Meet Bad Bunny, the Latin trap artist invading the mainstream

March 12, 2018 12:00 am • Last Updated: March 12, 2018 2:25 pm

By By Spencer Dukoff, New York Daily News

Bad Bunny (Johnny Louis/Sipa USA/TNS)

He’s gone from bagging groceries to musical fame in just two years.

Now, Latin trap and reggaeton singer Bad Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, now 23 — has come far from his humble beginnings in Puerto Rico.

Bad Bunny is on his first headlining tour, called La Nueva Religion, and it marks a milestone for an artist who has enjoyed considerable success in a short time.

“Bad Bunny is not the only (artist making Latin trap), but he’s the most popular one by far,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s executive editor for Latin content and programming.

With over 4 billion views on YouTube in 2017 as well as 15 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, Bad Bunny has become a torchbearer for Latin trap — an iteration of Atlanta hip-hop that combines blistering, subdivided hi-hats, the muscular Roland TR-808 drum machine and half-sung/half-rapped boasts delivered in Spanish — all without releasing a proper album.

He is quick to pay homage to his influences like Jeezy, Migos, Marc Anthony and Tego Calderón, but Bad Bunny is upfront about his intentions as an artist.

“I want to do it in my own style and not follow anybody else,” he told the Daily News through a translator. “I want to do it the way I want to do it. My way.”

His musical journey began with “Diles,” a song he uploaded to Soundcloud that caught the ear of artist DJ Luían, who then signed Bad Bunny to his record label, Hear This Music, in 2016. That deal opened the door for Bad Bunny to work with established artists like Wisin, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna and Nicki Minaj.

According to Cobo, Bad Bunny has become a go-to collaborator over the past year for stars looking to integrate Latin trap sound on their own songs.

“Bigger artists look for him. It’s not like Bad Bunny is chasing Enrique Iglesias around,” Cobo said.

The pervasiveness of streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube also boosted Bad Bunny’s ascent.

“Having people all over the world being able to listen to this type of music … is huge,” Cobo said. “Last year, we had about 19 tracks that were predominantly in Spanish in the Hot 100 and that had never happened.”

One needs to look no further than the mammoth success of the Spanish-language hit “Despacito,” YouTube’s most-watched video of all-time with 4.86 billion views, to see how technology is expanding possibilities for Latin artists.

“Latin music is universal,” Bad Bunny said. “Now it’s our turn to be in the spotlight.”

Apple Music launched “Trap Kingz,” its station Beats 1’s first Spanish-language radio show last year, and chose Bad Bunny to host the first six episodes. “Apple has given me a platform to spread music,” he said. “They’re giving us Latinos a chance to shine.”