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Bad Bunny is a prolific Puerto Rican singer, rapper, and producer based in San Juan who has become a dominant voice in Latin trap and a general trendsetter for música urbana. In addition to placing dozens of singles on charts ranging from Latin pop and reggaeton to dance and hip-hop lists, he has also notched a succession of chart-topping albums including his 2018 debut x100pre and a pair of 2020 albums, YHLQMDLG and El Último Tour Del Mundo. Bad Bunny's sweeping commercial appeal lies in his chameleon-like approach, melding Latin soul, pop, and R&B, hard-hitting trap beats, and reggaeton with a slippery delivery that ranges from humor and pathos to heartbreak and anger. He is also one of the top collaborators in the música urbana movement, working regularly with contemporaries like J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Rosalía, and Jhay Cortez. After releasing 2022's Grammy-winning Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny notched his fifth consecutive number one album with 2023's Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.

Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in 1994, he began singing at five and always took it seriously. His biggest influences were Héctor Lavoe, Vico C, Daddy Yankee, and Marc Anthony. He studied audiovisual communication at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo and worked as a bagger at a grocery store while making his own music by night and posting it to SoundCloud. In particular, Bad Bunny's song "Diles" caught the ear of DJ Luian, who signed him to his Hear This Music label in 2016. His breakthrough single, "Soy Peor," issued in December of 2016, peaked at 22 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and established his trap-heavy sound with the masses. Its video rang up more than 650 million views. Appearances with Ñengo Flow, Arcangel, and Ozuna soon followed, and in early 2017 he kicked off an especially prolific run with the singles "Pa Ti," "Loco Pero Millonario," and "Dime Si Vas a Volver," amid numerous collaborative tracks with Poeta Callejero, Farruko, Brytiago, Almighty, and others. In late 2017, Bunny, J Balvin, and Prince Royce scored a hit with the collaboration "Sensualidad." The singles kept coming in 2018 as he notched another Latin hit with the solo track "Amorfoda" and collaborated again with J Balvin and American rapper Cardi B on her single "I Like It," which topped Billboard's Hot 100 in the summer of that year. On Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) of 2018, the most important day in the LatinX year, Bad Bunny issued his debut long-player, x100pre, to universal acclaim. The set was co-produced by reggaeton legend Tainy and La Paciencia (Roberto Rosado), with the exception of the club jam "200 MPH," which was helmed by Diplo. Its songs ranged from the pop-punk of "Tenemos Que Hablar" to reggaeton ballads including "Solo de Mí" and "Si Estuviésemos Juntos" to tense hip-hop on "Caro." It entered the Top Latin Albums chart at number one in early 2019, and in January peaked at number 12 on the Top 200.

In June, Oasis, the long-teased full-length collaboration between Bad Bunny and J Balvin, arrived. Utilizing a cast of producers who included Sky, Tainy, Legendury Beatz, Marciano Cantero, and Nicael Arroyo, the album peaked at number nine on the Top 200. At that year's Latin Grammys, Bad Bunny took home the award for x100pre as Best Urban Album. He surprised fans once more with the unexpected release of his sophomore full-length YHLQMDLG ("Yo hago lo que me da la gana": "I do whatever I want") at the end of February in 2020. Alternately produced by Subelo NEO and Tainy, the set featured collaborations with Daddy Yankee, Yaviah, Ñengo Flow, Anuel AA, and Jowell y Randy. It entered the Top 200 at number two, becoming the debut appearance of an album by a Latin artist. It also hit the top spot at Top Latin Albums. Issued on cassette and digitally, the first pressing of the former sold out in two days. Later that year Bunny issued his first compilation, Las Que No Iban a Salir. Comprised of unreleased tracks from the x100pre and YHLQMDLG sessions, as well as new cuts including the single "En Casita," the collection included appearances by Zion & Lennox, Yandel, Don Omar, Nicky Jam, and Jhay Cortez.

