Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio turned 27 this year.
Its been a time for introspection.
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Theres a brief silence and some stifled laughter around the table.
Well, well get there, he assures me, taking a sip of white wine.
In person, Martinez Ocasio exudes a humbleness that belies his star power.
Perhaps its how frequently he mentions his mother, both in conversation and in songs.
He puts on a gentle but concerned voice and begins imitating his mother.
Benito,te safaste, he recalls her saying.
My God, you went over the line!
Or perhaps its that hes still running with the same crew he has had since he was growing up.
(His high-school friend Pino is joining us for dinner.)
Not to mention that when two Puerto Ricans meet anywhere outside of the island, theyre never quite strangers.
Some little snacks for you, announces the server, to which he responds with a Brr!
Here are some crispy deviled eggs elicits a Bop!
He declares a fluke tartare to be bien bellaco, or very horny.
For men of a certain age on the island, the word is simply a stand-in fordude.
Its beenun ano cabronin a lot of ways, Martinez Ocasio says.
After almost two years of canceled shows, he has been flying around the world for detours into acting.
He loved every second of it.
Action movies are the last kind of movie I want to watch.
(The week before, he binged all the Harry Potter movies for the first time.
Now, everything is a reference to Harry Potter, a joke about Harry Potter.
I kept thinking,Why havent I seen them before?Im full of regrets.)
He moved to Florida for three months this spring to train.
As a hard-core fan, he knew the rest of the fandom would be skeptical.
They are not Bad Bunny fans.
They do not listen to reggaeton; they listen to metal, he says.
I know they hate me, and I think its funny; I love it.
I was so ready for the hate.
In the end, he won them over.
It was a remarkable debut.
Two years later, he signed a deal with DJ Luians Hear This Music label.
From there, he released four massively successful, critically acclaimed records in quick succession.
I dont take them all seriously the good ones I carry with me, he says.
Then theres people who are on a crazy trip, and you have to ignore them.
Martinez Ocasio began work on his fourth studio album this year but is keeping quiet about it.
He remains a spontaneous singer-songwriter.
Part of being internationally famous is the increased scrutiny on everything you do.
When I bring it up, Martinez Ocasio replies, We arent talking about that.
I mention how much I enjoy the songs deranged lyrical content, and he perks back up.
The lawsuit came after another public kerfuffle.
He also memorably compared Balvins music to a hot-dog cart.
Martinez Ocasio waded into the debate during an interview with a Dominican radio program.
I ask if he has spoken to Balvin recently.
About the hot dogs and the whole thing?
I havent talked about it with him, but I also dont think its necessary.
What I said in that interview was my normal opinion.
He knows I respect him, his music, and what he does.
People think him and I are friends, like we talk every day.
I dont really have that kind of relationship with other artists.
I find it very hard.
I ask if he has a secret Instagram account.
he replies, laughing.
(He acknowledges a Bad Bunny finsta does exist.)
Like, truly, I would rather you just leave.
And, listen, I get it, he continues.
People do that without even thinking.
But its like,cabron!We can just sit here in silence.
We can enjoy the silence.
Silence is not synonymous with boredom.
You grow up, you want to become famous, but what happens when you do?
I ask him when he first realized he was famous.
He takes a few seconds to think.
I realize every day, I swear, he says.
You have to learn how to live with that.
He seems a bit tortured about it at the moment.
Ive been crashing against this, he says.
When I go out and someone asks me for a photo theres nothing wrong with that!
But theres also nothing wrong with that making me feel bad.
Maybe I like attention, he continues, but its Benito who likes attention.
He likes to joke with his crew.
Im caught off guard the first time he speaks about himself in the third person.
I ask if they know about the return of Saturn.
The singer leans forward seriously: Tell me about that shit.
I didnt know about that, Martinez Ocasio says.
That fills me with peace, knowing thats a thing.
The past year has been shit.De pinga.Really.
I tell him the shit is part of it too.
Youre right, thats part of it, he says.
Still, it doesnt make it any easier, he insists.
I am going through it right now.
I am telling myself Ive been dealing with this for a while; I need to accept it.
I learn from it, I cry about it, and I move on.
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