S.O.S.

Lore & Background

Bad Bunny rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", which led to a recording contract with Hear This Music. In 2019, he was selected for the Forbes 30 under 30 list as an honoree in the Music category. 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 Stones 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). 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. 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, including 19.8 billion streams globally in 2025. He was also 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 appeared in multiple films, including Bullet Train (2022) and Cassandro (2023).

Reader's Guide

Early life: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was born on March 10, 1994, in Bayamón, and was raised in the Almirante Sur 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." 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.