Chile Honors Reggaeton’s ‘Big Boss’ Unveiling a Statue of Daddy Yankee
While we’re generally more accustomed to seeing statues of big politicians or historical figures from years past —like the Frida Kahlo statue in Coyoacán, Mexico, or the Simón Bolívar monument in Central Park — Reggaeton’s “Big Boss” Daddy Yankee just got his very own life-size statue in Santiago, Chile, to honor his epic music career and I get why.
The statue was unveiled by Spotify on September 27, just in time to celebrate his sold-out, three-day run in Santiago’s Estadio Nacional de Santiago on the 27th, 28th, and 29th. Spotify explained that the statue was meant to honor Yankee’s “immeasurable contributions” to music, and would make an appearance at each of the Santiago shows.
Now that the Santiago concerts are over, the statue is meant to be permanently installed at the Escuela Militar metro station for fans to get a close-up glimpse of it.
The statue comes at a crucial time in the “Gasolina” singer’s career— he announced his retirement back in March after 32 years of bringing us hits like “Rompe” and “Soltera.” At 45 years old, the San Juan-born singer and rapper is a legend throughout the entire world and has no doubt changed the Latin music industry as we knew it.
Yankee explained that the unveiling of the statue was “very exciting” for him. “I feel very honored that Chile has treated me with so much affection since day one. I always feel the same, excited,” he said
Even though the reggaetonero has toured for decades and has made his way to Chile to perform quite a few times, he told the Chilean press he felt like it was his “first time in the country, [his] first concert.” He finished off by saying that they were going to “romperla con todo” throughout the tour, because— well, it wouldn’t be Daddy Yankee if he didn’t!
The “Con Calma” star also had some sweet words for the country that consistently welcomes him with open arms: “The people [of Chile], you are very special and I think it is the most beautiful aspect of the country.” He commented on Chileans’ “humility” and the way they treat others, saying they are “a class act.”
Meanwhile, Spotify explained that they chose Chile because the country has consistently supported the star— A.K.A. the fans go hard for the “Ella Me Levantó” icon. They are the third-biggest consumer of his hits in the world, after Mexico and the U.S., and in Spotify’s words: “Santiago is the city where the Big Boss sounds the loudest in the whole planet.” And now he’s committed to helping her rebuild her home.
