A Bad Bunny Primer in 5 Songs

In less than a decade, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has become the biggest Latin artist in the world.

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But even that description doesn’t do him justice. More than any other, Bad Bunny has remade modern pop music in reggaeton’s image. Today, Spanish-language hits fill the world’s pop charts, and the 30-year-old singer born Benito Martínez Ocasio is responsible for many of its biggest.

Though he’s always championed the traditions of his homeland, he leans deeper into nostalgia on his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Its title translates to “I Should Have Taken More Photos.” And like how photos document the past, Bad Bunny’s new album does the same for the melodies and rhythms of Puerto Rico.

If you are new to Bad Bunny, here’s a primer in five songs.

“Soy Peor” (Single, 2016)

This Latin trap hit was the first Bad Bunny single. A bad-romance tale, “Soy Peor” helped launch Bad Bunny’s full-fledged solo career. But it also ushered in a new era of Spanish-language music dominance. The moody track showcases the vulnerable and tortured voice that became a hallmark of Bad Bunny’s style.

“Safaera” featuring Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow from YHLQMDLG (2020)

A sample from Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” propels Bad Bunny’s masterpiece through five minutes of relentless reggaeton dance—or perreo. The track features legendary reggaeton duo Jowell & Randy and rapper Ñengo Flow. The whiplash-inducing transitions play like a Bad Bunny-curated mixtape of Latin music history.

“Dákiti” featuring Jhayco from El Último Tour del Mundo (2020)

Puerto Rican producer Tainy created the beat for “Dákiti” years before it became one of Bad Bunny’s biggest songs. Jhayco heard the smearing beat and began writing to it. Before long, the dreamy club anthem raced up the charts. It foreshadowed how quickly Spanish-language music would explode globally.

“Me Porto Bonito” featuring Chencho Corleone from Un Verano Sin Ti (2022)

Still dressed in the same clothes he wore to the Met Gala in New York, Bad Bunny recorded “Me Porto Bonito” immediately after the event. He said the track wouldn’t have been released without Chencho Corleone. “When I did that song, I didn’t have anyone in mind that’s not him. If it wasn’t with him, I wasn’t going to release the song,” he said. Bad Bunny’s fourth solo album topped the charts and remains his commercial peak. It also features Bad Bunny’s most wide-ranging musical effort thus far.

“DtMF” from Debí Tirar Más Fotos (2025)

The title track to Bad Bunny’s latest and sixth solo album is built on Afro-Puerto Rican folk traditions. It topped the charts in more countries than any Spanish-language song in Spotify’s history. Like a superstar musicologist, Bad Bunny celebrates the past with plena music for future generations.

Photo by Gladys Vega/Getty Images