Bad Bunny: Back to the Future

Julyssa Lopez

Senior Music Editor

The first time Bad Bunny appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone was back in June 2020, featuring an image where he was wearing a mask in his home of Puerto Rico at the height of the pandemic. Three years later, the global superstar — a.k.a. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — is back on our cover for the Future of Music issue (p. 32). Senior music editor Julyssa Lopez was present for many of the artist’s significant moments this year: when he headlined Coachella, tried on his Jacquemus Met Gala outfit, and shot the video to his first-ever English-titled song. “This cover is a portrait of where this new level of mainstream recognition has taken him,” says Lopez, who confirms stardom hasn’t gone to his head. “He has a good sense of humor about all the craziness. It’s been an unpredictable, impressive arc.”

Daniel Sannwald

Photographer

Photographer Daniel Sannwald had one goal while shooting the Bad Bunny cover: to capture his force. This isn’t new for Sannwald, who has photographed formidable figures like Travis Scott, and won the Latin Grammy for Best Recording Package for Rosalía’s Motomami visuals. The Mexico-based photographer tested out his digital and physical aesthetics by incorporating X-ray photo treatments of Bad Bunny and a backdrop that makes it look like lightning is bouncing off the star. “I always try to make [my subjects] look otherworldly, almost like superheroes from another planet,” he says. The cover shot definitely taps into the supernatural: Bad Bunny sports slicked-back hair — a taut braid slicing across his skull — and textured accessories that look like they might come from the year 3023.

Nicola Formichetti

Stylist

As Lady Gaga’s fashion director, Nicola Formichetti has been pushing boundaries for years. For the July–August cover, Formichetti styled Bad Bunny in a way that “reflects the future of where he’s going while still acknowledging the past,” he says. Honoring the past is where Avi Davidov and Ofir Benshimon’s diamond medallions come in. For the inside photos, Bad Bunny is seen holding these chains against his chest. “I want to have these medals on my heart, because without them, I wouldn’t be here,” the star told Formichetti — referring to reggaeton icons like Daddy Yankee and Héctor El Father, who are known for their icy drip. Formichetti bounced off the silver theme with twisted-metal sunglasses (Ottolinger), a chrome choker (Apt. 1007), and a wing-shaped earring (XTENDED iDENTiTY).