Photo: Glenn Francis www.PacificProDigital.com
Latin global musical sensation Bad Bunny has greatly raised his profile since last year with a performance at the Super Bowl, three successful consecutive albums in the middle of the pandemic, and a recent appearance at a major wrestling event. Next in line: Saturday Night Live.
The Puerto Rican rapper is set to perform as SNL’s musical guest this Saturday, his first time on the legendary late-night live sketch comedy and variety show.
That honor is well earned. El Conejo Malo’s latest album El Último Tour del Mundo debuted #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the first all-Spanish-language album ever to top the popular list. Also, the 26-year-old artist is currently nominated for two Grammy Awards, in the best pop duo/group performance category for Un Dia (One Day) along with J Balvin, Dua Lipa, and Tainy, and in best Latin pop or urban album for YHLQMDLG, which stands for “Yo hago lo que me da la gana,” that loosely translates into “I do what I want.”
MUSIC FROM THE PANDEMIC
YHLQMDLG was the first of three albums released by Bad Bunny during the pandemic, a challenging time for many artists facing lockdown. A studio album, YHLQMDLG was dropped in late February, just a few days after the Boricua artist joined pop sensations Shakira and Jenniffer Lopez and fellow rapper J Balvin for last year’s Super Bowl’s half-time concert. YHLQMDLG reached #2 on Billboard, the highest-ranked Spanish-language album at the time.
In May, El Conejo Malo released another album, Las Que No Iban a Salir (Those Who Weren’t Going Out), debuting at #7, followed by El Último Tour del Mundo de Mundo in late October. He is the first and only artist to place three consecutive albums in the top 10 of Billboard 200 in one single year.
In addition to his Superbowl’s appearance, Bad Bunny’s speedy road to SNL’s Saturday performance has also included stops at other popular shows, such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show With James Corden.
A FAN OF WRESTLING
In late January, the chart-topping singer/songwriter was featured at WWE’s annual Royal Rumble, where he performed his single Booker T. The rapper is reportedly a fan of wrestling.
His musical accomplishments led the trade publication Variety to honor Bad Bunny with its second annual Achievement in International Music Award. In addition to collaborations with Latin stars such as Ozuna, Farruko, Residente, and Daddy Yankee, El Conejo Malo has worked with Cardi B and Drake.
Bad Bunny is also exploring acting. Soon, Bad Bunny will be seen in an episodic series. He is set to appear on the popular series Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico, starring Scoot McNairy (Fargo), Diego Luna (Amores Perros), and José María Yazpik (Mr. Pig).
There is no doubt that El Conejo Malo has come a long way really quickly. He burst into the spotlight just five years ago.
Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny’s career started out as an independent, unsigned singer on SoundCloud. He would upload his music while working at a supermarket and studying at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo. His rising popularity on the cloud caught the attention of a record label. His first hit was Soy Peor. Stardom arrived after he collaborated with Grammy Award winner Cardi B and Drake on the hits I Like It and Mia, number one and three, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.
His debut album X 100pre in 2018 won the Latin Grammy for Best Urban Music Album. He later joined with fellow rapper J Balvin for to record Oasis, an album that produced hits like Qué Pretendes and La Canción and earned him three Billboard Music Awards and a Grammy Award nomination.
Bad Bunny has won more than 52 awards, including two Latin Grammy Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, two American Music Awards, and six Premios Lo Nuestro, among others.
