With the 2004 international smash hit “Gasolina,” Daddy Yankee was the first reggaetón artist to hit the Billboard Hot 100, which exposed the genre from the island of Puerto Rico to a global audience — a feat unthinkable during a time when the music video’s Total Request Live ranking on MTV mattered, and dial-up internet was the only way to stream music at the time.
The ubiquitous influence of Daddy Yankee as the “King of Reggaetón” has become evident after three decades of shattering music industry records, having been cited as a major influence by popular artists like Bad Bunny, as well as recently being recognized by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation with the 2022 “Legend” Award for his creative and philanthropic accomplishments. The Grammy-winning artist will perform in Orlando as part of his farewell world tour, La Última Vuelta, emphasizing the “Legend” appellation seen in his final album Legendaddy.
This article appears in Aug 24-30, 2022.