Who He Is

Bad Bunny (real name: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) is a 30-year-old Puerto Rican singer and rapper. He’s not a “band” or a “DJ”—he’s a global superstar. His music mixes Latin trap, reggaetón (a hip-hop-meets-Caribbean style), pop, and even rock. Think of him as today’s equivalent of Elvis or Michael Jackson in terms of cultural impact—except his lyrics are mostly in Spanish.

Why He’s Such a Big Deal

Global Popularity: He’s been the most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify for three years in a row (2020–2022). That means more people chose to play his music than any other artist—yes, even bigger than Taylor Swift, Drake, or Beyoncé.

Chart Dominance: His album Un Verano Sin Ti (“A Summer Without You”) spent 13 weeks at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and it was the first all-Spanish-language album ever nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys.

Cultural Reach: He’s not just music—he’s acted (Netflix, WWE, even Marvel movies coming up), done fashion collaborations with Adidas and Crocs, and he’s become an icon for younger generations who see him as authentic and unapologetic.

Why the NFL Picked Him

The Super Bowl halftime show is designed to attract everyone, not just football fans. The NFL knows:

Young audiences and Latino audiences are the fastest-growing fanbases.

Bad Bunny bridges cultures—he’s mainstream enough for the U.S., but also represents the global, Spanish-speaking world.

He guarantees social-media buzz, streaming spikes, and worldwide attention (translation: ratings and money).

How to Think About It

If you grew up with the Beatles on Ed Sullivan or Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl, Bad Bunny is that kind of phenomenon for today’s generation. Even if you don’t know his songs, you’re seeing the biggest star of the moment in music.