Bad Bunny – Rapper and Singer, 28
Harper's BAZAAR - US|September 2022
Bad Bunny blasted out of Puerto Rico to lead a global Latin music revolution and the rapper and singer is bringing his legions of devoted fans along for the ride
By Bianca Betancourt
Bad Bunny – Rapper and Singer, 28

When Bad Bunny was growing up in Almirante Sur, a rural area in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, he would often go clothes shopping with his mother. "I always remember seeing the pieces in women's clothing, and they would always fit me so much better, and they had so much different variety," recalls the rapper and singer, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. Seated in his office in San Juan, Bad Bunny takes a moment to reflect. "Obviously, as you get older, you start seeing what the world shows you," he says, "and if I lived life that way, then I wouldn't be able to dress in the way that I really want to." He's wearing a Marni logo tee, a mini knit beanie, and flashy Balenciaga sunglasses; the mirrored "BB" logo at the temples isn't custom made, but it might as well be. "To a point, the fame and where I am gives me the confidence to do all of these things."

That fame Bad Bunny mentions-it's on another level. This year, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, BTS, and Beyoncé have all released new music. But Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti, which dropped in May, has topped them all, with a record 183 million streams on Spotify on the day it was released. In fact, in 2020 and 2021, he was the most-streamed artist on the platform worldwide.

This story is from the September 2022 edition of Harper's BAZAAR - US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2022 edition of Harper's BAZAAR - US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HARPER'S BAZAAR - USView All
Musicians RHIANNON GIDDENS and BRITTNEY SPENCER on COUNTRY music's BLACK HISTORY and why the genre is at a TURNING POINT
Harper's BAZAAR - US

Musicians RHIANNON GIDDENS and BRITTNEY SPENCER on COUNTRY music's BLACK HISTORY and why the genre is at a TURNING POINT

Country music's popularity is at an all-time high in America, with the genre boasting a more diverse audience base than ever before.

time-read
9 mins  |
June - July 2024
BEAUTY
Harper's BAZAAR - US

BEAUTY

THE BEACH, BOTTLED

time-read
3 mins  |
June - July 2024
TRIBUTE
Harper's BAZAAR - US

TRIBUTE

FAITH RINGGOLD'S ART of LIBERATION

time-read
1 min  |
June - July 2024
I Love MESS!
Harper's BAZAAR - US

I Love MESS!

In praise of DESIGN that more HONESTLY REFLECTS our COMPLICATED, CHAOTIC, VERY REAL LIVES

time-read
8 mins  |
June - July 2024
My FATHER the SUPERHERO
Harper's BAZAAR - US

My FATHER the SUPERHERO

DASHA NAVALNAYA, the daughter of the late POLITICAL ACTIVIST ALEXEY NAVALNY, on how he dedicated his LIFE to ENDING INJUSTICE in his native RUSSIA—and still always made TIME for HER

time-read
4 mins  |
June - July 2024
BREAKING New GROUND
Harper's BAZAAR - US

BREAKING New GROUND

A DANCE forged at the dawn of HIP-HOP will make its debut this summer at the 2024 OLYMPICS in PARIS. As TEAM USA dancers SUNNY CHOI and VICTOR MONTALVO prepare to take the Games by storm, BREAKING'S PIONEERS recall who and what brought them to this MOMENT.

time-read
8 mins  |
June - July 2024
A LEAGUE of THEIR OWN
Harper's BAZAAR - US

A LEAGUE of THEIR OWN

EMMA CORRIN, breakout STAR of The Crown, is Marvel’s newest  SUPERVILLAIN. But they are SO MUCH MORE than Deadpool’s latest adversary. They are utterly, completely THEMSELVES.

time-read
9 mins  |
June - July 2024
Main SQUEEZE
Harper's BAZAAR - US

Main SQUEEZE

CINCHED WAISTS are all over the runways, but the silhouette is less about cutting an HOURGLASS FIGURE (and appealing to the male gaze) than FEELING a sense of POWER and CONTROL

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2024
The DYSON Dynasty
Harper's BAZAAR - US

The DYSON Dynasty

How a British VACUUM CLEANER company has almost single-handedly TRANSFORMED the way we DRY our HAIR and become one of the BIGGEST, HOTTEST LUXURY BRANDS in beauty

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2024
WONDER Years
Harper's BAZAAR - US

WONDER Years

For four decades, MARC JACOBS has made fashion that is PERSONAL, URGENT, and ERA-DEFINING. \"Once I knew what I LOVED,\" he says, \"I just COULDN'T GET ENOUGH of IT.\"

time-read
10 mins  |
May 2024