating these 32 years of experience,” Daddy Yankee said in a release Sunday. “I’m going to give you all the styles that have defined me, in one single album.”

“Legendaddy” will be his first studio album since 2012’s “Prestige.”

Daddy Yankee, whose real name is Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, told the Associated Press in 2017 that when he started his career in 1992, people did not think he would last three years.

“But I never stopped,” he said. “I had to keep fighting. I had to make big sacrifices, to miss important moments with my family, to feel the prejudice of many people that didn’t open the doors for me.”

In 2004, Daddy Yankee released his international hit single “Gasolina,” credited with introducing reggaeton to audiences worldwide, and making the music genre a global phenomenon. Since then, he has sold around 30 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists.

Daddy Yankee ousted Ed Sheeran from the No. 1 spot on Spotify to become the first Latino artist to lead the music platform in 2017. He surpassed 44,735,586 monthly listeners to reach the first global spot.

His awards include Latin Grammys, Billboard Music Awards and Billboard Latin Music Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. CNN named him the Most Influential Hispanic Artist of 2009. Time Magazine cited him among the 100 Most Influential in the World in 2006.

Read more at usatoday.com