The only drawback to Bad Bunny winning the MTV Video Music Award for Artist of the Year was his not being present at the ceremony. Instead, his performance of “Tití Me Preguntó” was broadcast live from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, where an ecstatic concert audience celebrated the evening of firsts for Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. The singer, who takes over Allegiant Stadium this week, was the first Latino to win the Artist of the Year accolade.
This by default makes him the first Puerto Rican, as well as the first Latin trap and reggaeton singer, to win the award. He’s received no shortage of major musical honors since arriving on the scene though, having won or been nominated for numerous American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and iHeartRadio Awards since emerging as a new artist in 2017. His guest turn on Cardi B’s 2018 hit “I Like It” with J Balvin brought him major recognition on pop radio, and the track earned a slew of nominations and wins for best song in 2019.
His 2020 album YHLQMDLG (Spanish acronym that translates as “I do whatever I want”) set the stage for making him a crossover superstar and earned Bad Bunny his first GRAMMY in 2021. It reached No. 2 on Billboard’s album chart and generated eight singles, several of which climbed into the Top 100 with “Vete” reaching No. 33. He’s had eight Top 10 hits since, including “Moscow Mule,” “Despues de La Playa” and “Me Porto Bonito.”
“Tití Me Preguntó” reached No. 5, with the album it’s featured on, Un Verano Sin Ti, debuting at No. 1 in May. Bad Bunny’s VMA performance of the song was the first time a male artist was kissed by another man during the VMA broadcast. He was kissed by a woman immediately before, but the artist who earned his sobriquet due to a bunny suit he wore once is an LGBTQ rights advocate who doesn’t mind risking accusations of career calculation or criticisms of his masculinity.
Allegiant Stadium, 7 p.m. Sept. 23-24, starting at $146 + tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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