Bad Bunny ready for superstardom
A whole lot can happen in two months — especially when you’re Bad Bunny, one of the world’s fastest-rising stars.
The 24-year-old Puerto Rican artist — who merges the thumping beats and melodic verses of Atlanta-born trap with the rhythm of reggaeton (while singing and rapping exclusively in Spanish) — performed at a packed Eagles Ballroom at the Rave in Milwaukee Friday.
He was supposed to be there in late September but canceled the gig at the last minute for medical reasons.
In the time since, Bad Bunny’s really blown up. Forbes had him on its “30 under 30” music list, and YouTube proclaimed he was its third-most watched artist of the year.
He teamed up with Jennifer Lopez on their sultry “Te Guste” track, opened the Latin Grammys with Will Smith and Marc Anthony and dropped one of the biggest hits of his life, “MIA,” with one of the biggest names in music, Drake, singing and rapping in Spanish.
And the day before his Milwaukee gig, he was on the Sour Patch Kids float during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
There was a kid next to him doing the dab and everything.
But the greatest proof of Bad Bunny’s stardom came in Milwaukee, when he started the show with “Estamos Bien,” letting the audience belt out the verses all by themselves at the end. The singalong was deafening, the kind of moment you’d expect for the grand finale of a packed arena show — except it was the first 60 seconds in a 3,500capacity venue.
Bad Bunny was so casual during that moment, too, and, for much of his 70-minute set, clutching a red Solo cup for practically every track.
It’s tough to be a particularly animated performer when you’ve got a drink in your hand.
Yet, it didn’t take much for Bad Bunny to command the crowd during fleeting run-throughs of the hooks for Latin hits like “Si Tu Novio Te Deja Sola” (his J. Balvin collaboration) or “Mayores” (his song with Becky G).
But Bad Bunny wasn’t coasting either, conveying a palpable heartache over solemn and simple piano notes for “Amorfoda,” where once glowing memories with an ex-lover have become painful and toxic in the wake of a devastating rift.
It clearly resonated with fans belting the words back to him, as did its emotional opposite, the bruising “Soy Peor,” where an icy Bad Bunny detaches himself from an old flame, his interests turning to cash, pot and models.
Beyond the catharsis he brought to the stage, there were moments of legit showmanship, like during “Sensualidad,” where he grabbed a fan’s phone in the front row and made a video of the performance, blowing the camera a kiss at the end.
He also managed to do a bit of dancing during an animated take on set highlight “MIA” — which, naturally, wouldn’t have made the set list if the Milwaukee show had been in September as planned.
His greatest flex though came during “I Like It,” the crowd erupting for his verse, and for J. Balvin’s verse, which Bad Bunny performed live — and the DJ didn’t even need to add in Cardi B’s verses.
It all led up to the ego-stroking, work-hard, play-hard anthem “Chambea,” with confetti and clouds of smoke filling the pit, while seemingl[y infinite rows of hundred dollar bills swiftly moved across the stage on the screen.
Considering Bad Bunny’s great success so far — all achieved without an actual album to his name — the cash is going to be flowing for the foreseeable future.