Daddy Yankee Makes Retirement Announcement, Talks About Farewell Album and Tour

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodrguez, well known by his stage name Daddy Yankee, has declared He is retiring from the music industry. His storied career has spanned over three decades, and he has a slew of awards to show for it.

Thankfully, Daddy Yankee isn't going out without a bang. The singer plans to release an album and go on an international tour to serve as his final work to crown his legacy.

Read below for more details about his announcement.

On Sunday, Daddy Yankee disclosed his retirement plans to fans via his social media account. His emotional post also revealed moments of reflection and details about the upcoming tour and album.

"This race, which has been a marathon, finally sees the finish line. Now, I am going to enjoy what all of you have given me," the singer said in Spanish in the clip, "People say that I made this genre worldwide, but it was you who gave me the key to open the doors to make it the biggest in the world."

"I'll give you all the styles that have defined me on one album. Legendaddy — it's fight, it's party, it's war, it's romance," added the star.

Although fans were taken aback by news of Yankee's retirement, the singer's promise to leave a lasting collection of works alongside his upcoming tour has helped salve the pained hearts of fans as he brings his "marathon" career to a finish.

Daddy Yankee is credited with coining the term reggaetón in 1994 for the then-emerging genre, which combines American hip-hop, Latin Caribbean music, and Jamaican reggae beats with Spanish rapping and singing.

He dropped his debut studio album "No Mercy" in 1995 and subsequently released three more albums in seven years. El Cangri.com, which he released in 2002, became a worldwide smash album garnering airplay in New York City and Miami with singles like "Latigazo," "Son Las Doce," "Guayando," and other songs like "Enciende," which addresses several societal issues of the day.

Since then, he's sold 20 million records worldwide and won a flurry of medals and accolades, including ten Guinness World Records and seven Billboard Music Awards (the most for any Latin artist).

Following his enormous collaboration with Luis Fonsi and Justin Bieber in 2017, Daddy Yankee hit the most significant height in his career. Their smash song "Despacito" became the first Spanish-language song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since 1996's "Macarena."

The official video for "Despacito" on YouTube reached one billion views in 97 days, making it the second-fastest video to hit this height after Adele's "Hello."

Its success drove Daddy Yankee to the top of Spotify's most-streamed artist's list in June 2017, earning him the title of the first Latin artist to achieve such feat. Today, the song's video has topped seven billion views, making it one of just a handful of recordings to reach this milestone.

Starting on August 10, Daddy Yankee's La Ultima Vuelta tour will travel across the United States before making stops in South America. Portland, San Jose, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Chicago, and a total of 36 more sites are among the concert places.

Alongside his classic hit singles, Daddy Yankees tour, which ends in December, will feature several songs from his upcoming album," Legendaddy." Pre-sale tickets will go on sale on Friday (March 25), with regular admission tickets following suit on March 30.

The singer is yet to reveal essential details regarding the album, such as who will collaborate with him and how many songs will be included in the collection. Luckily, fans will not have to wait long, as the album will be released on March 24.