Daddy Yankee’s original plan was to become a baseball player. However when a stray bullet hit him at age 17, he pivoted to focusing on his other passion: music. The Puerto Rican star ended up becoming an integral part of the creation and explosion of reggaeton, a Spanish-language genre that fuses dancehall and soca with hip-hop.

It was his 2004 breakout hit “Gasolina” and album Barrio Fino that helped bring reggaeton worldwide, breaking the seal for it to become the most popular genre of music in the world and for Daddy Yankee to become its most influential artist. “Gasolina” was just the start for Daddy Yankee, who has gone on to create many more decades of innovative, fresh and extremely popular music for every club and block party around the world.

On this week’s episode hosts Rob Sheffield and Brittany Spanos discuss the success of “Gasolina” and are joined by their Rolling Stone colleague, Julyssa Lopez, who wrote a 2022 cover story on Daddy Yankee. Together they dive into Daddy Yankee's career and the evolution of reggaeton, highlighting its rise to global dominance.

00:00 Introduction to the 500 Greatest Songs Podcast
00:15 Exploring 'Gasolina' by Daddy Yankee
01:05 Cultural Impact and Legacy of 'Gasolina'
02:09 The Rise of Reggaeton and Daddy Yankee's Career
04:02 Breaking Barriers in the Music Industry
10:06 The Evolution of Reggaeton
12:33 Daddy Yankee's Influence on Modern Artists
15:20 Interview with Julissa Lopez
17:12 Julissa Lopez on the Origins of Reggaeton
20:00 The Global Success of 'Gasolina'
25:39 The Future of Reggaeton
29:32 Conclusion and Credits

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