''El Disco Duro'' (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for "The Hard Disk") is an unreleased and later cancelled studio album by Puerto Rican rapper

Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (; born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee (), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to worldwide prominence in 2004 with the song "Gasolina". Dubbed the "Honorific ...

. It was originally scheduled to be released during early 2017 under its original title ''King Daddy II: Elemento DY'', a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to his previous album ''

King Daddy ''King Daddy'', also known as ''Imperio Nazza: King Daddy Edition'', is a mixtape by Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee, released independently on October 29, 2013 by his label El Cartel Records, a year after his seventh studio album, ''Prestige''. ...

'', produced by Los de la Nazza, a production duo that worked with Daddy Yankee from 2007 to 2014. The album was to include " Sígueme y Te Sigo", " Dura", "Vaivén" and " Shaky Shaky" as singles, which were released between March 2015 and April 2016.

Background

''El Disco Duro'' (originally titled ''King Daddy II: Elemento DY'') was going to be the sequel of his previous mixtape ''

'', released in October 2013, which became the first digital-only Latin album that managed to rank within the top 10 on the US

Top Latin Albums Top Latin Albums (formerly Latin 50) is a record chart published by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine and is labeled as the most important music chart for Spanish language, full-length albums in the United States, American music market. ...

chart. Two months after the release of ''King Daddy'', Daddy Yankee announced that there was going to be a physical version of the album, with exclusive bonus tracks, planned to be released during 2014, but it was not published after all. The Puerto Rican production duo Los de la Nazza, which had been working with Daddy Yankee since 2007, left

El Cartel Records El Cartel Records (formerly known as Los Cangris Inc. and El Cartel Productions) is a Puerto Rican record label. The release of '' Barrio Fino'', Daddy Yankee's first commercially successful album, is notable for being the label's first distribut ...

and stopped being his main producers in order to focus on their careers. Chris Jeday and Gaby Music were hired as the album's main producers during late 2014. ''El Disco Duro'' was officially announced during mid-2014 as ''King Daddy II'' with the promotion of the single "Sábado Rebelde" featuring Puerto Rican duo Plan B, released on October 31. On September 10, he was urgently moved to a nearby hospital in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, where he was set to perform later that night. Daddy Yankee suffered a rise in blood pressure,

hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia (American English), also spelled hypoglycaemia or hypoglycæmia (British English), sometimes called low blood sugar, is a fall in blood sugar to levels below normal, typically below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L). Whipple's tria ...

and dehydration, which almost caused him to suffer a heart attack before being treated by doctors. His condition improved and he was sent to rest in his native Puerto Rico, but had to cancel other concerts in Colombia. On October 19, he confirmed that his hypoglycemia worsened and turned into a

prediabetes Prediabetes is a component of metabolic syndrome and is characterized by elevated blood sugar levels that fall below the threshold to diagnose diabetes mellitus. It usually does not cause symptoms, but people with prediabetes often have obesity ( ...

. In January 2017, he was featured on the reggaeton-pop single "

Despacito "Despacito" (; ) is a song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, originally written in 2015. In 2016, Luis sent the song to Puerto Rican rapper and singer Daddy Yankee to give it an "urban injection", and released it as the lead single from Fons ...

" by Puerto Rican singer

Luis Fonsi Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs, most notably 2017's "Despacito". Fonsi received his first Latin ...

. The song was a worldwide success, topping the charts of 45 countries, including a number 1 spot on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the first for a primarily Spanish-language song since "

Macarena "Macarena" is a song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, originally recorded for their 1993 album '' A mí me gusta''. A dance remix by the electropop group Fangoria was a success in Spain, and a soundalike cover version by Los del Mar became ...

" by

Los del Río Los del Río (, "those from the river"), also known as the Del Rios, are a Spanish Latin pop and dance duo formed in Dos Hermanas, Andalusia, in 1962. Consisting of Antonio Romero Monge (born 17 February 1940) and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones (born ...

in 1996. The success of the song led Daddy Yankee to become the most listened artist worldwide on the streaming service

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

on July 9, 2017, being the first Latin artist to do so. In March 2017, Daddy Yankee announced a global partnership with Zumba Fitness, in which he would record exclusive tracks for the Zumba Instructor Network. On March 15, 2017, Daddy Yankee was recognized as Artist/Songwriter of the Year by the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

during the 25th Annual ASCAP Latin Music Awards. A day later, he received a Puerto Rican Walk of Fame Star in San Juan, becoming the first urban act to do so.

