What is Bad Bunny's real name? Ethnicity and upbringing explored

With over 95 singles to his name, Bad Bunny is one of the biggest Latin music singers across the world. The rapper's real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and he was born on March 10, 1994, in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.

Benito is the first child of his father Tito Martínez, and his mother, Lysaurie Ocasio. He was raised in Vega Baja's Almirante Sur barrio with two younger siblings, Bernie and Bysael. While Benito's mother was a retired school teacher, his father was a truck driver.

Unlike the kids his age, Bad Bunny spent most of his time at home with his family and didn't like being involved in the streets. Actively engaged with the local Puerto Rican community, he attended the church weekly with his devout Catholic mother.

In a cover story of The Fader Magazine from August 2018, Benito shared that he completed his primary studies locally in Puerto Rico and was also a member of the local church choir till 13. The rapper later moved to Arebico for further studies and graduated in audiovisual communications from the University of Puerto Rico.

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A look at Bad Bunny's ethnic roots and how he continues to stick to them

Bad Bunny's mother, a retired teacher, made music a crucial part of the family life. Apart from having Bunny join the church choir, she made him listen to salsa and Latin pop ballads on the radio.

Benito went to leave the choir by 14 and started doing small jobs at local grocers. From packing groceries to cleaning computers, young Bunny engaged with numerous people daily.

Growing up in a tightly-knit community, he developed an immense attachment to his Puerto Rican roots and the local culture. His love for the cultural heritage was evident through early releases like - Tentación, Diles, Soy Peor, Karol G's Ahora Me Llama, and more.

Taking pride in representing his culture and roots, Bad Bunny talked about his music journey in an interview with The Guardian in July 2018, where he said:

“I grew up in a rural area called Vega Baja and I’m the first of so many talented people in this area to make it out. I take great pride to represent where I come from..”

The rapper continued:

“I am able to show my fans, and everyone who listens and watches me, that anything is possible. If a small-town boy like me who bagged groceries was able to make his dreams come true, you can too.”

Benito stayed true to his determination to the local heritage and dropped a full Latin album titled X100PRE in December of the same year. While the Latin album came out in an era of English-dominated music, it rose to popularity in no time and debuted at #11 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

Bad Bunny's real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (Image via Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)

X100PRE spearheaded Bad Bunny's rise to global prominence, making him one of the few artists to reach the milestone primarily through non-English music. The rapper's music continued to carry the essence of his local roots, as he released YHLQMDLG and El Último Tour Del Mundo in 2020.

Unlike several Latin music artists, Bunny never tried to sing English songs to reach a wider audience base. However, that didn't seem to hinder his popularity in any manner. The rapper was the top-streamed artist on Spotify in 2020 with over 8.3 billion streams and became the first non-English musician to reach the milestone.

He continued to dominate the list for two more consecutive years, 2021 and 2022. Bunny was streamed over 9.1 million times in 2021 and almost doubled up on his personal best with over 18.5 billion Spotify streams in 2022.

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Bad Bunny's rising fame has greatly influenced the global representation of Latin music. Benito's career milestones motivate Puerto Ricans to embrace their cultural heritage and take pride in their language.