Bad Bunny

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, record producer, and occasional professional wrestler. 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.

Bad Bunny rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", which led to a recording contract with Hear This Music. He continued gaining global recognition with songs such as the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "I Like It" (with Cardi B and J Balvin) and the top-five single "Mía" (featuring Drake). 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, with its 11 tracks charting simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100.

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, while its lead single, "Dakiti", topped the Billboard Global 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. He scored another four global number-one singles—"Un x100to" (with Grupo Frontera), "Where She Goes", "Mónaco", and "DTMF", with the lattermost becoming the first Spanish-language solo song to top the Billboard Hot 100. He headlined the Super Bowl LX halftime show in 2026.

His accolades include six Grammy Awards, seventeen Latin Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, and thirteen Lo Nuestro Awards. Billboard crowned him the Greatest Pop Star of 2022 and 2025, as well as the Top Touring Artist of the Year in 2022. He became the most-streamed artist of the year on Spotify four times between 2020 and 2025. Outside of music, he occasionally performs in professional wrestling. Bad Bunny 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 starred in multiple films, including Bullet Train (2022), Cassandro (2023), Caught Stealing (2025), and Happy Gilmore 2 (2025).

Early life

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was born on March 10, 1994, in Bayamón, and was raised in the Almirante Sur barriocode: spa promoted to code: es of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. His father, Benito Martínez, was a truck driver, and his mother, Lysaurie Ocasio, 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. 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."

Music career

2013–2019: Beginnings, X 100pre, and Oasis

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 Christmas Eve 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. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised Bad Bunny's "off-kilter creativity". In 2020, X 100pre was voted 447th in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 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.

2020–2021: YHLQMDLG, Las que no iban a salir, and El Último Tour Del Mundo

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 Ganacode: spa promoted to code: es " (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 Solacode: spa promoted to code: es " landed number one on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart, earning Bad Bunny his ninth number 1 on the chart in just over two years.