Interesting DY article

Here's a piece from the Houston Chronicle.....

June 4, 2007
Daddy Yankee gives reggaetón legitimate appeal

Daddy Yankee
El Cartel: The Big Boss
Three Out of Four Stars

By JOEY GUERRA
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle


Daddy Yankee didn't create reggaetón, but he is largely responsible for the thundering genre's crossover appeal.
The singer's 2004 hit, Gasolina, ignited a hurban (Hispanic urban) craze on the radio, and his Barrio Fino disc sold more than 2 million copies in the U.S.

So a bit of rebelliousness is to be expected on El Cartel: The Big Boss, due in stores today.

"I won't be the artist you want me to be. I will be the artist I want to be," Yankee declares on Todos Quieren a Raymond, an amusing riff on fame backed by a children's chorus similar to that on Jay'-Z's Hard Knock Life.

El Cartel takes Yankee's reach and expands it beyond his still-simmering reggaetón flavor. He wrote most of the disc's 21 songs, which incorporate hip-hop, salsa and A-list collaborations. It's a cocky, charismatic affair that retains Yankee's musical integrity and rarely makes a misstep.

First single Impacto typifies El Cartel's across-the-board appeal. It's a sexy swirl of electro-tinged reggaetón beats courtesy of producer Scott Storch (Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown). The bilingual remix, included here, one-ups the original, thanks in part to a terrific pairing with pop-flirt Fergie.

Storch brings a more standard hip-hop flair to Que Pasó!, which finds Yankee presiding over an '80s-inspired freestyle groove. It plays like a mash-up of Usher and 50 Cent, and the hip-swiveling bassline is impossible to resist. It could — and likely will — fill a dance floor in seconds.

Who's Your Daddy? would be an easy throwaway in the hands of a less charismatic artist. It's rapid-fire beats and female vocals are standard head-bobbing stuff. But Yankee's trademark smirk and swagger make it work.

There are a few tunes that can't coast on personality alone. Plane to PR was produced by Black Eyed Peas ringleader Will.i.am, who also trades rap verses with Yankee. The track is repetitive and uninspired, though that means it will likely be a huge hit, helped by its shout-out to "hot little mamacitas."

Will.i.am isn't responsible for the solid El Celular, but its mild groove plays like a Peas tune. R&B rudeboy Akon adds a bit of island flavor to Bring it On, another bilingual pairing that's as solid as anything on urban contemporary radio, though it lacks the punch of El Cartel's best tracks.

Better in terms of superstar pairings is Papi Lover, which features the slinky stylings of head Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. Her silky purrs are a nice contrast to Yankee's tough-lug delivery.

Purists need not worry about all of the reinvention. El Cartel still features a bevy of straightforward reggaetón thumpers that sound fresh. El Jefe is a standout, with its masculine choruses and driving drumline, it sounds like an ominous pep-rally anthem. And the thinly veiled Mensaje de Estado continues Yankee's lyrical rivalry with fellow reggaetónero Don Omar.

"Daddy Yankee is not a singer. Daddy Yankee is a movement," he announces.

The diversity and depth of El Cartel make that moment of braggadocio, for the most part, ring terrifically true.

joey.guerra@chron.com