The Latin music sensation Daddy Yankee ticks every rapper-reggae-star cliché in the book, apart from one. He has the standard cropped hair, gold chains and a steely look behind oversized dark glasses. But, just as with his cross-over-style music, Yankee has the power to surprise.
“I’m a keen collector of art,” he says, aware the statement raises an eyebrow. “It’s always interested me and I think it’s a good way to invest.”
The Grammy Award-winner is reluctant to talk numbers but says he has a penchant for Colombian art, especially paintings. “I don’t want to say who and what I’ve bought, it makes it seem like I’m being showy, I’m not in it for that. I do it because it’s a world of opportunity and you also get to support fellow creatives.”
This month, Yankee goes head-to-head with his fellow Puerto Rican singer Don Omar in a battle on Fox television across the Mena region. The winner, as voted by the public, will get to perform at the Dubai International Music Awards in November 2014. Nine other battles will feature 18 international artists in a series called The Road to DIMA.
Storming the scene
Daddy Yankee, born Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez in Puerto Rico, burst onto the music scene in 1990, when he featured on DJ Playero’s Playero 34 with the song So’ Persigueme, No te detengas.
Since then, a cleverly carved road from rap to reggaeton has seen Yankee sell more than 10 million albums worldwide, release songs with Fergie and collaborate on more than 70 albums with industry giants, including Snoop Dogg.
It was his infectious dance tune Gasolina, from the Interscope-signed album Barrio Fino, that really put Yankee on the commercial musical map. A mixture of Arabic, salsa, Mexican and reggaeton, the track broke a barrier in a world music market dominated at that time by pop and R&B.
‘I let it flow’
Nominated for two awards at last week’s Latin Grammy Awards – Best Urban Album and Best Urban Song – Yankee keeps thing real.
“I don’t go out to win awards,” he says. “I have fun in the studio and let it flow. That’s the only way to make music true to who you are. I don’t write what I think people want to hear, I write what I am feeling.”
Married for more than 14 years to Mirredys Gonzalez and a father of three, he says the key to a happy marriage is communication.
“You have to make sure you keep talking,” says the 36-year-old who also admits it’s tough finding a balance between work and family. “It’s the hardest sacrifice in the entertainment industry, if you ask me.”
He’s got soul
Cars, houses and jewellery are up there among the most lavish items Yankee has splashed out on, but charity is high on his agenda. In 2006, he partnered with the Puerto Rican government to raise money for schools, built an orphanage in the Dominican Republic and started a training academy for former convicts striving for a better future. “I grew up in the barrio and it was a vicious cycle,” he said.
Yankee says he can’t wait to come to Dubai. “It’s a place I have always wanted to see and I’ve read so much about it. I will do my best to win this battle and see everyone next year.”
• The Road to DIMA is broadcast on Fox. To vote, call +882 169 00 169. The winner will be announced at the end of December, when the next instalment of the series begins. Visit www.dimawards.com
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