It’s taken me a while to post on here again, but I can’t think of a better reason to come back and say something…

History has been made. A heartfelt congrats to the one & only Daddy Yankee, the #1 artist in the world on Spotify (and the first Latin artist to hold that position). Forgive me if I get a little sentimental but it seems appropriate…

From its inception, and much like hip hop, reggaeton was dismissed as a passing fad, a trend that would burn out. At times it retreated from the spotlight. Because frankly it needed to evolve, like most things. But it never disappeared. What DY and the other true pioneers of the genre have proven is that it was always supposed to be more than just fiesta, perreo & mucho dembow. These are the storytellers of a generation. And the first chapters of these stories were born out of the ghetto, depicting what it was like growing up in the caserios of Puerto Rico. It was raw and it was often not pretty. But it was real. The party vibes came much later, as DY will tell you. And it was one song in particular that busted down the doors for the world to pay attention. That song was “Gasolina.”

I’ll never forget a quote DY gave me during our first sit-down interview for Vibe magazine back in 2004. He told me that Nas was an MC he deeply admired and this next part I remember so clearly. He said: “Blacks and Latinos have the same struggles, in different languages.” So it’s no surprise, all these years later, that the spirit behind these musical movements, whether it be hip hop, reggaeton, etc, is indestructible, mainly because they had to fight for people’s respect. Now the world can’t seem to get enough but let’s not forget where it all started. Daddy Yankee’s journey to the top has been anything but an overnight one.

This is a win for DY, his formidable team, for Latin music & for everyone in the industry who continues to work hard to represent our culture through music.

Seguimos!

Watch this video in which Yankee talks about what it means to be #1.

And also, be sure to check out DY’s “This Is” playlist on Spotify, with the best of his music.