Composition

" Sígueme y Te Sigo" is a dance love song written by Daddy Yankee, Chris Jeday and Luis "Wichi" Ortíz Rivera, inspired by

social networks A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of meth ...

but not centred on them, and mixes reggaeton with Latin pop, including an electric guitar riff. "Vaivén" is a moombahton song written by Daddy Yankee, Luis "Wichi" Ortíz Rivera and the producer Chris Jeday. " Shaky Shaky" is a reggaeton song born as a freestyle during early December 2015, and was later recorded by the production duo Los Evo Jedis. According to Daddy Yankee, the main vocals were recorded in one take and the song musically mixes sounds from old and new school reggaeton. The

keyboard bass Keyboard bass (shortened to keybass and sometimes referred as a synth bass) is the use of a smaller, low-pitched keyboard with fewer notes than a regular keyboard or pedal keyboard to substitute for the deep notes of a bass guitar or double bas ...

line was based on the one from the single "Murder She Wrote" by

Chaka Demus & Pliers Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus (born John Taylor) and singer Pliers (born Everton Bonner), known for their hits " Tease Me" and " Murder She Wrote". As a duo, they enjoyed more commercial success ...

, released in 1992. It also includes a repeating sample of a horse's neigh from Mel and Tim's "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies" (1970), which became popular after

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi ...

's "

Insane in the Brain "Insane in the Brain" is a song by American hip-hop group Cypress Hill, released in June 1993, by Ruffhouse and Columbia Records, as the first single from the group's second album, '' Black Sunday'' (1993). The song was written by group members ...

" (1993). "Otra Cosa" features Dominican singer

Natti Natasha Natalia Alexandra Gutiérrez Batista (born December 10, 1986), better known by her stage name Natti Natasha (stylized all caps), is a List of people from the Dominican Republic, Dominican singer, songwriter and composer. She was signed to Don Om ...

and is a fusion between reggaeton, dancehall and moombahton music written by Daddy Yankee, Natti Natasha and Puerto Rican producer Haze. The lyrics are about

lovesickness Lovesickness is an affliction that can produce negative feelings when deeply in love, during the absence of a loved one or when love is unrequited. The term "lovesickness" is rarely used in modern medicine and psychology, though new research ...

. The concept of the song was brought to Daddy Yankee by Haze and Natti Natasha in order to be included on the track listing of ''La Super Fórmula'', a

Pina Records Pina Records is a Puerto Rico-based record label founded by music producer Rafael "Raphy" Antonio Pina Nieves in 1996. Pina Records is one of the longest-running reggaetón record labels; in 2026, the label will celebrate its 30-year anniversary ...

studio album by various artists. "La Rompe Corazones" features Puerto Rican singer Ozuna and was written by Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, Chris Jeday and Puerto Rican songwriter Jesús "Benny Benni" Benitez Hiraldo. The song tells the story of a lovesick woman who no longer trusts her relationships, taking revenge on other men through her frustration. " Dura" is a Reggaeton song released on January 18, 2018. "Dura" and its music video, directed by Carlos Pérez, filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and based on 1990s style and visuals. The song was written by Daddy Yankee, Juan Rivera, Luis Romero, and Urbani Mota, and was produced by Los Evo Jedis. A remix version featuring

Becky G Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. Born and raised in Inglewood, California, she first gained recognition in 2011 for her cover version, cover versions of popular song ...

Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (; born March 10, 1994), better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Known as the " King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve m ...

and

was released on April 27, 2018.

Production

The first known recording session for ''El Disco Duro'' with producers Chris Jeday and Gaby Music was held in December 2014. The last known session was carried out in May 2017 with the recording of the track "Percocet". The recording was resumed during mid-October 2016 with Daddy Yankee and Dominican singer

recording the single "Otra Cosa" for

' upcoming studio album ''La Super Fórmula''. However, Daddy Yankee managed to include the track on ''El Disco Duro'' during December 2016. On February 21, 2017, Daddy Yankee uploaded an image on his official

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account listening to the album. Studios where the album was recorded includes Daddy Yankee's El Cartel Studios in

Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico Santurce (, meaning Saint George from Basque language, Basque ''Santurtzi'') is the largest and most populated Barrios of San Juan, Puerto Rico, barrio of the Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan, the cap ...

, Chris Jeday's Music Capos Studios in Puerto Rico,

Criteria Studios Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...

in Miami, Florida, USA, and Master House Studios in Doral, Florida, USA. "Sígueme y Te Sigo" was mixed at El Cartel Studios in February 2015. Sound test for "Vaivén" was held by Chris Jeday at Music Capos Studios during early August 2015. The song was later mixed at Criteria Studios and at El Cartel Studios the same month.

Release

Daddy Yankee confirmed on October 26, 2016 during a meeting with Zumba fitness creator Beto Perez at

that ''El Disco Duro'' will be released during early 2017, most likely during January or February. On June 21, 2017, Daddy Yankee stated that he postponed the album's release due to finding more successful the release of singles instead of an entire record. In December 2014, ''Billboard'' magazine added digital and streaming information to count sales: 1,000 digital songs sales and 1,500 song streams separately equal one album sale, which may affect the chart placement of the album. Considered on-demand audio services includes

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

Beats Music Beats Music was a subscription-based music streaming service owned by the Beats Electronics division of Apple Inc. The service combined algorithmic personalization with curated music suggestions. Development began in 2012 under the codename "D ...

and

Xbox Music Groove Music (formerly Xbox Music and Zune Marketplace) is a discontinued Audio player (software), audio player software application included with Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Windows 11. The app is also associated with a now-disco ...

