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Daddy YankeeDescontrolEl Mejor De Todos Los TiemposGangsta ZoneGasolinaGrito MundialImpactoImpacto (remix)La DespedidaVen Conmigo
In 2002 El Cangri.com became Ayala's first album with international success, receiving coverage in the markets of New York and Miami. Barrio Fino was released in 2004, and the album received numerous awards, including a Premio Lo Nuestro and a Latin Billboard, as well as receiving nominations for the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. Barrio Fino performed well in the sales charts of the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan. On June 5, 2007, El Cartel Records released El Cartel: The Big Boss, which was ranked as the top-selling album in Latin music genres in 2007. He promoted the album with an international tour which began in the United States and continued through Latin America, breaking attendance records in Ecuador and Bolivia. His performances have appeared on more than 70
albums, including compilations such as Mas Flow 2 and Blin Blin
vol.1. Outside of his work as a musician, Ayala has also worked
as an actor and producer. Throughout his career, he has been generally
reluctant to discuss his personal life, but has publicly expressed
the importance of his wife and children to him. Raymon Ayala Rodríguez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was influenced by several musicians in his family, including his father and some of his mother's relatives.[1] During his childhood he practiced singing and focused on lyrical improvisation. Although Ayala first aspired to join the ranks of baseball’s Major Leagues, he abandoned this goal after being involved in an incident—at age seventeen, he was caught in the crossfire of a barrio gun battle and received two bullet wounds. One bullet grazed his arm and the other, from an AK-47, hit him in the right thigh and left him with a permanent limp.[2] Following the incident, he became interested in
the underground rap movement, which at the time was in an early
organizational stage.[3] He also took more interest in the events
that took place in the neighborhood in which he was raised, a public
housing project named Villa Kennedy.[1] Early in his career he
attempted to imitate the style of Vico C. He went on to emulate
other artists in the genre, including DJ Playero, DJ Nelson, and
DJ Goldy, taking elements from their styles in order to develop
an original style.[3] In doing so, he eventually abandoned the
traditional model of rap and became one of the first artists to
perform reggaeton.[3] Ayala first recorded with DJ Playero as a
featured artist in a production titled Playero 37, which was released
in 1992.[1] His first album, titled No Mercy, was produced in 1995 when Ayala was eighteen years old.[1] The production did not sell well, and he continued his work within the genre for the rest of the decade, eventually forming a duo with Nicky Jam. One of the duo's songs, "Posición", was included in the soundtrack of One Tough Cop, a movie directed by Bruno Barreto, that was released in 1998. Beginning in 2000, Ayala began concentrating more on his solo career, releasing albums produced outside studios. The first production he released was titled El Cartel, featuring elements of the mixtape style.[1] In 2001 El Cartel II was released, a direct sequel to the previous production, and influenced by similar genres. In 2002 El Cangri.com was released, and became
the first album in Ayala's career to sell well outside Puerto Rico,
mostly in the United States.[1] The album was produced by VI Music,
an independent recording studio in Puerto Rico, and was not supported
by a major label.[1] The most successful single from the album
was "Latigazo", which received significant play on radio stations in New York and Miami.[1]
The album reached #43 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart.[1]
Following the release of this disc, Ayala performed at the Roberto
Clemente Coliseum before 12,000 fans.[4] The following year VI
Music produced Los Homerun-es.[1] The album became the leader in
sales in Puerto Rico during a year in which several other reggaeton
artists released significant productions, including Luny Tune's
Mas Flow, Don Omar's The Last Don, and Tego Calderón's El Abayarde.[1]
The album's success helped Ayala receive the publicity required
for a crossover to the United States market, and marked the last
album he released with VI music before signing a contract with
