Daddy Yankee has said he is retiring from music to devote his life to Jesus.
The rapper and reggaeton artist spoke about his plans while on stage at the Coliseo José Miguel Agrelot arena in San Juan, Puerto Rico recently, according to People.
“My people, this is the most important day of my life. I want to share it… because living a life of success is not the same as living a life of purpose,” he told the audience at his final concert (translated from Spanish).
The ‘Gasolina’ star went on to explain that despite his success in music, he felt a void in his life that he only filled when he began to focus more on his faith.
“This is why tonight I acknowledge that Jesus lives for me – and I will live for him,” he continued. “All of the tools that I have within my power – like music, social media, my platform, the mic, everything that God gave me is now for him.”
Yankee, whose real name is Ramón Rodríguez, concluded: “I am human and everyone that follows me should follow Jesus Christ.” He later shared a video of the speech on social media, which ended with a fireworks display of a cross along with the message: “Christ loves you” (in Spanish).
The artist announced in 2022 that his album ‘Legendaddy’ would be his last, while confirming his retirement from music alongside a farewell tour.
Speaking in Spanish (translated by Rolling Stone), Rodríguez said at the time: “This career has been a marathon. I finally see the end goal. Now I’m going to enjoy with all of you in what you’ve given me.
“People say I made this genre global, but it is you who gave me the keys to open the doors and make this genre the biggest in the world.”
He added: “In the barrios, where we grew up, most of us wanted to be drug dealers. Today, I go to barrios and the majority want to be artists, and that means a lot to me.”
Daddy Yankee earned a UK Number One with 2017’s ‘Despacito (Remix)’, his collaborative single with Justin Bieber and Luis Fonsi. The track spent 11 weeks at the top spot, per Official Charts.
