Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was expected to be one of the surprise guests during the Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 2, 2020.
The Puerto Rican reggaeton and trap singer will reportedly take the stage alongside Shakira, according to Page Six. Bunny was expected to perform “I Like It” and “Chantaje.”
It was not immediately clear whether his new song “6 Rings,” which is a tribute to Kobe Bryant, would be included in the lineup. However, Shakira and co-headliner Jennifer Lopez confirmed days before the big game that the late NBA star would be honored during the performance.
Here’s what you need to know about Bad Bunny.
Why the name “Bad Bunny?” The name dates back to his childhood. He was forced to wear a bunny rabbit costume for Easter when he was in first grade and was apparently very unhappy about it. There is reportedly a picture of him with a scowling look on his face.
Bunny explained in an interview with the “Before They Were Famous” YouTube channel that the annoyed face inspired his relatives to call him “”Bad Bunny.” After he stumbled across the photo again as an adult, he decided to use the moniker as his stage name.
On Christmas Day 2018, he shared a picture of himself wearing the aforementioned costume as a young child. In the picture he shared on Instagram, Bunny appeared to be smiling as he posed with his little basket.
BAD BUNNY | Before They Were Famous | Estamos BienBAD BUNNY | Before They Were Famous | Estamos Bien SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/2z9TmzZ Check out our Spanish Channel: https://bit.ly/2z5MEbc INSTAGRAM: http://www.Instagram.com/McCruddenM BECOME A FAMOUS MEMBER: https://bit.ly/2MgeEDC **** MORE VIDEOS YOU WILL LOVE **** POPULAR VIDEOS: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXOk6VWlb9y2VJ9C87HLGo-1DUhQm686T THE RICH LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXOk6VWlb9y3qLB5-gXZjnbYEsFSSIqVZ BEFORE THEY WERE FAMOUS: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXOk6VWlb9y1-wdnNbi_pqxS5EUG7_vYh AFTER THEY WERE FAMOUS: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXOk6VWlb9y33jo7qHJF64zr2UlU7dKMb RECENT DOWNLOADS: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXOk6VWlb9y3aYG75cOnxXIyVwNdN3HMX ========================================= Before Bad Bunny would clock in more than 12 million subscribers on YOUTUBE, 13.2 million followers on INSTAGRAM and more than 32.5 million monthly listeners on SPOTIFY Before he collaborated with some of the most important rap and reggaeton artists like OZUNA, J BALVIN, DADDY YANKEE, NICKI MINAJ, CARDI B and DRAKE. BAD BUNNY is a Latin trap and Reggaeton artist who has conquered the music industry in less than 2 years, before even releasing a studio album. He made himself known through social media and his talents and unique style were noticed by the right people, and at just 24, he became one of the leading voices in the latin trap movement, collaborating with great artists, filling stadiums and auditoriums and creating a movement called The New Religion. However, not much is known about Bad Bunny before his rise to success. ========================================= ARTIST’S SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: TWITTER: @bad_bunnyPR INSTAGRAM: @badbunnypr ========================================= McCrudden’s SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/MrMcCruddenMichael INSTAGRAM: http://www.Instagram.com/McCruddenM TWITTER: http://www.Twitter.com/McCruddenM FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Michael-McCrudden-1649360785312596/ ===================================== CREDITS: EDITOR: Tamara Comas https://www.instagram.com/tamara.comas/ WRITER: Ailed Vargas https://www.instagram.com/ailedvg/ ======================================= We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right contact McCrudden: http://www.Twitter.com/McCruddenM SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/2z9TmzZ2018-10-04T23:01:16.000Z
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, aka Bad Bunny, has said that he fell in love with singing at the age of 5. He explained to NPR that his earliest musical influences came from his mother, a former teacher. Bunny said that his mom would play salsa and romantic ballads on the weekends while she was cleaning the house. “On Sundays and Saturdays… when I heard those records, I knew I would have to at least mop the floor or something.”
Bunny also lists Puerto Rican artists such as Daddy Yankee and Vico C. as key influences on his musical taste, as well as American singers Marc Anthony and Victor Manuelle. He says he listened to everything he could get his hands on, including rap, reggaetón, salsa, rock, and pop.
Bunny honed his singing talent in the church. His mother, a devout Catholic, reportedly took her children to mass every week. He was asked to sing in the choir as a young boy, a practice he continued until he was 13.
As a teenager, Bunny began to experiment with different music and started writing his own songs. He also was known to practice freestyling with his friends.
His Facebook bio notes that Bunny never had formal training. “He never took formal music lessons or studied any instruments, but his passion led him to learn and perfect his talent on his own. He is a singer, composer and creator of his own songs by his own knowledge, and his music emanates a much more special internal rhythm that any musical training could have had.”
Bad Bunny Talks Growing Up in Vega Baja and Early Music InfluencesIn this Honda Backstage interview, Bad Bunny discusses his upbringing in Puerto Rico and his biggest musical influences. Follow Bad Bunny: https://www.instagram.com/badbunnypr/ https://www.facebook.com/BadBunnyOffi… https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/ba… https://open.spotify.com/artist/4q3ew… https://twitter.com/badbunnyPR Building on its deep foundation of bringing music to fans, American Honda brings you Honda Stage – a platform that celebrates determined, breakout artists and features their exclusive performances. And for a unique behind-the-scenes experience, Honda introduces Honda Backstage, where fans can dive deeper into what inspires and drives these artists who have pushed further and reached higher, no matter what stood in their way. Through Honda Stage, Honda Backstage, live events like Honda Civic Tour and Honda Stage festivals, and exclusive online content from partners including Billboard, iHeartMedia, UPROXX, Vevo and Snapchat, Honda offers music fans access to the music moments they love and celebrates the creativity and drive it takes to make it big. Subscribe to discover new music from #HondaStage: http://honda.us/YTSubscribe Find us on Facebook: http://honda.us/HSFacebook Follow us on Twitter: http://honda.us/HSTwitter Follow us on Instagram: http://honda.us/HSInstagram Follow us on Tumblr: http://honda.us/Tumblr Visit our website: http://honda.us/HondaStage2018-10-19T03:47:23.000Z
After high school, Bad Bunny enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo and majored in communications. To make extra money, he bagged groceries at a local market. A Peruvian newspaper published a photo of Bunny wearing his uniform alongside a coworker.
