Daddy Yankee Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Billed as the soundtrack to the film of the same name, Talento de Barrio is a full-length showcase for Daddy Yankee that is essentially the follow-up album to El Cartel: The Big Boss (2007), a wide-ranging effort that found him experimenting with crossover tactics and collaborating with pop-rap artists including Akon, will.i.am, Fergie, and Scott Storch. Unlike that album, which yielded mixed results, Talento de Barrio doesn't aim to expand Daddy Yankee's fan base; rather, it aims to consolidate his already massive following. There are no English-language songs, no pop-rap collaborations, no Scott Storch productions, nothing even potentially embarrassing -- it's pure reggaetón. Granted, there are some Latin fusions (most effectively, "Llamado de Emergencia" fuses Columbian vallenato with reggaetón) and also some autotuned vocals à la T-Pain (the choruses of "Temblor" and "¿Qué Tengo Qué Hacer?"), but Talento de Barrio is clearly a return to Daddy Yankee's strengths as a street-level reggaetónero. This makes Talento de Barrio a less interesting album than El Cartel: The Big Boss, whose broad range of crossover tactics was fascinating even when certain songs didn't work out as well as planned. On the other hand, Talento de Barrio is an all-around better album than El Cartel: The Big Boss. Not only is it more stylistically consistent and more reasonably paced at 15 songs in less than an hour's time; most importantly, it sticks with what's already proven successful. Three highlights in particular exemplify what works best for Daddy Yankee: "Pose" is another in a line of electrifying club tracks ("Gasolina," "Rompe," "Impacto"), "Somos de Calle" is a socially conscious rallying call for the streets, and "Salgo pa' la Calle" is a melodic gem featuring a fantastic hook by Randy (of Jowell & Randy) and a standout production by Luny Tunes and Tainy. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'El Cartel: The Big Boss'
Release Date 6/5/2007
Tracks 21
Label El Cartel
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It took Daddy Yankee a long time to follow up Barrio Fino (2004), the most successful and influential reggaeton album to date, but when he finally unveiled El Cartel: The Big Boss three years later, the wait seemed worthwhile. It's a well-conceived album with a wealth of commercial potential. It not only pushes the hybrid Latin style forward creatively; it also broadens Daddy Yankee's appeal considerably, teaming him with pop-rap household names like Fergie and Akon while playing down some of Barrio Fino's Latino-specific lyrical themes in favor of potent club-bangers that are as conducive to body language as they are to Spanish. Admittedly, the three-year wait between Barrio Fino and El Cartel was eased by the December 2005 release of Barrio Fino en Directo. That CD/DVD package served a few purposes, beyond functioning as a profitable stopgap released just in time for the holiday shopping season. For one, it signaled the beginning of Daddy Yankee's relationship with Interscope; previously, he'd relied on the major labels only for distribution. Secondly, it repackaged the hits from Barrio Fino as live recordings, in the process showcasing Daddy Yankee's ability as a live performer with a willingness to tour internationally. Perhaps most importantly, though, Barrio Fino en Directo included a handful of strong new recordings -- including the singles "Rompe" (a number one Latin hit) and "Machucando" (number two), along with bilingual collaborations with Snoop Dogg ("Gangsta Zone") and Paul Wall ("Machete Reloaded") -- that were a clear indication of what could be expected on El Cartel. Indeed, El Cartel is largely comprised of both potential hits and mainstream-crossover collaborations (Fergie, Akon, will.i.am, Nicole Scherzinger, Scott Storch), with most of the latter also qualifying as the former. Highlights are numerous, and they're spread across the album: in particular, the nine-track stretch that extends from "Fuera de Control" (the only Luny Tunes production here, surprisingly) to "Papi Lover" is a nonstop delight, though the three-song stretch near the end of the album including "Corazón Divina," "Plane to PR," and "Me Quedaria" also stands tall and closes the album on a satisfying note. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Ahora Le Toca al Cangri'
Release Date 3/15/2005
Tracks 17
Label V.I. Music
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Released in the wake of Daddy Yankee's worldwide success with "Gasolina" and Barrio Fino, Ahora Le Toca al Cangri showcases the reggaeton superstar's live performance ability, in particular an energetic show in his native Puerto Rico circa 2003. Like its stateside companion (i.e., hip-hop), reggaeton unfortunately doesn't come across as well live in front of a crowd as it does in the studio. That's not the fault of Yankee, of course, who turns in a high-spirited performance here. It's more a matter of acoustics, as the fast-paced, beat-heavy style of reggaeton doesn't sound so good in a context such as this. For instance, Yankee's vocals come across muffled and the beats come across likewise. The poor sound quality aside, Ahora Le Toca al Cangri does capture Yankee's performance well. His crowd goes absolutely bananas, and Yankee seems to have a great sway over them, addressing them often and, as the saying goes, keeping them on the edge of their seats (though it's highly unlikely anyone's sitting down -- or even standing still, for that matter!). In particular, halfway through his performance he breaks into salsa on a song titled "Puerto Rico Te la Dedico," which of course instantly sends the crowd into a frenzy. Other high points include a show-closing medley that includes some fun DJing, as the beats from 50 Cent's "In da Club" get aired for a nice surprise moment before Yankee closes the set with a remix of the show-opener, "Seguroski." ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Already well established in the reggaeton underground, with roughly a decade of street-level experience under his belt, Daddy Yankee broke into the Latin mainstream big-time with Barrio Fino. The first reggaeton album to reach number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart -- debuting there in July 2004 to the shock of many, since it was released by VI Music, a Puerto Rican indie -- Barrio Fino covers all the bases over the course of 21 tracks, from all-star collaborations ("No Me Dejes Solo," with Wisin & Yandel; "Tu Principe," Zion & Lennox; "Sabor a Melao," Andy Montañez) to English-language crossover ("Like You") to empowering political rap ("Corazones"). Daddy Yankee works chiefly with two production teams -- Luny Tunes and the trio of Monserrate, Fido, and DJ Urba -- though there are also contributions from Eliel, DJ Nelson, Echo & Diesel, and Nely. The Luny Tunes collaborations pay the most dividends, with "Gasolina" and "Lo Que Pasó, Pasó" standing tall as album highlights. Other highlights include "Dale Caliente," "No Me Dejes Solo," "Tu Principe," and "Que Vas a Hacer?" Actually, the first half of Barrio Fino is remarkably solid. Only toward the final quarter of the album sequence do the songs begin to grow tiresome. This is partly because Barrio Fino is so long -- had a half-dozen songs been trimmed, it would be a nonstop highlight reel. Daddy Yankee deserves a lot of credit for the success of Barrio Fino, for his charisma, energy level, and command of the proceedings are well evident and often infectious. But also credit the producers -- especially Luny Tunes, who turned this album into a showcase of their hitmaking prowess -- and Glory, who sings several of the best hooks and serves as Daddy's sultry female counterpoint. Everyone plays his or her role on Barrio Fino, which, along with Don Omar's The Last Don (2003), is a milestone reggaeton release for its time. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