Singles

" Sígueme y Te Sigo" was released as the first single on March 12, 2015. It peaked at number 6 on the US

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin music, Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart ranki ...

chart on June 13, 2015 and at number 5 on

Tropical Songs The ''Billboard'' tropical charts began in 1985 when an album chart were introduced as Tropical Albums in the June 29 issue of the magazine. In October 1994, ''Billboard'' then established Tropical Airplay, which initially rank the most-played song ...

on April 18, 2015. Internationally, the song peaked at number 12 in Spain, at number 32 in Venezuela, and at number 198 in France. It was certified 2× platinum by the PROMUSICAE, platinum by the IFPI Chile, and gold by the

FIMI The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...

. "Vaivén" was released as the second single on September 17, 2015. Although the song does not have an official music video, it managed to peak at number 7 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart and at number 3 on Tropical Songs, both on January 23, 2016. Internationally, the single reached number 19 in Spain and number 34 in Venezuela. It received a platinum certification by the PROMUSICAE and the IFPI Chile. " Shaky Shaky" was released as the third single on April 8, 2016, although it was originally planned as a gift from Yankee to his fans for 2015 Christmas. The song reached the number 1 spot on the US Hot Latin Songs and

charts on November 5 and August 20, 2016, respectively. It became his fourth No. 1 song on the Hot Latin Songs chart and his first one since February 2013. It also peaked at number 88 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, becoming Daddy Yankee's first entry on the Hot 100 since the debut of " Impacto" on May 26, 2007. Internationally, the song peaked at number 1 in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, at number 4 in Colombia, at number 11 in Guatemala, at number 14 in Uruguay, at number 25 in Spain, and at number 42 in Venezuela. It was certified 2× platinum by the PROMUSICAE and the

CAPIF The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers (, CAPIF) is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent ...

, platinum by the IFPI Chile, and gold by the FIMI.

Other releases

"Sábado Rebelde" was released as a promotional song on October 31, 2014. It features reggaeton duo Plan B and was written by Daddy Yankee, Plan B, and the producer Haze. It peaked at number 49 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart on February 28, 2015. "Alerta Roja" was released as a promotional song on Daddy Yankee's birthday on February 3, 2016 as a gift to his fans. The song's concept was to include some of the most popular Latin urban artists. Singers Osmani García and

J Álvarez Javid David Álvarez Fernández (born December 13, 1983), also known by his stage name J Álvarez is a Puerto Rican singer. He is best known for hit singles such as "La Pregunta", "Junto al Amanecer", "Sexo, Sudor y Calor" and "Regálame Un ...

(Cuban and Puerto Rican, respectively) were originally guest artists but their verses were not included in the song. J Álvarez stated not knowing about being out of it and manifested his anger with Daddy Yankee through his social networks. Two weeks later, Álvarez said that he was not aware of the song's concept and also that his anger was caused by a misunderstanding. "Otra Cosa" was released as a

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

on December 9, 2016 and features

. The song was released as the first single of

' upcoming studio album, ''La Súper Fórmula'', but Daddy Yankee managed to also include it on ''El Disco Duro''. The single peaked at number 21 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart on February 18, 2017 and at number 17 on Tropical Songs on January 14, 2017. The song also peaked at number 50 in Venezuela. "La Rompe Corazones" was released as a promotional single on January 6, 2017 as a gift from Daddy Yankee to his fans because of Three Kings' Day. The song peaked at number 12 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart on July 22, 2017. Internationally, the single peaked at number 2 in Peru, at number 8 in Spain and Mexico, and at number 11 in Paraguay. It was certified 2× platinum by the PROMUSICAE and gold by the CAPIF. "Hula Hoop" was released as a promotional single on March 3, 2017, originally recorded exclusively for Zumba fitness. The song was based on the "hula hoop" hook from the remix of "Shaky Shaky" by Daddy Yankee, Nicky Jam and Plan B. It peaked at number 30 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart on March 25, 2017. Internationally, it reached number 9 in Chile, number 18 in Venezuela, number 20 in Colombia, and number 75 in Spain.

Accolades

"Sígueme y Te Sigo" received a Latin American Music Award for Favorite Urban Song at the 1st Latin American Music Awards. It was nominated for

Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...

for Best Urban Song and Best Urban Performance at the 16th Latin Grammy Awards. "Vaivén" was nominated for an International Dance Music Award for Best Latin Dance Track at the 31st International Dance Music Awards and for a Lo Nuestro Award for Urban Song of the Year at the 29th Lo Nuestro Awards. "Shaky Shaky" received a Premio Juventud for Best Song for Dancing at the 14th Premios Juventud. It was nominated for ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards for Hot Latin Song of the Year and Streaming Song of the Year at the 24th ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards. It also received a Top Latin Song nomination at the 24th ''Billboard'' Music Awards.

Track listing

The following table is in order of release and is not the official track listing. Some songs may not appear on the final album.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Disco Duro Daddy Yankee albums Spanish-language albums Sequel albums Unreleased albums