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Bad Bunny Origins

The Origins of Bad Bunny: Bagging Groceries by Day, Recording by Night

Before stepping onto the world’s biggest stages, Benito was bagging groceries at a Supermarket

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Bad Bunny is without a doubt one of the most influential artists in the world right now. The announcement that he’ll be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show only seals the deal. Every track or album he drops turns into a massive hit, and even Yale University is launching a course dedicated entirely to him. But his journey didn’t start under the bright lights—it began far from the spotlight.

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was born on March 10, 1994, in Vega Baja, a coastal town in Puerto Rico. Raised in a hardworking middle-class family, he discovered his passion for music early on. At just five years old, he joined his church choir and stayed until his teenage years, a period that helped shape both his ear for melody and his voice.

Back at home, the reggaetón of Daddy Yankee and the urban sounds pulsing through the island carved out his musical path. By high school, Bunny was already known in the hallways for freestyling and standing out in talent shows—clear signs of the superstar he was destined to become.

Bad Bunny rehearses on stage during Univision’s ‘Premios Juventud’ 2017 Celebrates The Hottest Musical Artists And Young Latinos Change-Makers – Day 2 Rehearsals at Watsco Center on July 4, 2017 in Coral Gables, Florida. (John Parra/Getty Images)

The Beginnings of a Superstar: From Supermarket Aisles to SoundCloud

Before stepping onto the world’s biggest stages, Bad Bunny was bagging groceries at the Econo Supermarket in Vega Baja. He later moved up to cashier, balancing long shifts with his studies in Audiovisual Communication at the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo.

Friends and coworkers remember how he’d spend breaks scribbling lyrics in notebooks or typing them out on his phone. That job, far from being a setback, became the push that convinced him he was meant for something bigger.

At night, after clocking out, Benito would turn his bedroom into a makeshift studio. With just a microphone and a computer, he started recording tracks and uploading them to SoundCloud—the platform that would eventually open the door to the world.

The Rise of Bad Bunny: From “Diles” to Global Recognition

In 2016, Bad Bunny’s track ‘Diles’ caught the ear of renowned producer DJ Luian, who quickly signed him to the record label Hear This Music. That move marked the real starting point of his professional career, giving him access to a bigger platform and an audience beyond Puerto Rico.

Just a year later, in 2017, he dropped ‘Soy Peor.’ The single exploded online, went viral across Latin America, and climbed to number 22 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. With that hit, Bad Bunny shifted from being a rising local talent to becoming one of the most talked-about new voices in Latin trap.

From there, collaborations elevated him even further. Working with artists like J Balvin, Rosalía, Daddy Yankee, and Drake didn’t just boost his visibility. It cemented him as the leading figure of Latin trap and a key player in reggaeton’s global takeover.

By blending raw lyrics, experimental beats, and an unapologetic aesthetic, Benito created a new blueprint for what Latin music could sound—and look—like on the world stage.

Despite His Massive Success…

Benito speaks with pride about his family, his neighborhood in Vega Baja, and the supermarket where he spent so many hours of his youth. Even his stage name, Bad Bunny, traces back to a childhood photo of him dressed as a bunny, wearing a grumpy expression that later became part of his identity.

Now, with world tours, awards, and high-profile collaborations to his name, he maintains a consistent narrative: that of a kid who, long before the spotlight, knew what it was like to bag groceries while dreaming of holding a microphone. At the end of the day, he’s a bunny who never forgets his burrow.