Universal.[1] Ayala's next album, Barrio Fino, was produced by Luny Tunes and released in July 2004 by El Cartel Records and VI Music. It was the most highly anticipated album in the reggaeton community.[5] Ayala had enjoyed salsa music since he was young, and this led him to include music of genres besides reggaeton in the album.[5] The most prominent of these cross-genre singles was "Melao", in which he performed with Andy Montañez.[5] The album was described as his most complete, and with it he intended to introduce combinations of reggaeton and other genres to the English-speaking market.[5] Barrio Fino was followed up by an international tour with performances in numerous countries including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Honduras, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and the United States.[5] The album has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and has sold well throughout Latin America and worldwide.[6] In 2005 Ayala won several international awards, making him one of the most recognized reggaeton artists within the music industry.[7] The first award of the year was a Premio Lo Nuestro within the "Latin music" category, which he received for Barrio Fino.[7] In this event he performed "Gasolina" in a performance that was described as "innovative".[7] Barrio Fino also won the "Reggaeton Album of the Year" award in the Latin Billboard that took place on April 28, 2005,[7] where he performed a mix of three of his songs in a duo with P. Diddy. The album was promoted throughout Latin America, the United States, and Europe, reaching certified gold in Japan. Due to the album's success, Ayala received promotional contracts with radio stations and soda companies, including Pepsi.[8] His single "Gasolina" received the majority of votes cast for the second edition of Premios Juventud, in which it received eight nominations and won seven awards.[7] Ayala also made a live presentation during the award ceremony. "Gasolina" received nominations in the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards.[7] The successful single, "Gasolina",
was covered by artists from different music genres. This led to
a controversy when Los Lagos, a Mexican banda group, did a cover
with the original beat but changed the song's lyrics.[9] The group's
label had solicited the copyright permission to perform the single
and translate it to a different music style, but did not receive
consent to change the lyrics; legal action followed.[9] Speaking
for the artist, Ayala's lawyer stated that having his songs covered
was an "honor, but it must be done the right way."[9] On April 30, 2006, Ayala was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, which cited the 2 million copies of Barrio Fino sold, Ayala's $20 million contract with Interscope, and his Pepsi endorsement.[10] During this period, Ayala and William Omar Landrón (more commonly known by his artistic name Don Omar) were involved in a rivalry within the genre, dubbed "tiraera". The rivalry received significant press coverage despite being denied early on by both artists. It originated with a lyrical conflict between the artists begun by Ayala's comments in a remix single, where he criticized Landron's common usage of the nickname "King of Kings".[11] Don Omar responded to this in a song titled "Ahora Son Mejor", part of his album Los Rompediscotecas.[11] El Cartel: The Big Boss was released by Interscope on June 5, 2007. Ayala stated that the album marked a return to his hip-hop roots as opposed to being considered a strictly reggaeton album.[12] The album was produced in 2006, and included the participation of will.i.am, Scott Storch, Tainy Tunes, Neli, and personnel from Ayala's label. Singles were produced with Hector El Father, Fergie, Nicole Scherzinger and Akon.[12] The first single from the album was titled "Impacto", and was released prior to the completion of the album. The album was promoted by a tour throughout the United States, which continued throughout Latin America.[12] He performed in Mexico, first in Monterrey, where 10,000 attended the concert, and later at San Luis Potosí coliseum, where the concert sold out, leaving hundreds of fans outside the building.[13] Ayala performed in Chile as well, and established a record for attendance in Ecuador.[14] He also performed in Bolivia, setting another record when 50,000 fans attended his Santa Cruz de la Sierra concert.[14] This show was later described as "the best show with the biggest attendance in history" and as "something never seen in our country" by the local media.[14] The show lasted for two hours, and the audience sang along with the artist.[14] According to Billboard magazine, El Cartel: The
Big Boss was the top-selling album among all Latin music categories
in 2007.[15] At the moment of release, the album had sold 500,000
copies in the United States and 50,000 in Mexico.[15] In an interview,
Ayala said that he was happy that his album had sold more than
those of Juan Luis Guerra and Juanes, and that this was an "official proof that reggaeton's principal exponent defeated the rest of the genres".[15] Ayala made a guest appearance in an album titled "Caribbean Connection" released on June 24, 2008. The production included participation by other Latin
American artists such as Wisin & Yandel, Don Omar and Héctor Delgado, along with Jamaican musicians such as Inner
Circle, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Wayne Wonder.[16] In July
2008, Ayala announced that as part of his work, he would produce
a cover version of Thalía's song, Ten Paciencia.[17] Prior to the
album's release, Ayala scheduled several activities, including
an in-store contract signing.[18] On February 27, 2009, he performed
at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile.[19] In
this event, the artists receive awards based on the public's reaction.
