The be-all-end-all of #92;reggaeton superstardom during the early 21st century, musical pioneer Daddy Yankee (born Ramón Ayala in Puerto Rico) managed to transcend all cultural and stylistic barriers and turned himself into a veritable household name, a unique accomplishment for one in his genre. He did so chiefly on the basis of two recordings, the 2004 Barrio Fino and the 2007 El Cartel: The Big Boss; the twist, however, lay in his ability to parlay the towering success of those recordings into commercial endorsements, a syndicated television program, and, significantly, a movie deal. As his premier film project, Yankee headlined the Maya Entertainment release Talento de Barrio (2007), playing a young Puerto Rican man violently torn between two possible futures: one in the criminal underworld and one as a successful recording star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide