Bring it on Daddy Yankee!

Daddy Yankee is bringing it with seven nominations for the upcoming Latin Billboard Music Awards. You go big Daddy!!! These are the categories in which he is nominated and pretty much dominating the Billboard Music Awards which will be aired on the Spanish-language television station Telemundo live from the Bank United Center at the University of Miami on Thursday evening April 28, 2011.

Hot Latin Songs, Male Artist of the Year
Tropical Airplay, Solo Artist of the Year
Latin Rhythm Airplay, Song of the Year
Latin Rhythm Airplay, Solo Artist of the Year
Latin Rhythm Albums, Album of the Year
Latin Rhythm Albums, Solo Artist of the Year
Composer of the Year

Ramon “Raymond” Ayala, or as we know him artistically Daddy Yankee,is according to Billboard Magazine (2010) the single most relevant Latin urban artist in the world. Now this is what I call success my friends and just so you know he only just turned 34 this past February 3rd. Being Latin myself I can’t help but to feel so very proud when another Latin person achieves all of this success. But it hasn’t been easy and you know we must always start at the bottom and work our way up in order to be successful. Daddy Yankee’s dream was to be a Major League Baseball player but this dream was chattered when an injury to one of his legs left him unable to walk correctly. I am sure he was devastated at the time, but this just wasn’t what God had in store for him...he was going to be big, very big one day. He then became involved in an underground rap movement and this is where his love for rap music was born. Slowly but surely Daddy Yankee started taking music and singing lessons, started his independent career, and before he knew it in 2002 his album ElCangri.com was released and it received a lot of coverage in New York and Miami. Later in 2004 Barrio Fino was released and it received numerous awards including Premio Lo Nuestro and a Latin Billboard Award.

In 2007 he released El Cartel: The Big Boss which was ranked as the top selling album in Latin music genres in that year. Daddy Yankee was at the top but it was his sacrifice and dedication that has kept him there. Rising to stardom is very hard, but it is much more difficult to stay at the top because when you are at the top of your career everyone expects so much more from you. And then you not only have to give your best but you have to get better and better with each passing day, not an easy task if you ask me!

Daddy Yankee is not only a very famous Latin rapper, he keeps himself very busy with his own clothing line by the name of “DY”. He also negotiated a deal outside of the music industry to sell merchandise under his name. He signed a deal with Reebok and has his own shoes and sporting goods made. Pepsi also become interested in Mr. Daddy Yankee and began an advertising campaign called “Puertas” which shows the singer returning to his youth by opening a series of doors.

Another interesting fact about Mr. Ayala is that in 2008 he endorsed John McCain’s candidacy for President of the United States. He was very thankful to Mr. McCain because he was a fighter for the Hispanic community. Another thing that Daddy Yankee has pursued is acting and he has shown a lot of potential in the two movies that he has done which are “Vampiros" and “Talento de Barrio” which he considers almost like his biography.

One thing I truly admire about Daddy Yankee is the fact that he keeps his personal life separate from his professional life. There are very few artists that can do this and succeed. Daddy Yankee has been happily married since he was seventeen years old to Gissela Aguilera Ayala and they have three beautiful children, Yamilet, Jeremy, and Jesairis. He believes that his family is his “little treasure” and he must keep them private. He stated that his marriage is strong because him and his wife are “friends above anything” and that he has tried to ignore other temptations because “weakness is the reason for the downfall of several artists. He made these comments in an interview with Maria Celeste Arraras in 2006. He has very close communication with his children and tries to offer advice against negative influences and drugs, adding that raising a daughter at that age was a hard experience.

Today, Daddy Yankee stands tall and proud of his many accomplishments and I give him all the credit in the world because he deserves each and every success he's attained. He is a man with a very big heart and shows it by giving back to the community with his foundation “Corazon Guerrero” which transforms the lives of thousand needy children in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Colombia among other countries. He has received the Billboard’s Spirit of Hope Award for his outstanding humanitarian work.

In April 2010, he released “Mundial” which brought him back to his Latin roots. One of his singles “Descontrol” topped the Billboard’s Latin Charts. He also received three Latin Grammy nominations, an American Music Awards nomination, and MTV Music Award nominations, not to mention three nominations for Premio Lo Nuestro 2011. He is currently working on his next album which is said to be released in April 2011. A few interesting facts listed on his website www.daddyyankee.com, he was the most searched for artist in 2009 for Argentina and Chile, behind only the late Michael Jackson. Daddy Yankee was the first Urban Latin artist to guest star on CBS' The Bold and Beautiful. He has a fan base of 3 million fans on Facebook (as of today 3 million and 1 with me).

And last but not least because this one touched my heart, Daddy's House is Yankee's latest charitable organization. It is based in Dominican Republic, where the establishment feeds over 125 children every single day of the year and provides materials for all of the children to attend school. What more can we ask from a person who has talent, love for his family, love for his fans, and a huge heart? I think Daddy Yankee is the complete package and the world is lucky to have such a positive, caring individual who dedicates his money and time to helping the less fortunate and at the same time gives us amazing music and outstanding talent. Maybe we both share one same belief, that if you give your best to the world, the best will come back to you!

Peace and Love ;-) Candela