Music: Phenomenon Bad Bunny: From the supermarket helper to the superstar

The “New York Times” calls him a “global superstar”. The “Time” magazine described him as a “legitimate heir” by Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson or Beyoncé, and in the opinion of the “Rolling Stone” he even leads a revolution of Latin Pop: Bad Bunny is celebrated internationally. Again, one would have to say, because the 30 -year -old singer and rapper from Puerto Rico has been swimming on a wave of success for a long time – even if he is still not noticed in Germany.

Already six years in a row, the multiple Grammy and Latin-Grammy winner is one of the five most heard artists from the Spotify streaming service. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the artist – only in Spanish – even led the ranking – in front of stars like Drake or Taylor Swift.

The fact that the “evil bunny” is on everyone’s lips is due to his latest album. Critics and fans are enthusiastic about “Debí Tirar Más Photos” (I should have taken more photos). The “Rolling Stone” calls it a “breathtaking work”. The basis is the reggaeton, this mixture of reggae, hip-hop and electronic dance music, with which his compatriots Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee made “Despacito” a global catchy tune in 2017.

Bad Bunny’s sixth solo album is also a loving homage to his Caribbean home island. It contains traditional styles such as the Música Jíbara, which was spread in the country, the Afrokaribian Bomba and Plena-Rhythms or salsa pieces in the style of large Puerto-Rican musicians such as Rafael Itier, Héctor Lavoe, Ismael Rivera or the Willie Cólon born in Bronx. With this melange, the 30 -year -old also inspires those to whom the reggaeton is too vulgar and sexist, and he builds a generation bridge between young and old – and not least between the island and his hundreds of thousands in the USA.

Bad Bunny also pays homage to the Caribbean way of speaking of his compatriots, in which consonants drop out at the end of words or take the place of an “R”. So from Amor (love) “Amol” or “Nueva York” (New York) “Nueva Yol”. This also makes the work so authentic.

“I found my roots, the sound that represents me,” he said “Time” about the album. And about the extremely danceable salsa piece “Baile Inolvidable” (unforgettable dance) he said in the “Rolling Stone”: “This is the best song I’ve ever done in my life.” In the associated video, the singer mimics a somewhat awkward salsa student. The broadcaster NBC reported that dance schools in New York have had a lively request for salsa courses since the song was published.

Bad Bunny comes from a simple background

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, his bourgeois name, was born on March 10, 1994 in Bayamón, near the capital San Juan, the son of a truck driver and a teacher. With his two younger brothers, he grew up in simple conditions in the coastal town of Vega Baja, surrounded by salsa and meregue music, as he tells himself. Even as a child he sang in the church choir, later he started producing beats at home on the computer. He gave himself his artist name because of a photo from childhood, which showed him with a grim face in the rabbit costume on Easter.

During his later studies of audiovisual communication, friends persuaded him to upload his music on the Soundcloud platform. The song “Díles” (tell them) became a great success there. This made producers aware of the then 21-year-old. Benito still worked in a supermarket as a “Grocery excavator”, so packed customers’ purchases in bags.

So it was over soon. This was followed by several successful albums, cooperation with the stars of the industry, including a Super Bowl half-time appearance with Jennifer López and Shakira. His album “El último Tour del Mundo” was the first to make it to the top of the Billboard 200 charts sung in Spanish.

But Bad Bunny has not only made a name for himself as a musician. He recently received a role in the planned thriller “Caight Stealing” by director Darren Aronofsky (“The Whale”). He had his debut as an actor with a supporting role in the Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico”. In 2022 he played alongside Brad Pitt in the “Bullet Train” action comedy, followed by “Cassandro” with Gael Garcia Bernal. In addition, he pursues his hobby, the wrestling.

Use for women’s and LGBT rights

Bad Bunny is also involved in socially. He denounces violence against women and occurs for the rights of the LGBT community (lesbian, gays, bisexual and trans sexual people). In the video for “Yo Perreo Sola” (for example: I dwindled alone) he danced in the drag outfit in 2020, and in fashion presentations or photo shoots he also shows himself in the pink dress or with painted fingernails. At a concert, he pressed a kiss on the mouth of one of his dancers.

In the urban music scene, which is strongly dominated by men and stereotypical, he broke several taboos, wrote the Spanish newspaper “El País”. He does not want to be defined by his heterosexuality, says the singer, who is said to have a longer romance with a model and reality star Kendall Jenner.

Politically, Bad Bunny is also active. In his new album and a short film, he complains about the gentrification and increasing Americanization of the island. “You want to take the river away from me and the beach,” he sings in “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii” (which Hawaii happened).

Both territories were annexed by the United States in 1898. The Puerto Ricans are US citizens, but are not allowed to choose. He was aware that many of his message are not understood because he singed in Spanish, said Bad Bunny of the “New York Times”. When asked whether the interference, he replied: “I dooooooON’ttttt caaaaaare” (I don’t care).