Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny was chosen by music magazine Billboard as the top Latin artist of the 21st century, according to the magazine’s website on Tuesday.
According to Billboard, the ranking is based on artists’ performance on the Top Latin Albums and Hot Latin Songs charts from January 2000 through December 2024.
Revolutionizes Latin music
“Bad Bunny continues to redefine Latin music through his artistry, amplifying his global reach and influence.”
Billboard’s publication highlighted on Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny’s first name.
“Benito has accumulated multiple simultaneous hits by masterfully combining his singles with effective collaborations, topping the Top Latin Albums chart eight times during this quarter century,” the magazine added.
Billboard highlighted Bad Bunny’s achievement, as becoming the top Latin artist of the 21st century is even more impressive because he did not appear in the magazine’s rankings until 2016.
Breaking historical records
His first track to be included in the Billboard rankings was in 2018.
Since then, he has had 14 #1 songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart and eight on Top Latin Albums.
He also holds a record 89 songs that have reached the top 10 on Hot Latin Songs, more than double the number of runners-up Enrique Iglesias and Luis Miguel, with 39 each, since the list began in 1986.
“Throughout his career, he has demonstrated unparalleled control over his artistic trajectory, effortlessly blending his production with the stories he wants to tell,” Billboard abounded about the so-called ‘bad bunny’.
The most dominant Latin artist of the decade
Bad Bunny was also Billboard’s top all-genre artist in 2022 and the top Latin artist for the fifth consecutive year, from 2020 to 2024.
Likewise, with his album ‘YHLQMDLG’ (Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana) he achieved the record for the longest running album at number 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart, with 70 weeks between 2021 and 2022.
These accomplishments, in addition to his historic ‘No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí’ residency of 31 concerts at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan from July 14 to September 20, led him to be chosen to perform at halftime of the 2026 Super Bowl.
That achievement, according to Billboard, “is a further reflection of her immense star power, her deep connection to her heritage and her strong bond with audiences familiar with Latin music and, thanks in part to her talent, with those just discovering it”.
The list of the top ten Latin artists is completed in order by Romeo Santos, Daddy Yankee, Enrique Iglesias, Marco Antonio Solis, J Balvin, Shakira, Aventura, Juanes and Ozuna.
With information from EFE
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