Who is Bad Bunny? The rapper in every headline with Kendall Jenner right now.

A few years ago, Bad Bunny officially became the world's biggest pop star. 

The Puerto Rican rapper, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, rose to fame seemingly out of thin air – and although his work is (and has been) charting globally, there's a real chance Australians haven't heard of him. 

While The Kid LAROI, The Wiggles, Flume and Vance Joy were among the most streamed Australian performers in 2022, Bad Bunny was the most streamed artist in the world. 

Last year, he had the biggest streaming year for any artist on Spotify in 2022 and he earned three Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards and was crowned Artist of the Year at the Apple Music Awards. 

In short, he's a living legend Australia hasn't had the honour of discovering yet. 

But for the last few weeks, the rapper has been making international headlines not for his music, but for who he's been pictured with. 

Bad Bunny has been seen with model and reality star Kendall Jenner and after many rumours concerning the pair, their romantic relationship was officially confirmed. 

Here's everything we know about Bad Bunny and his rise to fame. 

Who is Bad Bunny?

Born in 1994, Bad Bunny's musical genius was cultivated from a young age. He grew up in the working-class neighbourhood of Almirante Sur – around 30 minutes from San Juan in Puerto Rico. 

His mother, a teacher and his father, a truck driver, were close with him and his two younger brothers.

"I liked being a clown," he told GQ in 2022. "But I was also, like, shy. I was always loving with my parents. I liked drawing. I liked playing a lot with my imagination. I wasn’t ever, like, an athlete."

Bad Bunny as a child. Image: YouTube.

His imagination was wild and creative – it's what contributed to his lyrical ability. 

"I have an image in my mind of a little rock that I would stand on, and damn, I’d feel like I was in a kingdom, and lightning would come down," he continued. "I remember there was a neighbour who would always tell my parents that I was talking to myself. And it was just me playing, making voices of the other characters because I was alone. She would say to my dad, 'That boy is always talking to himself. You should have him checked out.' And my dad was like, 'The boy is playing.'"

Admittedly, Bad Bunny was a quiet kid, but he had a love for music and a desire to create his own. 

"I always made rhythms, tracks, beats. I was clear that I wanted to be an artist, but I wanted it to be serious. Like, I’m working seriously. It’s not like I’m here trying to do crazy things," he explained before adding he was self-conscious of his own music. 

Bad Bunny, 2017. Image: Getty.

Then his friend Ormani Pérez, who is now a successful DJ, told him to put his music on SoundCloud. 

"I was never very confident. I’d say, 'No, I won’t do it on there. I want to be a musician and post them when they’re finished.' But there was a scene of young guys making music, and they uploaded it on SoundCloud. And I said, 'Well, that’s what I’m going to do then'."

At the time, he was bagging groceries at a supermarket but seemingly overnight, his music began racking in hundreds of thousands of listens. 

"It was 500,000, then it was a million," he said. "It’s exciting to throw out a song and hit ‘Refresh,’ and see how many people have played it."

Now in 2022, he's edged himself into billions of streaming listens and has collaborated with some of the world's biggest Latin stars including J Balvin, Karol G, Maluma and Ozuna. 

Bad Bunny and J Balvin in the Yo Le Llego music video. Image: YouTube.

His days of bagging groceries are long over but in a 2018 interview with People, he remembered how it was his only motivation at one stage.

"All I wanted was for my shift to end so I could go home," he said. "It was really motivating… because you never really want to be doing that. All you want is to reach your dreams and earn money doing what you like."

He added, "It served as motivation when it came to making music. There were also a lot of songs that I started creating while working [at the supermarket]. I would write songs outside or in my mind and then I would sing them multiple times throughout my shift to just remember the lyrics."

His manager Noah Assad, who has worked with him since 2016, told The Guardian that his musical IQ is "astronomical". 

"I love the way he sees the musical court," he said. "He sees things in music that I don’t understand, and six months or a year before anyone else. He loves the arts – he loves opera! My guy’s very unique."

In 2020, he got to perform alongside Shakira and Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Bad Bunny and Shakira at the Superbowl halftime show, 2020. Image: Getty.

Since 2019 and until just recently, Bad Bunny was dating jewellery designer Gabriela Berlingeri. 

The pair were private with their relationship but the rapper did address fans who questioned whether he spent time with Berlingeri during lockdown in 2020.

"Do people really think I’m spending quarantine alone?" he said in an interview with Rolling Stone. "No! I am with someone, she is very special in my life. This quarantine has made me understand that she is the best companion I could have."

"I am happy with her. [People] don’t know she has helped me a lot in emotional aspects when I needed it the most," he added.

Bad Bunny and Gabriela Berlingeri. Image: Instagram @badbunny.

While there were engagement rumours surrounding the pair in 2021, it appears the pair broke up in 2022 after she deleted all of her photos with the rapper. 

However, it looks like Bad Bunny has moved on because this year, he was photographed with Kendall Jenner.

Listen to Cancelled, hosted by Clare and Jessie Stephens. Post continues after audio. 

In mid-February, rumours of the pair's romance began circulating, after celebrity gossip Instagram account Deuxmoi saw the pair together at a club in Los Angeles.

This week, the couple were seen kissing outside of a restaurant – seemingly confirming the relationship. 

Jenner dated basketballer Devin Booker on-and-off from April 2020 until October 2022.

"Things are amicable after the breakup, there’s no bad blood between them," a source told Us Weekly at the time of their split.

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.