December 05, 2005 @ 11:20 am

Daddy Yankee: En Directo

by: Richard Cruz

In the last few years, Daddy Yankee, (né Raymond Ayala) has thrown the entire reggaeton movement on his back and helped it gain international popularity (not to mention selling more than 1 million copies worldwide of his latest album, Barrio Fino). As if that weren’t enough, at last night’s show, Yankee pushed the envelope even further by bringing out Pharrell- as in Pharrell Williams from The Neptunes- on stage to perform. Amazingly enough, Yankee remains quite humble of all his recent success. VIBE.com writer, Richard Cruz, sat down with El Cangri to discuss his outlook on the music, his “beef” with fellow reggaeton artist Don Omar, and how his skateboarding pana Pharrell has been a reggaeton fan on-the-low. VIBE.com: In 2002, you remember that Sean Paul, Elephant Man, and other Jamaican artists provided mainstream music with a strong presence of dancehall…

DADDY YANKEE: Yeah, they took over.. they took over the United States. Definitely. It has since slowed down but reggaeton has the potential to have a stronger presence in the United States. Do you think reggaeton is overshadowing dancehall and is becoming the primary Caribbean sound?

DY: Because Latinos are everywhere, and the fact that there are [many] radio stations switching formats and representing the movement, it has become bigger than dancehall. But, I give a lot of props to the dancehall movement as well because I grew up listening to dancehall. But the fact that we’re becoming bigger is realistic and [it’s] because Latinos are predominant in the States. My generation, we know about dancehall. Right now, the new generation, the generation in Puerto Rico, they ONLY know us. So there is a [gap] between their generation and my generation. But, yes, I would love to make a song with Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Capleton or Sizzla because I know what they’re about, I know what they’re made of. They’re raw, they’re real… On your new album you feature Snoop Dogg and Paul Wall, and you’ve collaborated with other hip hop artists like Pitbull. How do you feel recording with U.S. rappers?

DY: Actually, being in the studio with Snoop Dogg was something that meant a lot to me because we grew up listening to him. And having that legend besides you, making a song with you, is something big... Besides making music, they are giving a lot of respect to what we are doing and they know that [reggaeton] is a huge movement in the streets, as is hip-hop. People love it when you have a Latino and you have an African-American on the same song: it becomes a hit. And last night [Megaton 2005 @ MSG] I had Pharrell on stage with me, and the people went crazy. They love to see that combination. They love to see the Latino with the African-American because that’s power. And that’s real. left V: Going back to Pharrell, I hear you’re on his new album. How did that come about, because that is such a crazy combination!

DY: Pharrell and me had a chemistry since day one. The day that I met him, it was real recognizing real. Pharrell is a very intelligent dude, a smart producer. He knows what reggaeton is about; he has a real vision of where we’re at. Tu me entiendes? He told me, “Daddy, I’ve been studying this movement since three years ago and I knew that it was going to be big because I’m always in the street, watching and listening to what’s happening.” Three years ago, it was one of the hottest movements in the streets, so when he told me he was studying the movement, I was like, “he’s real”, and besides that, he’s a very humble dude and I love to work with people like that, who show you respect. The name of the song is “Mamacita” and its crazy. He has an English verse and I do the second one in Spanglish so I know people can feel our vibe on that song. You’ve been working on a movie, Talento De Barrio. Tell me about that.

DY: Talento de Barrio is going to be powerful just because of the content. No bullshit, what you see is what you get. It’s the way we live on the island, the way we get down in the barrio. We’re going to show them everything: the way we live, the way we party, the drugs, the weapons; the people will see everything. It will empower the people that don’t understand what it is yet, “the real stuff”. Feel me. When they see that, I know they are going to be like “boom” Oh my God, the struggle that these people have everyday. So that’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to make them go “wow”. There seems to be a lot of tension between you and Don Omar. Is it a case of the media hyping it up, or do you really have a problem with him?

DY: It’s just music, man. It’s just music. Right now, what’s going on between Don Omar and I is not as big as people make it seem. Right now, Daddy Yankee doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. I’m very confident in who I am. And I have battled before Don Omar, I have battled the entire genre! So the people out there, they know what I’m about. I can sit down and I write against somebody, but I have proved that a lot, so many times, that I’m tired of that. The doors that I’m opening right now, Don Omar and everyone can take advantage of. I’m working with my movie, with my sneakers, I’m working with my radio show, and I don’t have time for that. Because once I turn around to see any artist that is dissing me, I know everything that I’m doing is going to fail. I’ve become a veteran in this: in the streets, in the business and the music. And when you have all three weapons with you, you’re a threat to... You can take over the media!

DY: Yea, take over the media, man, like PUM! (laughing)

Barrio Fino en Directo will hit the shelves December 13th, 2006, Daddy Yankee clothing line and sneaker collection will drop Spring 2006, and Talento De Barrio, which is currently in the works for a major movie deal, is anticipated to be out on DVD April/May 2006. Read more vibe.com online exclusives.

Article tags: Barrio Fino En Directo, Daddy Yankee, Daddy Yankee And Don Omar, Daddy Yankee And Pharrell, Daddy Yankee, En Directo, Megaton, Talento De Barrio 

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