Daddy Yankee is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and rapper widely recognized as a pioneer of reggaeton, a genre blending reggae, dancehall, hip hop and Latin Caribbean rhythms. Born Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, he emerged in the late 1990s and rose to international prominence in the early 2000s, remaining active through the 2010s and into the 2020s. His music is characterized by rhythmic, percussive beats, catchy melodic hooks, rapid-fire rap delivery and lyrics that range from party anthems to social themes, often performed in Spanish. He has collaborated across Latin and global pop markets, helping bring reggaeton into mainstream commercial success and influencing subsequent generations of urban Latin artists.