On Black Friday, Bad Bunny continued his habit of issuing albums without prior announcement. El Último Tour del Mundo, with its garish, semi-truck cover photo, offered a side of the urbano we hadn't seen before. In addition to trap and reggaeton, Bunny's songs acknowledged his love of indie rock with production and musical nods to the Cure, Radiohead, and the Police. The Tainy-produced "La Noche de Anoche," featuring Rosalía, was, uncharacteristically, one of only three collaborations on the album. The others included "Sorry Papi" (featuring Abra, it was also produced by Tainy) and "Dákiti," featuring Jhay Cortez. Two weeks after its release, the Grammy-nominated set peaked in the number one spot on the Top 200. Through 2021, Bunny issued a string of singles, including high-charting remixes of Mora's "Volando" and Nio Garcia's "AM," a collaboration with the long-retired Aventura ("Volví"), and the heartbreak hit "Yonaguni," which peaked at number three on the Top 200. His next full-length came with 2022's Un Verano Sin Ti, a sprawling 23-track set focused on the titular theme of summer. The album, influenced by Caribbean and South American rhythms, offered slices of reggaeton, pop, and trap, as well as unlikely collaborations with the likes of the Marías, Bomba Estéreo, and Tony Dize. Headed up by the sexually charged "Moscow Mule," it debuted at number one on the Billboard albums chart and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Musica Urbana Album. In May 2023, he hit the top 10 of the Hot 100 and Hot Latin Songs charts with "Where She Goes." He also joined Travis Scott and the Weeknd on the song "K-Pop," then kicked off his next album cycle with "Un Preview." Like Bunny's previous set, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana was lengthy and diverse, with 22 tracks that wound through Latin trap, Jersey club, drill, and points in between. It yielded the charting hit "Monaco" and the album itself topped Billboard's pop and Latin charts. In April 2024, he and Myke Towers released "Adivino," which he followed later that year with solo singles, "Una Velita," "El Clúb," and "Pitorro de Coco." In January 2025, he returned to Puerto Rico on sixth studio album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, a cosmopolitan set that celebrated his homeland's culture and warned against its exploitation. ~ Timothy Monger

Canadian rapper and vocalist Drake has retained a bigger-than-life commercial presence shortly after he hit the scene in 2006, whether with his own chart-topping releases or with a long string of guest appearances on hits by the likes of Lil Wayne, Rihanna, and A$AP Rocky. Thanks to his introspective rap style, his sensitive R&B crooning, and his golden touch with songwriting, each one of his albums -- from 2011's Take Care to 2018's trap-influenced Scorpion -- topped charts worldwide, and singles like the Grammy-winning "Hotline Bling" and many of his mixtapes did too. As his star rose, he helped others along, sponsoring the Weeknd's early work, starting the OVO Sound label, and giving features on his records to up-and-coming acts. By the second decade of his career, Drake's constant chart domination, his Grammy wins and nominations, and his meme-worthy cultural presence made him one of the world's most popular musicians, and the release of albums like 2022's Honestly, Nevermind and 2023's For All the Dogs became cultural events. A heavily publicized feud with Kendrick Lamar in 2024 yielded a string of diss tracks, including "Push-Ups" and "Family Matters," both of which hit the Top Ten of the Hot 100.

Initially known for his role as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, the Toronto-born Aubrey Drake Graham stepped out as a rapper and singer with pop appeal in 2006, when he initiated a series of mixtapes. A year later, despite being unsigned, he scored major exposure when his cocky and laid-back track, "Replacement Girl" featuring Trey Songz, was featured on BET's 106 & Park program as its "Joint of the Day." He raised his profile throughout the next several months by popping up on countless mixtapes and remixes, and as rumors swirled about contract offers from labels, he gradually became one of the most talked-about artists in the industry. It did not hurt that he had support from the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne.

By the end of June 2009, "Best I Ever Had," a promotional single, had climbed to number two on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. After a fierce bidding war, Drake signed with Universal Motown in late summer and released an EP, So Far Gone, made up of songs from his popular mixtape of the same title. It peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and won a 2010 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year. Thank Me Later, a full-length featuring collaborations with the Kings of Leon, the-Dream, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne, was issued through Young Money in June 2010. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Still, the artist felt his debut was rushed, so its follow-up arrived in November 2011 with the title Take Care, referencing the increased time and effort put into the album's creation. Receiving critical acclaim, Grammy Awards, and the number one slot on the U.S. Billboard 200, Take Care cemented Drake's place as one of Canada's biggest exports.

While on tour in 2012, Drake announced that he had started work on what would be his third studio album; Nothing Was the Same was released the following September. It spawned many singles, topped charts around the world, was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and was nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy Award. Soon after the album's release, Drake hit the road on an extended tour, took part in some collaborations, and released a few singles, including the Grammy-nominated "0 to 100/The Catch Up." His next release was planned as a free mixtape before Cash Money decided they would rather charge for it. The decidedly downbeat If You're Reading This It's Too Late was released in February 2015 and debuted at number one, while all 17 of its songs entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

In late summer 2015, Drake released a trio of new tracks on his SoundCloud page. One of them, the Timmy Thomas-sampling "Hotline Bling," became a Top Five pop hit in Canada and the U.S. and something of a cultural phenomenon. Later that year, Drake hit the studio with Future for a six-day session that yielded the mixtape What a Time to Be Alive. Upon the album's September release, it became Drake's second recording of the year to debut at number one. After issuing three singles in the beginning months of 2016, his fourth album, Views, arrived in April and debuted at number one. It revolved lyrically around his hometown of Toronto and featured production by longtime cohorts Noah "40" Shebib and Boi-1da, among others. Late that year, Drake issued another trio of singles, including the chart-topping "Fake Love." They preceded the playlist More Life, released the following March with appearances from Kanye West, Quavo, Travis Scott, and Young Thug. The release became his seventh consecutive chart-topping album.

