Puerto Rico is in the spotlight due to a recent endorsement by recording artist Daddy Yankee. Even though he is not as well known on the island, than in other parts of Latin America, U.S. presidential candidate capitalized on his fame for campaign purposes at an event in an Arizona high school. Bloggers comment on the fact that Daddy Yankee is a low profile rapper in the island and his example is not one to be emulated. So what is McCain after? Votes obviously, and as far as votes go the Puerto Rican and the Latino communities in the US.
In the words of blogger Edwqin Vazquez of Cargas y Desgargas [es]:
El reggaetonero Raymond Ayala, mejor conocido como Daddy Yankee, hizo el supremo ridículo: endosó a John McCain para presidente en una escuela de Arizona, aún cuando el pobre no tiene derecho a votar en las elecciones presidenciales.
The reggaeton singer Raymond Ayala better known as “Daddy Yankee” was part of something ridiculous: he endorsed John McCain for president in a high school in Arizona even tough the poor guy doesn't have a right to vote in the presidential elections.
According to blogger Elco Lao, he is not sure how much McCain even knows who Daddy Yankee is [es]:
aunque el candidato a presidente por el partido republicano dice que Dadi es uno de sus mejores amigos, antes de que entrara a escena tuvo que leer de una tarjeta alguna información que le hiciera recordar quién carajos era este muchacho… Por lo menos, las muchachitas de la escuela que visitó Maquein supieron anticipadamente de quién se trataba ya que mencionó la palabra “GASOLINA”.
…although the presidential candidate said that Daddy was one of his best friends, before Daddy Yankee entered the stage, McCain had to read from a card with information to remind him who the hell was this guy. At least the girls in the school recognized him when McCain mentioned the title of one of his hits “GASOLINA”…
During the activity the Star Spangled Banner was played but Daddy Yankee didn't knew the lyrics to that tune so he had to bit his lips during the anthem performance. After the ceremony the rapper sang one of his most famous hits “Gasolina” (gasoline). the song is about a girl who likes to ride in cars and in the song is constantly repeating “dame más gasolina” (give me more gasoline). The lyrics of the song contrast with McCain's energy policies and his purported plans to encourage the production of alternative energy and his plan to reward the inventor who rescues the US from its dependency on foreign oil with $300,000,000.
The news did not cause an uproar here in the island since Puerto Ricans can't vote, so none of the local media payed much attention to it. Bloggers from the U.S. consider it an act of political significance since McCain chose to address the Puerto Ricans, and other Latinos living in the states by standing by the side of a well-known recording artist.
Thumbnail photo by Rascolmkp
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Gasolina is PR slang for alcohol. So listen to/read the lyrics one more time with this new knowledge.
And to some Gasolina is also a slang for “snow”, “angel powder”, “heaven dust” or commonly known as cocaine.
Great post! Welcome to Global Voices - I don’t think I ever met anyone in Puerto Rico who didn’t know who Daddy Yankee was! John McCain on the other hand…
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NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO DONT TRY TO MAKE YANKEE LOOK BAD THAT IS JUST MUSIC WE LISTEN TO MUSIC TO HAVE FUN TO DANCE TO TO JUST CHILL THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM IF U WANT TO PUT A TWIST ON THINGS JUST BECAUSE YOU DNT LIKE SOME ONE BECUASE DADDY IS DOING SOMETHING GOOD BECAUSE WE DNT NEED OBAMA IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND NO NOT BECAUSE HE IS BLACK OR ANY THING LIKE THAT BUT BECUASE OBAMA DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HE WANTS NOW I DNT KNOW WHAT UR VIEW IS ON THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAING BUT AS FAR AS I SEE ITS ON THE SIDE WHERE YOU DNT WANT THE REPOLICANS TO WIN AND THATS FINE BECAUSE I RESPECT YOUR VIEW BUT DADDY IS HELPING OUT SOME ONE DO THER JOB AND IF IT MEANS THAT SOME PLP R GOING TO BE UPSET THEN SO BE IT BECAUSE NOT JUST ENY ONE CAN BE THE PRESIDENT
What are you talking about? I was watching SuperXclusivo when the news broke and it was a pretty big deal. It was mentioned on the news multiple times as well. From what I saw the media interpreted it as both surprising, seeing as McCain is not the island’s favorite (Hillary will always reign there as far as this election is concerned), and as a sort of betrayal, since no one on the island can vote anyways. But Puerto Ricans are used to Daddy’s betrayal, seeing as he now favors the U.S. market over the Puerto Rican one. That does not, however, mean that Puerto Ricans don’t know who he is. In fact, his face is everywhere in promotion for his movie so he’d be kind of hard NOT to recognize.
