​Daddy Yankee reveals he’s quitting music to focus on faith

Puerto Rican reggaeton star Daddy Yankee has revealed that he’s quitting music to devote his life to Christianity, BBC reports.

The 46-year-old rapper, who has previously made the UK charts with hits including ‘Despacito’ and ‘Gasolina’, told fans the news while on stage during his final world tour.

He explained that his faith in Christianity had saved him, and urged fans to "follow Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life".

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“Tonight I am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Jesus lives in me and that I will live for him,” he told fans in Spanish. “For a long time, I tried to fill an emptiness... that nobody could fill.”

Daddy Yankee, real name Ramón Rodríguez, was performing at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan when he told fans the news. The show was part of his La Última Vuelta (Last Lap) world tour.

“Living a successful life is not the same as living a life with purpose," he told the crowd. He went on to explain that he hopes to use the “tools” he has in his possession such as “music, social networks, platforms, a microphone – everything that Jesus gave me – for his kingdom”.

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Daddy Yankee has led one of the most successful careers in the history of Latin American music, helping to pioneer the sound of reggaeton and take it to global heights in recent decades.

In 2021, a lawsuit was filed against reggaeton artists including Daddy Yankee, Karol G, and Bad Bunny, claiming that hundreds of recent reggaeton tracks sample one 1989 song from Jamaican duo Steely & Clevie, titled ‘Fish Market’.

Reggaeton artists are now asking for the lawsuit to be thrown out as attorneys claim that it seeks to “monopolise the entire reggaeton musical genre for themselves”.

[Via BBC]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter