Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1977), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a retired Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. Known as the "King of Reggaeton" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined the word reggaeton in 1991 in the mixtape Playero 34 in the song "So persigueme, no te detengas" to describe the new music genre that was emerging from Puerto Rico that synthesized American hip-hop, Hispanic Caribbean music, and Jamaican reggae rhythms with Spanish rapping and singing. He is often cited as an influence by other Hispanic urban performers.