As a college student, Bunny continued to experiment with his own music. He started uploading singles to Soundcloud and quickly gained recognition. His self-produced song “Diles” was his first major success. It racked up more than a million streams and ultimately was the catalyst for his meteoric rise to stardom.
DJ Luian explained in an interview with Billboard that he came across the song on social media. He said he recognized that Bunny had a unique sound and signed him to the record label Hear This Music.
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin – I Like It [Official Music Video]Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin – I Like It from Cardi B’s Debut Album Invasion of Privacy available now! Stream/Download: https://CardiB.lnk.to/IOPAY INVASION OF PRIVACY merchandise available here: http://smarturl.it/BardiGangMerchYT Follow Cardi B http://cardibofficial.com http://Instagram.com/f/iamcardib http://Twitter.com/IAmCardiB https://Facebook.com/TheCardiBFanClub http://Soundcloud.com/IAmCardiB Director – Eif Rivera Executive Producer – Kareem Johnson Video Commissioner/VP Video Production – Emmanuelle Cuny-Diop Associate Director, Video Administration – Lily F Thrall Assistant, Video Production – Trevor Joseph Newton2018-05-29T14:05:10.000Z
Bad Bunny has quickly become known for popularizing Latin Trap. The genre, which is heavily influenced by southern hip hop and reggaeton, began in Puerto Rico has been gaining steam for about a decade.
Since signing on with Hear This Music, Bunny has vastly expanded his reach through collaborations. He teamed up with Cardi B and J Balvin for the hit song “I Like It” in 2018. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list and was designated as the most popular song of the summer by YouTube.
In November of 2019, Bunny was awarded his first Latin Grammy for his debut album, titled “X 100Pre.” He won Best Urban Music Album.
Bunny has also garnered attention for his clothing style. He has been known to wear bright colors and showcase painted nails at times. Condé Nast Mexico & Latin America senior editor José Forteza told CNN Style in 2019, “Bad Bunny embraces the femininity that all men carry within, and this is one of the things I find most interesting about him, as he is sending a very powerful message in a time when a lot of people are discussing all things related to equality … I think that the symbols he’s assuming are able to diffuse frontiers between genders, he carries a message of inclusion and acceptance.”
Bad Bunny: Estamos Bien (TV Debut)Music guest Bad Bunny makes his television debut on The Tonight Show singing «Estamos Bien» in a performance dedicated to Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria victims. Subscribe NOW to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: http://bit.ly/1nwT1aN Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Weeknights 11:35/10:35c Get more Jimmy Fallon: Follow Jimmy: http://Twitter.com/JimmyFallon Like Jimmy: https://Facebook.com/JimmyFallon Get more The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Follow The Tonight Show: http://Twitter.com/FallonTonight Like The Tonight Show: https://Facebook.com/FallonTonight The Tonight Show Tumblr: http://fallontonight.tumblr.com/ Get more NBC: NBC YouTube: http://bit.ly/1dM1qBH Like NBC: http://Facebook.com/NBC Follow NBC: http://Twitter.com/NBC NBC Tumblr: http://nbctv.tumblr.com/ The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon features hilarious highlights from the show including: comedy sketches, music parodies, celebrity interviews, ridiculous games, and, of course, Jimmy’s Thank You Notes and hashtags! You’ll also find behind the scenes videos and other great web exclusives. Bad Bunny: Estamos Bien (TV Debut) http://www.youtube.com/fallontonight #FallonTonight #BadBunny #JimmyFallon2018-09-27T04:34:04.000Z
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has used his newfound fame to call attention to serious issues in Puerto Rico. In September of 2018, he used his television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to raise awareness about how much help communities still needed in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
His performance began with footage of the storm. Bad Bunny then appeared on stage and began by stating, “After one year of the hurricane, there are still people without electricity in their homes. More than 3,000 people died and Trump’s still in denial.” As he sang “Estamos Bien,” scenes from the music video were interspersed with more clips of Puerto Rico post-Maria.
The tragedy of the hurricane and the debilitating damage hit home for the musician. According to Fader, his family’s home in Vega Baja relied on three generators for power because one year after the storm, their neighborhood still lacked electricity. The magazine added that Bunny helped to distribute food, water, and generators to other community members after Maria hit.
In July of 2019, Bunny also joined hundreds of thousands of protesters to demand the resignation of then-Governor Ricardo Rosselló. Bunny shared photos on Instagram from the marches. Part of his caption, translated from Spanish, read, “A united people will never be overcome.” The post embedded above includes a picture of Bunny standing with fellow Puerto Rican musician Ricky Martin, who also joined in the demonstrations.
Bunny wrote in an earlier post on July 18, 2019, “Yesterday marked me forever. I had never felt so much pride in my life! However, the fight continues PUERTO RICO! WE WILL NOT LEAVE!!! WE WILL CHANGE HISTORY!!”
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