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Bad Bunny reigns as the No. 1 Latin act on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the quarter-century, ruling Billboard’s Top Latin Artists of the 21st Century chart. The retrospective is based on performance on the Top Latin Albums and Hot Latin Songs charts from January 2000 through December 2024.
Bad Bunny’s placement atop the Top Latin Artists of the 21st Century chart is all the more impressive in that he didn’t appear on Billboard’s rankings until 2016. His tallies over 2000-24: 14 No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs and eight on Top Latin Albums. He has since extended his respective counts to 16 and nine leaders, as well as a record 89 Hot Latin Songs top 10s — more than twice the totals of runners-up Enrique Iglesias and Luis Miguel (39 each) — dating to the chart’s 1986 start.
Benito was also Billboard‘s all-genre top artist of 2022 and is the reigning top Latin artist for five straight years, from 2020 to 2024.
Reflecting the biggest names in Latin from Y2K to today, check out the top 10 acts on Billboard’s Top Latin Artists of the 21st Century chart below and the entire 100-position ranking in Billboard’s Greatest of All Time charts menu.
Plus, check back Wednesday (Oct. 8) for Billboard’s Top Latin Albums of the 21st Century chart, Thursday (Oct. 9) for Billboard’s Top Hot Latin Songs of the 21st Century chart and Friday (Oct. 10) for Billboard’s rundown of The Top Producers of the 21st Century on the Hot Latin Songs Chart, with all coverage of Billboard’s 21st
Billboard’s Top Latin Artists, Top Latin Albums and Top Hot Latin Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top Latin Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on Top Latin Albums and Hot Latin Songs. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on Top Latin Albums or Hot Latin Songs in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top Latin Artists chart.) The Top Producers of the 21st Century on the Hot Latin Songs Chart reflects producers with the most No. 1s on weekly Hot Latin Songs charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024, with ties broken by most top 10s and most overall chart entries.
It’s 2016 and Ozuna makes his breakthrough with a top 25 hit on Hot Latin Songs. After gaining initial fame, the Puerto Rican injected the world with more of his mix of reggaetón, dancehall and pop Latin trap, with his debut album, Odisea, a true odyssey that commanded the Top Latin Albums chart for 46 weeks. Continuing his rise, Ozuna closed out 2018 as Billboard’s top Latin artist, bolstered by two No. 1s which dominated Hot Latin Songs for a combined 27 weeks and the success of his follow-up album, Aura. The chart-topper proved a more genre-bending project, as he noodled around with Latin R&B, tropical-house and more. He has gone on to earn five No. 1s each on Top Latin Albums and Hot Latin Songs.
Shortly after the dawn of the 21st century, Juanes achieved success with his first two Hot Latin Songs top 10s and then claimed his first No. 1 with “Fotografía.” The Nelly Furtado duet ignited the Latin market with vibrance and allure, and was a bold crossover move for Canadian Furtado, at a time when Spanish-speaking artists aimed to scale the fence into the English market. It proved a fruitful partnership for Juanes, as the song dominated Hot Latin Songs for five weeks in 2003, becoming his first of eight No. 1s. With the 2003 release of his second studio album, Un Día Normal, Juanes earned his first of five No. 1s on Top Latin Albums. Latin pop soon found a new pulse in the United States, as the pop/rock singer-songwriter added the right measure of Colombian sonority.
The Bronx-based Aventura propelled to stardom by redefining tradition. A product of the Dominican diaspora, the band reinvented bachata by incorporating R&B, pop and hip-hop into its sound, a clever move that led the new wave of “bachateros” to the act’s first entry on Top Latin Albums with its second studio album, We Broke the Rules, in 2002. Aventura rang up three No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs and two chart-topping sets on Top Latin Albums. Its fifth and final studio set, The Last, banked 23 weeks at the summit on the latter, with Aventura leaving an undeniable mark on its devoted fanbase and the tropical scene.
Shakira’s fame ballooned worldwide around the turn of the century, following two leaders on Hot Latin Songs and one on Top Latin Albums in 1998-99, as her body of work morphed into a more rhythm-driven pop style. She went on to tally 11 No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs over 2000-24. Among those, the 25-week ruler “La Tortura,” with Spanish singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz, broke the record for the longest reign until 2014. Parent album Fijación Oral: Vol. 1 pulled 17 weeks at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, Shakira’s longest career command, and one of her six leaders on the list during the quarter-century. The Colombian forged ahead with an unstoppable timetable of releases, including the viral “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” with Bizarrap, and “TQG,” with Karol G, both rulers on Hot Latin Songs in 2023.
