Daddy Yankee, the reggaetón icon behind hits like "Gasolina" and "Despacito," is hanging up his urban vibes to devote himself to his religious faith.
In an emotional speech following his farewell concert, dubbed La Meta (The Goal), El Cangri told his fans that despite his 30-year award-winning career, there had been a void in his life and gave "La Despedida" to reggaetón.
“For many years I’ve tried filling a void in my life that no one could fill. I tried finding a purpose, on many occasions it seemed as if I was happy but something was missing for me to feel complete," said Daddy Yankee, whose real name is Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez. "I have to confess that those days are over. Someone was able to fill that emptiness ... Tonight, I recognize and am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Christ lives in me and that I will live for him. This is the end of one chapter and the beginning of a completely new one.”
Last year, Yankee surprised everyone by announcing he would retire and launched a farewell tour, La Ultima Vuelta (The Last Round), and his last album, "Legendaddy." However, he kept fans guessing about his future plans.
In a grand finale to his stage career, he used La Meta, a series of four back-to-back shows that started Nov. 30 through Dec. 3 in his hometown of Puerto Rico, to share his plans for "a new beginning" that will be under his birth name, Ramón Ayala.
“All the tools that I have in my power, like music, social media, platforms, a microphone, everything that God has given me is now for his kingdom. Thank you, Puerto Rico, and I hope you walk with me in this new beginning and I hope you remember something very important: Don’t follow any person. I am human. To all the people who follow me, follow Jesus Christ," he told his fans.
According to Billboard, Yankee's farewell tour grossed nearly $198 million, and was the biggest tour of his career.
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