Reggaeton Icons Don Omar and Daddy Yankee End Long-Standing Feud

Don Omar and Daddy Yankee’s infamous feud has officially come to an end after sharing words in recent Instagram posts. Their longstanding feud started sometime in the 2000s mainly stemming from being direct competition for each other as two of the most successful and well-known reggaeton artists. Things took a turn, however, during their joint tour The Kingdom Tour: Daddy Yankee Vs Don Omar in 2016. The tour with 60 planned shows ended after their Los Angeles date, only going for nine shows. Since its cancellation, there has been speculation as well as interviews from Don Omar, 45, and Daddy Yankee, 46, that point to their feuding backstage leading to the cancellation of the rest of their tour. The iconic Puerto Rican rappers, born William Omar Landrón Rivera and Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez respectively, have both turned to forgiveness as they shared their recognition of each other’s contributions to the genre of reggaeton as well as the love they have for each other.

“Today we close the book that kept the best chapters of our controversial rivalry,” Omar wrote in a caption in Spanish on Instagram. “Thank you for your words and for listening to mine that came from the heart as well. I wish you the best for you and your family. Thank you for your competitiveness and admirable discipline but even more thank you for what you did for our music.”

“Thank you for collaborating and for competing because I did it with a titan. I keep the good memories, the laughs, the dreams together and the desire for a last round with such a great adversary,” he continued. “We will meet again soon because I owe you a hug and thank you in person. In the meantime, long live King Daddy.”

This end to the rivalry comes as Daddy Yankee’s music career comes to an end. The Puerto Rican rapper and reggaeton pioneer is officially retiring at 46 years old following his last performance of his farewell concert “La Meta” in Puerto Rico. With his retirement, Daddy Yankee, born Ramon Luis Ayala Rodriguez, is taking this new stage in his life as an opportunity to practice his devotion to Christianity. The sensation that jump started the globalization of reggaeton with his hit “Gasolina”, gave a heartfelt speech at his final concert at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan closing off his career and pointing to his commitment to his faith:

“All the tools that I have in my power, like music, social media, platforms, a microphone, everything that God has given me is now for his kingdom. Thank you, Puerto Rico, and I hope you walk with me in this new beginning and I hope you remember something very important: Don’t follow any person. I am human. To all the people who follow me, follow Jesus Christ, he’s the way, the truth, and the life.” 

Don Omar is continuing his career with a tour coming next year following his 2023 album Forever King and his most recent EP Back to Reggaeton that dropped in November. The Back to Reggaeton tour is a 20-stop tour in arenas across the United States. The tour will kick off in the Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania and close off at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The rapper will be performing in major cities throughout the country from Los Angeles to Chicago.

“William, thank you for giving us both the opportunity to speak to each other from the bottom of our hearts,” the “Gasolina” Yankee wrote in a caption in Instagram. “Don Omar, you have also done great things for this genre and within the rivalry as you rightly say that divided us, today I feel calm to know that that is behind us, and we are an example that we may have differences but there will always be room for forgiveness. You have also been a great adversary and I will never cease to recognize all that you have also done for our movement.”

He added that he felt “calm and at peace knowing that today we leave behind the controversies between two exponents that put our Puerto Rico flag high.”