Some people are not happy that Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny was named “King of Pop” by Forbes magazine.
The singer and rapper— whose given name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio—is one of the biggest music stars in the world at the moment and featured in the magazine’s “30 Under 30” list.
“If there is a constant in Bad Bunny, who is 29 years old, it is that everything he creates becomes a worldwide hit,” wrote Forbes. “In April, Bad Bunny made history as the first Latin artist to headline the Coachella music festival. And he’s done it all while singing solely in Spanish.”
Bad Bunny attends the 2023 Forbes “30 Under 30 Summit” at Cleveland Public Auditorium on October 9, 2023, in Cleveland, Ohio. Some people are not happy he was named King of Pop by Forbes. Taylor Hill/Getty Images North America
“His YouTube channel has attracted over 32 billion views, more than Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and, yes, Taylor Swift. He has won three Grammy Awards and 11 Latin Grammys.”
The magazine also pointed out that Bad Bunny has broken Spotify streaming records, including being the first non-English-speaking artist to have the most streams on the platform, and having the biggest streaming year of any artist in history, when he got more than 18.5 billion streams in 2022. At the time of writing, his album Un Verano Sin Ti was the most streamed album with more than 14 billion streams on Spotify.
Usually known as the “King of Latin Trap,” Bad Bunny’s music usually crosses multiple genres, but some people did not agree with Forbes’ description of him as “El Rey de Pop.”
The Spanish translation of “King of Pop” featured alongside Bad Bunny’s photo on the cover of the magazine.
“No, Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. I don’t know ONE Bad Bunny song. Besides, Michael never disrespected his fans like Bad Bunny did,” wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter, referring to the time he threw a fan’s cell phone into the sea.
“Bad Bunny cool, but stop disrespecting Michael Jackson fr. It’s getting out of HAND,” added another person.
And a third commented: “Name just one Pop song by Bad Bunny ? I’ll wait 😴 The New King of Pop ?? Spare us, please.”
Newsweek contacted Bad Bunny’s representatives by email for comment.
Earlier this year, Bad Bunny came under fire for a clip that went viral across social media, where he was shown walking along a waterfront road in the Dominican Republic surrounded by what appeared to be his entourage and a small group of excited fans.
As one woman walked beside him trying to film them or take a selfie, Bad Bunny grabbed her phone and threw it into the sea.
He later explained his reason for throwing the phone on X.
“The person who comes up to me to say hello, to tell me something, or just to meet me, will always receive my attention and respect,” Bad Bunny said. “Those who come to put a phone in my face I will consider it for what it is, a lack of respect, and I will treat it likewise.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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