5 Things To Know About Bad Bunny
From speaking up for trans rights to addressing his own possible sexual fluidity, Bad Bunny is a hitmaker you need to know.
Bad Bunny completely dominates the Billboard charts this week, as his new album Un Verano Sin Ti easily starts at No. 1, while the songs featured on the lengthy title racked up so many streams, they’ve all become hits. Every single one.
For many years, Bunny was regarded as one of the most exciting new talents in Latin music, but he has long since expanded beyond just one corner of the music industry. Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) is now one of the most popular and successful artists in music. And if you don’t know him yet, it’s time to meet him.
Read on for 5 things you should know about Bad Bunny.
He Is Open To His Own Possible Sexual Fluidity
In 2018, Bunny released a video for his song “Caro,”, featured on his album X 100pre. The clip shows him getting his nails done, a woman starring as him, and even a man kissing him at one point.
After the visual premiered, some suggested it was his way of coming out as bisexual, and while he denied that, he also made it clear that such labels were unimportant to him.
“It does not define me,” he told the Los Angeles Times about his sexuality. “At the end of the day, I don’t know if in 20 years I will like a man. One never knows in life.”
It was a big deal for someone in the Latin music industry to put out such a video, and then to admit that he has no idea who he will be attracted to or love in the future.
Such admissions, partnered with him humbly accepting that he isn’t all-knowing, made the clip and the interview together a major moment.
He Constantly Makes Billboard History
Bunny has become so popular that now, whenever he has new music to share, he regularly makes history on the Billboard charts.
Two years ago, he scored the first all-Spanish No. 1 album when El Último Tour Del Mundo debuted atop the Billboard 200 ranking with 116,000 equivalent units moved.
He repeated that success with Un Verano Sin Ti, which arrived with more than twice as many units shifted in its first week.
In addition to conquering the albums chart with another No. 1, all but one of the 23 songs featured on the full-length album found space on the incredibly competitive Hot 100 this week (the twenty-third appeared on the list previously).
With his slew of new wins, Bunny became just the sixth musician in history to chart 20 songs or more at one time, joining Taylor Swift, Drake, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Lil Uzi Vert in the feat. He also landed four simultaneous top 10 hits, becoming the first Latin artist to do so.
He Spoke Up For Trans Rights
In early 2020, Bunny once again took over the world with his album YHLQMDLG, which is an especially long acronym that stands for “Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana” (“I Do Whatever I Want”).
The singer-songwriter appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform the single “Ignorantes,” and he did so in a skirt. As if that wasn’t enough to raise some eyebrows, at the end of the performance, he took off his jacket to reveal a white t-shirt with lettering that spelled out “Mataron a Alexa, no a un hombre con falda.”
For those who don’t speak Spanish, that means “They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt.”
The Alexa that Bunny is discussing here is Alexa Negrón Luciano, a trans woman who lived in Puerto Rico who was murdered in a particularly horrific fashion.
Bunny’s tribute came a short time after the terrible news broke, and while some may have missed the meaning of his garments, it was still quite moving for someone who works in an industry known for its relatively conservative views on LGBTQ issues to make such a stand.
Even If You Don’t Listen To His Work, You Know Some Of His Songs
Bunny has become so immensely popular that his biggest songs have become unavoidable.
At this point, anyone who turns on the radio regularly, browses playlists on Spotify or Apple Music, or who goes out to bars and clubs, has heard something by the Latin superstar.
Several of his all-Spanish-language cuts have broken into the top 10 on the Hot 100, including tracks like “Yonaguni,” “Dakiti” with Jhay Cortez, and “MIA” with Drake.
If those aren’t familiar, perhaps you’ve heard the Grammy-nominated “Un Día (One Day),” his collaborative single with Tainy, J Balvin, and Dua Lipa?
If not, you’re definitely familiar with “I Like It” by Cardi B, which also featured both Bunny and Balvin. That track worked its way to No. 1 on the Hot 100 and earned the trio a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
Acting Is Next
Bunny has conquered the music world like few before him, so naturally it’s time to move on and find another field to dominate. In August 2022, he will appear in the action film Bullet Train, which also stars Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock, who stepped in to replace Lady Gaga after her schedule conflicted with the project.
Apparently, his performance was so well received by executives at Sony that they wanted to find a title for him to headline.
The Grammy winner is now slated to star as El Muerto, a wrestler with superhuman strength, in an upcoming namesake film. The title is based in the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU), and it brings Bunny to the Marvel family for the first time. Also, it will be a relatively rare superhero project to put a person of color front and center. El Muerto could hit theaters in 2024.
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