After performing "Rompe", "Llamado de emergencia", "Tú me dejaste caer", "Gasolina", "Limpia parabrisas" and "Lo que pasó, pasó" over the course of two hours, Ayala received the "Silver Torch", "Gold Torch" and "Silver Seagull" recognitions.[19] On April 24, 2009, he received the Spirit of Hope Award as
part of the Latin Billboard Music Awards ceremony.[20] The recognition
is given to the artists that participate in community or social
efforts throughout the year. The single "Grito Mundial" was released on October 8, 2009,[21] in order to promote his ninth album, Mundial.
Despite releasing "El Ritmo No Perdona (Prende)" more than a month before, that single was not considered the first official
promotional single. Ayala has negotiated promotional deals with several companies outside of the music industry, releasing merchandise under his name. In 2005, he became the first Latin artist to sign a deal with Reebok, in order to produce accessories,[22] including the licensed clothing line "DY", which was released in 2006.[23] He also teamed up with the company to have his own shoes and sporting goods made, which were first distributed on May 23, 2006.[12] Reebok continued the partnership with the introduction of the Travel Trainer collection in July 2007. In August 2007, Pepsi began an advertising campaign titled "Puertas", in which Ayala is depicted returning to his youth by opening a series of doors.[24] In 2008, Ayala participated in a campaign to promote voting in the 2008 general elections in Puerto Rico. This initiative included a concert titled "Vota o quédate callao".[25] On August 25, 2008, Ayala endorsed John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States, stating that McCain "has been a fighter for the Hispanic community".[26] As part of this campaign, Ayala moderated a debate titled “Vota o quédate callao: los candidatos responden a los jóvenes”, which was aired on October 9, 2008.[27] Ayala has worked in the film industry as both an actor and producer. His acting debut was the lead role of Vampiros, a film directed by Eduardo Ortiz and filmed in Puerto Rico.[28] The film premiered at the Festival of Latin American Cinema in New York, where it received a positive reaction. This led Image Entertainment to produce a DVD, internationally released in March 2005.[28] Ayala played the main role "Edgar" in Talento de Barrio, which was filmed in Puerto Rico and directed by José Iván Santiago. Ayala produced the film, which is based on his experience of growing up in a poor city neighborhood.[29] While the film is not directly a biography, Ayala has stated that it mirrors his early life.[29] Talento de Barrio's debut was scheduled for July 23, 2008, in New York's Latino Film Festival.[30] After the premier, Ayala expressed satisfaction, saying that he had been invited to audition for other producers.[31] On release, Talento de Barrio broke the record held by Maldeamores for the most tickets to a Puerto Rican movie sold in a single day in Caribbean Cinemas.[32] Ayala has been involved in the administration
of three organizations, the first being El Cartel Records which
he co-owns with Andres Hernandez. He also created the Fundación
Corazón Guerrero, a charitable organization in Puerto Rico which
works with young incarcerated people.[33] On April 26, 2008, he
was presented with a "Latino of the Year Award" by the student organization Presencia Latina of Harvard College, receiving it
for his work with Puerto Rican youth and creating Corazón Guerrero.[34]
On February 6, 2008, Ayala announced in a Baloncesto Superior Nacional
press conference that he had bought part of the Criollos de Caguas'
ownership.[35] Ayala married Mireddys González when he was seventeen
years old. The couple have three children: Yamilette, Jeremy and
Jesairis. Throughout his career Ayala has kept most of his personal
life private, rarely speaking about it in interviews.[36] He has
said that he avoids doing so because such details are the only
aspect of his life that are not public and that they are like a "little treasure".[36] He made an exception in 2006 when he spoke about his relationship with
his wife and children in an interview with María Celeste Arrarás
in Al Rojo Vivo.[36] He stated that his marriage is strong because
he and his wife are "friends above anything", adding that he has tried to ignore other temptations because "weakness is the reason for the downfall of several artists."[36] He also described his "very close" communication with his children, in which he tries to offer advice against drugs
and negative influences.[36] His first daughter was born when he
was seventeen years old,[36] which he has described as confusing
at first, adding that raising a daughter at that age was a hard
experience.[37] 1995: No Mercy [edit] Filmography Film Year Title Role Note Television Year Title Role Note
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