As rap maps go, San Juan Puerto Rico was a possibility with potential: A glitch on the globe, not a promotional necessity underlined, circled, and highlighted on every emcees flight itinerary and marketing plan. Puerto Rico was simply a place to party, an opportunity to expand one’s record sales territory in Spanish. That’s ‘bout it.

DADDY YANKEE mashed all that up by making ‘Rican rap music mean more than a possible stop on a performers tour. He made the U.S. Territory’s native sound a Top 40 priority by taking its then local Reggaeton genre and impressively introducing it to the world. In so doing, Yankee brought the world to Puerto Rico – one hit single at a time. ToneSwep caught up with DY in LA for this DOPE MAG Exclusive!

Here is an Excerpt from the Full Length Interview

(ToneSwep: TS) Prestige, your sixth studio album, dropped back in September. The day after its release on September twelfth the album was already #1 on iTunes here in the US. Also #1 in Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and it was #1 on the Billboard Latin Albums Chart. The #5 Rap album on Billboard. How does a veteran drop his sixth project and still have the buzz, reception, and sales of a hot new artist?

(Daddy Yankee: DY) By always being passionate with your music. And knowing what your fans are wanting from you as an artist. Keeping it real with my genre but also adding new elements. And not only new elements in the music, but with the videos and in everything that goes into your latest album.

(TS) Many tier-1 artists like yourself, Jay-Z, Shakira, Usher and Rihanna, have smartly decided to make your sounds evolve as your international popularity has grown. How has your sound changed from No Mercy and Barrio Fino to now?

(DY) Oh my god! Man, I have changed a lot. What I say to everybody is this, I am a Latin artist. My challenge is to keep conquering the world with my language and my genre. But like I told you before, man, I have traveled the world and different cultures have influenced my style. At the core the message is the same, but as an artist you have to package that message so more people hear it.

(TS) Do you still watch baseball? Are you still a fan? I know that was your first passion.

(DY) Yeah, definitely 100% (Laughs!). Yankees all the way. That’s my team. The Yankees have always been my favorite team. I’m a big basketball fan all the way too and the Lakers are my team. We are going to win it again!

(TS) How would life have been different had you starred for the Seattle Mariners instead of running Reggaeton? You were playing semi-pro until the gun incident.

(DY) Sometimes as a teenager, I’d sit down and start thinking about what happened to me (being shot). I didn’t know what the future had planned for me. I was not sure what was ahead. If you asked me that question 10 years ago, I don’t know. Everything is just… everything makes sense for me now. That bullet changed my life. Even though I have to deal with the trauma of being shot my entire life, I know now that God had something meant for me. I am doing what I was meant to do. Being a pro baseball player wasn’t it. This is it.

(TS) What’s the biggest difference between Ramon Ayala, the person, and Daddy Yankee, the performer?

(DY) Ramon Ayala is the person, the brain. The man who lives real life 24-7. And Daddy Yankee is the brand. And I totally understand that. Ramon has to keep Daddy on top to keep making things happen for his family, but I know when to put my business hat on and when to take it off.

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