Daddy Yankee Remembers His Humble Origins

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Now he's a superstar who tops the music charts and fills arenas around the world, but Daddy Yankee never forgets his humble origins. The reggaetón singer - who is featured in People en Español 's 50 Most Beautiful issue - talked to the magazine about his life before fame. “What keeps me with my feet on the ground is always remembering where I came from,” he says. “I go to Villa Kennedy, and I remember where it all got started,” he adds about the low-income housing building in the Barrio Obrero of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where I lived before becoming a renowned singer and entrepreneur.

The 42-year-old urban music legend says he is grateful for the lifestyle and luxuries he and his family enjoy today -which includes flying in private jet and having a beautiful farmhouse with horses and yacht to enjoy his free time - but never forgets to pay it forward. He not only donated $ 1 million to help in the reconstruction of his beloved island after the devastating Hurricane María, he also puts his heart and resources into Daddy's House, a center for underprivileged children in Dominican Republic.

What are his missions in life? “To continue to pave the way for new generations in music and continue working in Daddy's House to provide children with the tools they need,” the “Dura” singer says. "I feel a great responsibility as a leader to help young people."

He says working with young kids with the dream of making it in music fuels his own ambition to achieve new goals. "I feel like a friend, like a mentor, it's a great motivation," I admits of being a role model. "New talents fill me with their energy and push me to keep doing what I love, which is music."