Background and career
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (Latin American Spanish: [beˈnito anˈtonjo maɾˈtines oˈkasjo]; born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and record producer. Dubbed the "King of Latin Trap", he is widely credited with helping Spanish-language rap reach mainstream global popularity and is considered one of the greatest Latino rappers of all time. Music critics have also noted Bad Bunny's role in broadening the international appeal of Latin urban music by incorporating elements of salsa, rock, and other Latin genres into his recordings. Bad Bunny rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", which led to a recording contract with Hear This Music. He gained global recognition with the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "I Like It". Bad Bunny's debut studio album, X 100pre (2018), was ranked among the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. His second solo album, YHLQMDLG (2020), became Spotify's most-streamed album of the year worldwide. El Último Tour Del Mundo (2020), Bad Bunny's third solo album, became the first all-Spanish language album to top the US Billboard 200. His fourth solo album, Un Verano Sin Ti (2022), was the year's most successful album globally according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). He followed it with the Billboard 200 number-one albums Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (2023) and Debí Tirar Más Fotos (2025); the latter became the first Spanish-language album to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Bad Bunny scored five Billboard Global 200 number-one singles—"Dakiti", "Un x100to", "Where She Goes", "Mónaco", and "DTMF". Bad Bunny was the Top Touring Artist of the Year in 2022 and the most-streamed artist of the year on Spotify four times between 2020 and 2025. Billboard crowned him the Greatest Pop Star of 2022 and 2025. In 2019, he was selected for the Forbes 30 under 30 list as an honoree in the Music category. His 2026 Super Bowl LX halftime show won a record seven Primetime Emmy Awards. Bad Bunny's accolades include six Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, seventeen Latin Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, and thirteen Lo Nuestro Awards. Outside of music, Bad Bunny occasionally performs in professional wrestling. He began making appearances on WWE programming in 2021 and made his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 37. He is a one-time WWE 24/7 Champion and has wrestled at the 2022 Royal Rumble and the 2023 Backlash pay-per-view events. Bad Bunny has also appeared in multiple films, including Bullet Train (2022), Cassandro (2023), Caught Stealing (2025), Happy Gilmore 2 (2025) and Toy Story 5 (2026).
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was born on March 10, 1994, in Bayamón, and was raised in the Almirante Sur barrio of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. His father, Benito "Tito" Martínez, was a truck driver, and his mother, Lysaurie Ocasio Declet, is a retired schoolteacher. He has two younger brothers, Bernie and Bysael. His parents often listened to genres such as salsa, merengue, and pop ballads. Martínez's earliest musical memory was when he received the record Aquel Que Había Muerto by Puerto Rican rapper and reggaetón pioneer Vico C as a Christmas gift at the age of five. His initial musical purchases included CDs of Marc Anthony and Víctor Manuelle. He said, "I wasn't the kid who got involved in the streets. I liked to be at home with my family." He attended church weekly with his devoutly Catholic mother and sang in the church choir until age 13. Bad Bunny has stated that his early experiences singing in church helped shape his musical foundation and stage confidence. After leaving the choir, he developed an interest in the artists he heard on the radio, particularly Daddy Yankee and Héctor Lavoe. His stage name originated from a time when he was forced to wear a bunny costume and was annoyed about it. He later thought the name "Bad Bunny" would "market well". After graduating high school in 2012, Martínez enrolled in the audiovisual communications program at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, aiming to become a radio host. He worked part-time as a bagger and cashier at an Econo supermarket while creating music. He left university without completing his degree to pursue his musical aspirations. Speaking about the Puerto Rican music industry, he stated, "I'm from Vega Baja, a small area that's not a metropolis like San Juan where the majority of the genre's artists have come from."
He started to write and create his own music at the age of 14. In 2016, his song "Diles" caught the attention of DJ Luian from SoundCloud who signed him to his record label, Hear this Music. His single "Soy Peor", released in December 2016, reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. In May 2017, his collaboration with Colombian singer Karol G, "Ahora Me Llama", was released, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. It was listed on "Alt.Latino's Favorites: The Songs of 2017" as one of the best Latin songs of 2017. In July 2017, Bad Bunny signed a booking deal with Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN) for several Latin American countries.