At the start of 2018, Drake issued the two-song EP Scary Hours. Both "Diplomatic Immunity" and "God's Plan" hit the Top Ten, the latter becoming his second solo chart-topper. It served as a precursor to his fifth album, the two-disc set Scorpion, which was broken into a rap side and an R&B side that featured the hit single "Nice for What." It was released in June and instantly went platinum, while also breaking records for most streams in a single day. At the 61st Grammy Awards, Drake took home the prize for Best Rap Song for "God's Plan."

In 2019, Drake raided the vaults for two archival releases: an official streaming release of the So Far Gone mixtape, and the Billboard 200-topping Care Package, which rounded up tracks that were leaked, discarded, or used as teasers, dating back to the Take Care era. Drake collected two Grammy nominations for the 2020 ceremonies, one for Best Rap Song with his Rick Ross collaboration "Gold Roses" and another for Best R&B Song with his Chris Brown-assisted "No Guidance." That same year, he released another mixtape made up of demos and singles titled Dark Lane Demo Tapes. One of the tracks was "Toosie Slide," his third song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first male artist to accomplish that feat.

Drake followed up with a slew of guest spots on songs by DJ Khaled, Bryson Tiller, Lil Wayne, and Drakeo the Ruler, then issued the "Laugh Now Cry Later" single in late 2020. The Lil Durk-featured track was touted as the first single from Certified Lover Boy, Drake's soon-to-be-released sixth official album. It didn't materialize as quickly as planned due to his knee surgery and recovery that precluded any work. Instead, an EP titled Scary Hours 2 was issued in early 2021, and Drake appeared on songs by Migos, Smiley, Nicki Minaj, and Trippie Redd. Sporting a controversial Damien Hirst-designed cover, the trap-inspired CLB was finally released that September and featured appearances by a who's who of the rap scene past and present including Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Young Thug, Future, Lil Baby, and many more. Like the five previous records, it topped the album charts in Canada and the U.S.

Drake stayed busy throughout 2022, appearing as a guest on albums by Gunna and Future, collaborating with DJ Khaled, and signing a deal with Universal for one of the largest contracts in music business history. It took until June of that year for Drake to release any music under his own name, and when he did it was the house music-inspired Honestly, Nevermind. Though the album featured a large number of producers, most prominently Noah "40" Shebib, Black Coffee, and Carnage, the only other rapper to appear was 21 Savage. The collaboration with the latter was built out into a full-length album titled Her Loss. Released in late 2022, the record relied on trap beats, melancholy synth washes, and a surprising number of disses. It topped both the Canadian Albums and Billboard 200 charts. In April 2023, he reached number two on the Hot 100 with "Search & Rescue," a track that sampled Kim Kardashian. After branching out into poetry with his first book, Titles Ruin Everything, in July, Drake returned with his eighth album, For All the Dogs. It featured guests ranging from J. Cole to Teezo Touchdown, and delivered a set of aggressive and melancholy trap songs. It was issued on October 6, the same day he announced a year-long sabbatical from music to focus on health issues.

In 2024, Drake became embroiled in a well-publicized feud with Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. After Cole had named the three as the "big three" greatest rappers in modern hip-hop, Lamar asserted that he was the only one during his guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin's song "Like That," which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Cole then criticized Lamar on his song "7 Minute Drill," which was met with a poor reception; Cole apologized for the song and removed it from streaming services. In April, Drake released two diss tracks against Lamar, "Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle," with the former reaching number ten on the Hot 100. Lamar responded with the vitriolic "Euphoria" and a track posted to Instagram titled "6:16 in L.A." Drake's "Family Matters" appeared in May, hitting number six on the Hot 100. It was promptly followed by Lamar's Alchemist-produced "Meet the Grahams" and party-ready "Not Like Us." Also that May, Drake responded with "The Heart, Pt. 6," a reference to Lamar's ongoing "The Heart" song series. ~ Tim Sendra