Daddy Yankee Honoured as Latin Recording Academy's 2026 Person of the Year
The Latin Recording Academy, the body that runs the Latin Grammys, honoured Daddy Yankee as its 2026 Person of the Year at a gala in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Billboard reported on the evening.
The academy first revealed the choice in April, pointing to a career of nearly 30 years. The gala took place at the MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom, and most of the night was built around his songs, with other artists playing them in new styles.
Anthony Ramos sang "Coraza Divina" as a salsa. Tito El Bambino, Jowell y Randy and Feid performed "Gasolina" together. The Sugar Hill Gang brought "Rapper's Delight" to the stage, a track from hip-hop's early years.
A medley of "Rompe," "Gangsta Zone," "Talento de Barrio" and "Somos de Calle" was sung by J Noa, Paulo Londra, Trueno, Feid and Ryan Castro. Reik and Luisa Sonza gave "Ella Me Levantó" a bossa nova feel. Farruko, Rawayana and Kapo performed "La Despedida" as a reggae version.
Natalia Jimenez and Pablo Alborán slowed "De Vuelta Pa' La Vuelta" into a ballad. Tito Nieves, Oscar D' Leon and Nathy Peluso turned "Despacito" into a salsa. Pedro Capó and Elena Rose played "Ora Por Mi" in a classical arrangement.
The tribute opened with Jorge Drexler and DJ Playero, who introduced the evening and played earlier Daddy Yankee hits. J Balvin and LL Cool J then walked through his career and called him to the stage.
Video messages came from Juan Luis Guerra, Fergie, Luis Fonsi, Black Eyed Peas, Carlos Vives, Snow, Lil Jon and Steve Aoki. Daddy Yankee closed the show himself, singing "Botz," "Sonríele" and "Lo Que Paso Paso."
The gala is one of the academy's signature evenings, and the group's chief executive, Manuel Abud, leads the organisation that stages it. For a general listener, the award is a way of marking a whole career, not one record. This year's honour recognised nearly three decades of work, and the guest list showed how many musicians count him as an influence, from reggaeton and salsa to reggae and hip-hop.