Starting in November 2017, Bad Bunny hosted Beats 1's first Spanish-language show, Trap Kingz. The remix of "Te Boté" with Ozuna and Nicky Jam reached number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart. In May 2018, American rapper Cardi B released a collaboration with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, "I Like It", which topped the Billboard Hot 100. On October 11, 2018, Bad Bunny released "Mia" with Drake, which reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Bad Bunny released his debut album X 100pre on December 24, 2018, on the Rimas Entertainment label. The album peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200. On Metacritic, X 100pre received an average score of 84 based on five reviews, and it was voted 447th in Rolling Stone's 2020 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised Bad Bunny's "off-kilter creativity". In 2019, he was selected for the Forbes 30 under 30 list as an honoree in the Music category. On June 28, 2019, Bad Bunny released Oasis, an eight-song collaborative album with J Balvin. It peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard US Latin Albums chart. In July 2019, he joined protests against Puerto Rican governor Ricardo Rosselló in response to Telegramgate. Bad Bunny and Residente released "Afilando Los Cuchillos" ("Sharpening the knives") during the demonstrations. In October, Bad Bunny headlined the 2nd Pornhub Awards in Los Angeles. His performance also featured Rico Nasty And Kali Uchis.
In February 2020, Bad Bunny was a guest performer at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show, headlined by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Bad Bunny announced the album YHLQMDLG on February 27, 2020, during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and stated that it would be released on the 2020 leap day, namely February 29. The album's title is an acronym for "Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana" (Spanish for "I Do What I Want") and features collaborations with Daddy Yankee, Yaviah, Jowell & Randy, Ñengo Flow, among other artists. YHLQMDLG debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, becoming the highest-charting all-Spanish album ever on the chart at the time. The album was met with critical acclaim, with the album's musical diversity being praised. "Vete" was released as the lead single of the album on November 22, 2019. The second single, "Ignorantes", with Panamanian singer Sech came out on February 14, 2020. In March 2020, Bad Bunny released the music video for "Yo Perreo Sola", in which the artist performs in drag. "Yo Perreo Sola" landed number one on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart, earning Bad Bunny his ninth number 1 on the chart in just over two years. On April 4, 2020, he released the song "En Casita" on SoundCloud, which expressed solidarity towards others in quarantine due to COVID-19 and featured vocals from his girlfriend, Gabriela Berlingeri. On May 10, 2020, Bad Bunny released his first compilation Las que no iban a salir, without previous announcements. The compilation's title translates to "The Ones That Were Not Going to Come Out" and includes unreleased or unfinished material songs. The album features collaborations with Don Omar, Yandel, Zion & Lennox, Nicky Jam, and Jhayco. Discussing the album's surprise release, Bad Bunny explained, "There was no real meaning behind it. I just thought, 'Damn. What people need is entertainment'." Bad Bunny had been filming his supporting role in Narcos: Mexico before filming was postponed due to the pandemic. It premiered in November 2021. In July 2020, he appeared on the first digital cover of Playboy magazine as the first man to appear on the cover solo other than the magazine's founder, Hugh Hefner. The cover was shot by photographer Stillz in Miami, Florida, and the magazine includes a feature article entitled "Bad Bunny Is Not Playing God." He also received the ASCAP Latin award for Songwriter of the Year. In August, his song "Pero Ya No" appeared in an advertisement for politician Joe Biden's 2020 United States presidential election campaign. On September 20, 2020, Bad Bunny performed a surprise, live (via his YouTube channel and Uforia), free concert from atop a flatbed truck that looked like a subway car going through the streets of New York and ended at Harlem Hospital Center. In October 2020, Bad Bunny released the single "Dakiti", with Jhayco, which topped the Billboard Global 200 and reached number five on the US Hot 100. The song is included on his third studio album, El Último Tour Del Mundo, which was released on November 27, 2020, and was described as a