Maps of Music
King Daddy (2013)
Where the lyrics of King Daddy take you, and where it was really made.
King Daddy was released only digitally, and it became the first digital-only album to debut in the top 10 of the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart.
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Overview
- King Daddy, also known as Imperio Nazza: King Daddy Edition, is a mixtape by Daddy Yankee
- Released on 29 October 2013 independently through his label El Cartel Records
- Released digitally only
- Described by the artist as a hardcore reggaeton record made for the genre's lovers
- Features Arcángel, Divino, Farruko, J Álvarez, and Yandel
- Daddy Yankee co-wrote and co-produced all 11 tracks with Benny Benni and Los de la Nazza
- Last Daddy Yankee album produced by Los de la Nazza, who left El Cartel Records in 2014
- Two singles were released from the album: La Nueva y La Ex and La Rompe Carros
Background
- Daddy Yankee described the album as pure reggaeton, from A to Z
- He wanted to create a digital revolution by releasing it only digitally, a practice common among novice artists but rare among established ones at the time
- The album's concept developed from Los de la Nazza's El Imperio Nazza and El Imperio Nazza: Gold Edition, both released in 2012
- Fans had asked online for Daddy Yankee to record his own installment of the Imperio Nazza mixtape series
- Followed his seventh studio album Prestige, released a year earlier
- Replaced the announced Prestige: Reloaded project
- Musicólogo and Menes produced Talento de Barrio, Mundial, and Prestige before this album
Recording
- Spanish-language wiki states it was recorded in early 2013
- The album was created in about two weeks with the team while Daddy Yankee paused during a tour
- Musicólogo and Menes left El Cartel Records in 2014 after a disagreement over a contract renewal
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | Nada ha cambiao’ | 3:10 |
| 2 | Mil problemas | 2:34 |
| 3 | Calentón | 3:03 |
| 4 | La nueva y la ex | 3:17 |
| 5 | Dónde es el party | 3:34 |
| 6 | La rompe carros | 2:59 |
| 7 | Millonarios | 3:57 |
| 8 | Suena boom | 3:09 |
| 9 | Una respuesta | 3:24 |
| 10 | Déjala caer | 3:11 |
| 11 | I’m the Boss | 3:37 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Career
- Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, born February 3, 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico; known as Daddy Yankee.
- Called the "King of Reggaeton" and "Godfather of Reggaeton".
- Originally aimed to be a professional baseball player; after being shot in the leg during a studio session, pursued music.
- Debut solo studio album No Mercy released April 2, 1995.
- Barrio Fino (2004) became the top-selling Latin album of the 2000s; "Gasolina" credited with bringing reggaeton to a global audience.
- "Despacito" with Luis Fonsi (2017) topped the Billboard Hot 100, the first Spanish-language song to do so since "Macarena" in 1996.
- Became the most-listened artist worldwide on Spotify in June 2017, the first Latin artist to do so.
- Sold over 30 million records worldwide; announced retirement in 2022 after the Legendaddy album, later returning with Lamento en Baile (2025).
Business and Other Work
- Co-owns El Cartel Records; created the Fundación Corazón Guerrero charity for young incarcerated people.
- Acted and produced in Talento de Barrio (2008).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Peaked at number seven on the US Top Latin Albums chart
- Debuted in the week ending 16 November 2013 and charted for three weeks in total
- Did not reach number one, unlike previous Daddy Yankee records
- Became the first digital-only album to debut in the top 10 of the chart
- Lead single La Nueva y La Ex reached number nine on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart
Records
- Top Latin Albums: number seven
- First-week sales of 2,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan
- Nominated for Best Urban Music Album at the 15th Latin Grammy Awards, where it lost to Calle 13's Multi_Viral
- Nominated for Urban Album of the Year at the 27th Lo Nuestro Awards, where it lost to J Balvin's La Familia
- La Nueva y La Ex was ranked number 40 on the year-end list
- The album reached number one on iTunes on its first day of release, according to the Spanish-language wiki
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- The album reached number one on iTunes on its first day, according to the Spanish-language wiki
- The King Daddy Tour, later renamed King Daddy Euro Tour, began on 23 May 2014 in Scalea, Italy
- The tour ran 47 shows, visited Europe twice, and made stops in the United States, Latin America, and Asia
- A follow-up titled King Daddy II was announced in 2014, then postponed and renamed El Disco Duro
- That project eventually led to Daddy Yankee's seventh and final studio album, Legendaddy, released in 2022
- A physical version with new tracks was announced for February 2014 but never released
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org