Although J Balvin had already achieved a No. 1 single on Hot Latin Songs, his all-out breakthrough into mainstream media came with his next leader, the blockbuster hit “Ginza,” in 2015. The Colombian made his debut on national television with a performance on NBC’s Today and expanded his reach globally when the track gained traction across Europe. The lead single from his second studio album, Energía, sparked the set’s No. 1 debut on Top Latin Albums, becoming his first of four chart-toppers. Through the close of the first quarter of the 21st century, he upped his total to nine No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs.
Before the turn of the century, Marco Antonio Solís had established a thriving career as founding member of Los Bukis. Formed in the 1970s, the group blended norteño, Mexican cumbia and banda music, incorporating synthesizers to create a groundbreaking sound that redefined Tejano music along the U.S.-Mexico border. After parting ways with the group in 1990, he stayed strong as a solo artist with 28 entries on Hot Latin Songs in 2000-24, the era’s highest total for a regional Mexican soloist, a sum that includes five No. 1s. He notched 11 No. 1s on Top Latin Albums in the quarter-century and received the lifetime achievement award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2016.
Enrique Iglesias had already shone in the spotlight by 2000, and maintaining his dominance was second nature. Between 2000 and 2024, he led Hot Latin Songs with 16 hits, the most among all acts, contributing to his unmatched 27 career champs on the chart. Among his triumphs, the monumental “Bailando,” featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona, especially stood out, dominating for a then-record 41 weeks in 2014-15. He enhanced his standing through four No. 1s on Top Latin Albums, after four in the ‘90s. His LPs Euphoria and Sex & Love won album of the year honors at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2011 and 2015, respectively.
A pioneer in globalizing reggaetón, Daddy Yankee emerged as a dynamic force at the start of the 21st century. His career on the Hot Latin Songs chart began with the explosive “Gasolina” in 2004. The next year, “Rompe” became the first of seven Hot Latin Songs No. 1s for Daddy Yankee, known today as DY, while global phenomenon “Despacito,” with Luis Fonsi and featuring Justin Bieber, ruled for a record-breaking 56 weeks in 2017-18. Seven Daddy Yankee projects led Top Latin within 2000-24, including Barrio Fino, for a career-high 24 weeks beginning in 2004. Among his 31 Billboard Latin Music Awards, he took the Billboard Spirit of Hope Award in 2009 for his philanthropic endeavors.
With a mix of R&B and pop elements, Romeo Santos triggered a cultural wave within the bachata community as the frontman and lead vocalist of Aventura. His distinctive vocal tone and the pulse of his Dominican rhythm became essential in elevating the genre’s appeal and introducing it to a wider demographic. Santos embarked on a solo career in 2011, with the “King of Bachata” having banked seven chart-toppers on Hot Latin Songs, including with high-profile hitmakers Usher (“Promise,” 2011) and Drake (“Odio,” 2014). His debut solo set, Fórmula, Vol. 1, remains the longest-leading No. 1 by a bachata solo performer on Top Latin Albums (17 weeks), and marked the first of his five titles to top the chart. Santos has secured 32 Billboard Latin Music Awards, including back-to-back wins as artist of the year (2015-16).
Bad Bunny continues to redefine Latin music through his artistry, amplifying its global reach and influence. He has solidified his presence across the charts with an avalanche of groundbreaking contributions, including 14 No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs through 2024, from his first in 2018. Benito has racked up multiple simultaneous hits by skillfully combining his singles with effective guest appearances across his eight No. 1s on Top Latin Albums during the quarter-century.
Throughout his career, he has demonstrated unparalleled control over his artistic journey, effortlessly blending his production with the stories he wants to tell. This knack has helped earn him two collections that dominated Top Latin Albums for more than 60 weeks each; YHLQMDLG — short in Spanish for “I do whatever I want” — holds the record as the list’s longest-running No. 1, with 70 weeks in 2021-22.
Bad Bunny being anointed as the next Super Bowl Halftime Show performer further reflects his star power, deep-rooted connection to his heritage and great bond with audiences both familiar with Latin music and, thanks in part to his talent, those new to it.