personal and ambitious record. It became the first all-Spanish language album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. Bad Bunny and YHLQMDLG became Spotify's most-streamed artist and album globally in 2020, respectively. It marked the first time a non-English language music artist topped the year-end list, with The Guardian considering him "the world's biggest pop star" for his streaming numbers. The album received the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. On February 20, 2021, Bad Bunny performed "La Noche de Anoche" with Rosalía and "Te Deseo Lo Mejor" on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Regé-Jean Page, as well as appearing in the pre-recorded musical sketches "Loco" and "Sea Shanty". On the US Billboard Hot 100, Bad Bunny's next single "Yonaguni" became his fourth top 10 entry and first with no accompanying acts. He was also cast in David Leitch-directed film Bullet Train, starring Brad Pitt. In July 2021, it was announced that Bad Bunny co-wrote and co-produced the fifth album of Puerto Rican Latin pop artist Tommy Torres titled El Playlist de Anoche. Bad Bunny won the most awards at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards with 10, including the category Artist of the Year. In the following months, he was featured on Aventura's single "Volví", and released "Lo Siento BB:/" with Tainy and Julieta Venegas. In September 2021, he appeared on the Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Bad Bunny's 2022 concert tour, El Último Tour del Mundo, visited the US and Canada indoor arenas. He won Best Urban Music Album and Best Rap/Hip Hop Song at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards. El Último Tour Del Mundo won Best Música Urbana Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. In December 2021, it was announced that Bad Bunny became Spotify's most-streamed artist of the year globally, for a second year in a row. On December 24, 2021, a short film and music video titled Te Deseo Lo Mejor was released in collaboration with the creators of The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman and stars Humberto Vélez, Claudia Motta and Bad Bunny.
In January 2022, Bad Bunny was featured in Vogue for the second time, modeling the current season's best bags. In April 2022, Sony Pictures announced Bad Bunny as the lead for El Muerto, a film set in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. The film was originally set to be released on January 12, 2024, prior to being removed from the release schedule. On May 6, 2022, Bad Bunny released his fourth (fifth overall) studio album, Un Verano Sin Ti, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and stood there for thirteen non-consecutive weeks. The album was declared the best-performing album of the year on the Billboard 200 year-end chart, as well as the world's best-performing album of 2022 according to IFPI, making Bad Bunny the first Latino to have won a IFPI Global Chart Award. It also broke the record for the most-streamed album of all time on Spotify. Un Verano Sin Ti became the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Bad Bunny began his fourth concert tour World's Hottest Tour on August 5, 2022, set to visit fourteen countries of the American continent. On October 4, 2022, the tour became the highest-grossing tour by a Latin artist in history, earning US$232.5 million at the time. Bad Bunny received the most nominations (eight) for the 2022 American Music Awards, including his first for artist of the year. He was crowned Artist of the Year by Billboard in 2022. He also became the most streamed artist of the year in 2022 for the third year in a row. On May 19, 2023, Bad Bunny released his first solo single of the year titled "Where She Goes", in which he ventured into jersey club music. The music video had cameos from Frank Ocean, Lil Uzi Vert, Ronaldinho, and others. In an interview with Vanity Fair on September 12, 2023, Bad Bunny revealed that he is no longer involved in the upcoming El Muerto film after its schedule removal. He also confirmed that he was working on a new album, planned for release sometime during the following fall. Bad Bunny hinted at the possibility of the upcoming project's sound, confirming that he is "playing around and enjoying myself, letting go. I'm being inspired a lot by the music of the '70s, —across genres, in both Spanish and English, but I'm not sure if this is going to shape my music, generally or just one song," After weeks of unconfirmed teasers and rumors, Bad Bunny revealed the album's title as Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana; the album has 22 tracks and was released on October 13, 2023.