I am a teacher. If you live in Puerto Rico ask any junior or high school student who is Daddy Yankee and they will tell you that he is one of the old school reggaeton singers. Here in the island any singer of that genre can last on the top charts for as long as six months after that, he/she is forgotten.
Hey ANGEL MATEO, if you’re voting against Obama then you’re voting against yourself. You must not have any clue as to what John McCain’s policies are regarding hispanics. Go ahead and vote against yourself….
Another rapper tells Daddy Yanque to “Shut Up” in a song.
http://www.elnuevodia.com/diario/noticia/musica/flash!/tapaboca_a_yankee/457451
BUENO I THINK DADDY YANKEE IS DOIN DA RITE THING BECAUSE YAL ARE OVA HERE SAYIN DADDY YANKEE IS BETRAYIN PUERTO RICO AND STUF BUT YAL DON’T REMEMBER DAT HE HELPED DA PUERTO RICAN SCHOOLS AND HIS DONE ALOT FOR PUERTO RICO….AND SO WAT DAT DADDY YANKEE REPRESENTS McCAIN DATS GUD CUZ OBAMA IS MUSLIM…AND I HOPE McCAIN WINS AND IN PUERTO RICO I HOPE LOS PNP WIN BECAUSE LOS POPULARES ARE DESTROYING PUERTO RICO AND TAKIN ALL THE BENEFITS FROM THE POOR AND THE ELDERLY Y ESO NO ESTA BIEN CUZ MA GRANDMA OVA THERE AND SHE SUFFERIN BECUASE THEY DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO HER AND SHE’S VERY SICK AND WE NEED SUMBODY DAT WILL HELP PUERTO RICO SUPERARSE…SO I THINK DADDY YANKEE IS DOIN JUSS DAT YALL NEED TO OPEN YAL EYES AND SEE THE TRUTH…
I don’t want to make this a point of contention, since it’s not really the issue at hand, but I don’t really know Puerto Ricans not familiar with Daddy Yankee or La Gasolina. That song has been regularly on the radio for at least 5 years and that man -though he may not be reigning king to high school students- is still the most successful reggaeton singer to this day. Anyways, “low profile rapper” seems like an inadequate way to describe him. What I would be willing to bet is that a very small minority of Puerto Ricans in the Island know who John McCain is, and only a fraction of those care.
What’s ludicrous about Daddy Yankee’s endorsement is the fact that he’s not an artist known for any sort of political activity outside of his claiming at one point (during the original release of the song) that Gasolina was really a song about the rising prices of gasoline and the situation in the Middle East. (no joke, I remember listening to him present the song on a radio station) Not only does Daddy Yankee have NO clue about who McCain is or what Republican politics are like but he CAN’T VOTE and he’s supporting a candidate that is not just completely ignorant of who he is but has never said a single substantial thing addressing Puerto Rico or the issues surrounding our relationship to the US.
Refreshingly enough, Siete Nueve, a young hip hop artist who could definitely be labeled as a “low profile rapper” (specially considering he’s a part of a small, largely ignored hip hop community in the Island) and releases a song criticizing the endorsement (http://www.myspace.com/sietenueve). The song deconstructs the issue of the endorsement as much more than a political move, tying it to a larger class conflict and the issue of Puerto Ricans in the US army and poking holes all over Yankee’s endorsement, making it completely laughable. At the end of the song, the singer endorses Pedro Albizu Campos, undoubtedly the most important figure in the history of the Puerto Rican left and President of the Nationalist Party.
Over a simple hip hop beat, the voice of Albizu is heard talking at the end of the song, finishing with a solid phrase: “the ballot box is the coffin in which to bury the Puerto Rican nation”.
As Puerto Ricans, we’re not part of the discourse surrounding this election. They paid attention to us back in June when the democrats ran down to the Island for a couple of days to battle it out for the primary, but we’re not and never have been a priority for the US government. As far as Puerto Rican and Latin American communities in the states, we’re pandered to just like everyone else, with the only distinction being that as US citizens we don’t come into play in the immigration debate… so it’s even easier to brush us carefully to the side with an appearance in the Puerto Rican Day Parade or perhaps a photo op with a popular singer. Are we supposed to feel content now? Is Daddy Yankee supposed to represent us?
Very nice comment there, Sofia. I think the next step would be asking if Daddy Yankee is supposed to represent all American Latinos as well, which is how some are interpreting his endorsement.
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