Daddy Yankee's first studio album since 2004's groundbreaking Barrio Fino promises to pour more gasolina on the fire that is reggaeton. The Cartel: The Big Boss (El Cartel/Interscope), released June 5, 2007, continues to expand reggaeton's power and reach by featuring such diverse guest artists as Fergie, Jim Jones, Nicole Scherzinger from The Pussycat Dolls, Akon, and Will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas. Both Akon and Will.i.am also produce, as do Mr. ColliPark and Scott Storch (the latter producing the first single, "Impacto") along with Reggaeton producers Eli "El Musicologo", Tiny Tunes, Diesel and Menace.

For Daddy Yankee, The Cartel: The Big Boss marks the next step in a phenomenal career that has taken him from the barrios outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, to being named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world by Time magazine.

"Reggaeton needs a change and I'm changing too," says Daddy Yankee. "You can't rest on the past. This album is very different. My roots are still there but now there's more, a side of me people haven't seen, including hip-hop. And I know the power music has too. I'm a leader in Latin culture. The album talks about the role we're playing in society. For people that don't know what's happening, we need to let them know what's going on."

Daddy Yankee's influence within the genre is matched by his entrepreneurial vision. Besides being founder and CEO of his own record label and management company, he is one of Pepsi's Hispanic spokespersons and for sportswear powerhouse Reebok has created "Daddy Yankee by Rbk," a footwear, clothing and accessory line available in stores nationwide. Talento de Barrio, his first film, as actor and executive producer, is slated for a U.S. release later this year. The reggaeton star recently celebrated his first anniversary as the host of the Daddy Yankee On Fuego Radio Show, a nationally syndicated radio show on ABC Radio Networks which airs on 29 affiliates.