Do we like Bad Bunny?
Our score: 8 out of 10. He has stood up for queer people and migrants in his own words and acts, with only unresolved voice-recording lawsuits and an old associate stoush on the other side.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio grew up in the Almirante Sur neighbourhood of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, singing in his church choir until he was 13. He was a uni student working at a local supermarket while putting tunes on SoundCloud. Then 2016's “Diles” took off and a record deal followed.
The big recent story is the Grammys. On 1 February 2026 he picked up the urban music award and opened with “ICE out”, then told the room “We are humans and we are Americans.” He went on to win Album of the Year. A week later he headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, with AP calling it a revolutionary celebration of Puerto Rican history and culture.
He also put his money where his mouth is on immigration: he reportedly skipped US dates on his world tour because of fears about ICE raids, telling i-D that was part of the reason. That cost him a fortune in ticket sales and made him a target for plenty of cranky commentators. We found no climate-denial or conspiracy slide, and nothing harmful in the company he keeps, though the record on his film collaborators is thin.
The mess is legal. A former girlfriend sued over her voice recording on his songs, and in July the Puerto Rico Supreme Court threw out claims tied to one track as filed too late, while letting the rest proceed. Nothing has been decided on whether those claims have merit, and the report carried no response from his side. A separate suit from another woman over voice use on other songs has also been reported.
Back in 2020, three women made allegations against his associate Jesús Hernández, known as Chu, including one that amounted to an allegation of rape. Hernández hadn't publicly responded when Remezcla reported it. Bad Bunny said there was no room for that behaviour in his work team and that he was very ashamed to see his name linked. Calling out an alleged abuser in his own circle is more than plenty of stars manage.
The good stuff goes beyond trophies. Fortune reports his Puerto Rico residency spotlighted local artisans and nonprofits focused on sustainability and preservation, and his album tackles gentrification and over-tourism. He's also vocal about the island's sovereignty. Where you land on that depends on your politics, but it's his own people he's fighting for.