Born Benito Martínez Ocasio on March 10, 1994, in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, by the age of 5 the artist known as Bad Bunny was already singing in church.
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The Birth of “Bad Bunny”
After sharing a photo of himself wearing a bunny suit with a grumpy face as a child, Ocasio started a Twitter page under the moniker — and it stuck.
By 2016, he was posting music to a SoundCloud page as Bad Bunny and was soon connected to Rimas Entertainment and continued writing songs for himself and other artists.
“Krippy Krush” and ‘X 100pre’
Bad Bunny’s first song to chart was his 2017 track with Farruko, “Krippy Kush,” which peaked at No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100. It included a remix featuring Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, and Jamaican producer Rvssian.
Soon after, Bad Bunny had his breakthrough with Cardi B‘s and J Balvin’s 2018 No. 1 single “I Like It,” which he also co-wrote. That year, Bad Bunny also released his debut album, X 100pre, which hit No. 1 on the Latin chart and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 with his top 10 hit “Mia,” featuring Drake.
History-Making
Bad Bunny’s success continued to climb with each subsequent release. His sophomore album, YHLQMDLG hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200, followed by his first all-Spanish album, El Ultimo Tour del Mundo, which went to No. 1.
His fourth album, Un Verano Sin Ti, became the top Billboard 200 album of the year after topping the chart and remaining in the No. 1 spot for 13 weeks. Featuring collaborations with the Marias, Jhayco, and Chencho Corleone, the album also made history as the first non-English album to top the 200 chart and the first Spanish-language album to pick up a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.
Released in May 2022, Un Verano Sin Ti also had the largest streaming week for a Latin music album, and produced several hits for Bad Bunny, including “Me Porto Bonito,” and “Tití Me Preguntó.”
[RELATED: Bad Bunny’s ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ Becomes Most Streamed Album in Spotify History]
Most-Streamed Artist
Along with being named one of the Most Influential People in the World by TIME, and joining Taylor Swift as the highest-paid entertainer in 2023, Bad Bunny was also Spotify’s most-streamed artist of the year in 2020 and 2021.
Collaborations
In 2019, Bad Bunny released the album Oasis with J Balvin and has also collaborated with everyone from The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Travis Scott, Daddy Yankee, Rosalia, Becky G, Karol G, and Rosalia, among many other artists.
Bad Bunny: The Wrestler
Bad Bunny has also maintained his presence as a wrestler with WWE.
On January 31, 2021, Bad Bunny kicked off his WWE career by appearing in the 2021 Royal Rumble 2021. A month later, Bad Bunny won the WWE 24/7 championship from Akira Tozawa in February 2021 but lost the title soon after.
Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Roc Nation
