Puerto Rican icon Bad Bunny, a superstar rapper, has recently risen to global prominence as demonstrated by the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.

Bad Bunny’s success is not only down to his charismatic performances or engagement in social activism for Puerto Rico, but also his catchy use of rhythm.

He infuses the characteristic rhythms of reggaeton into Latin trap, creating his signature sound.

Read more: Bad Bunny says reggaeton is Puerto Rican, but it was born in Panama

Rhythm can be defined as the musical duration or timing properties of music. Many rhythms derive from human speech patterns and are also linked to movement, including dance (as suggested by numerous studies on embodiment).

The “catchiness” of a rhythm has the potential to make or break a song. And it’s not just in recent pop songs, but across classical, jazz and throughout global musical styles.

Rhythm is one of the key parameters of music alongside pitch and timbre, which is the quality of auditory sensations produced by the tone of a sound wave.

As 20th-century composer Igor Stravinsky scribbled on his sketches of his rhythmic masterpiece, The Rite of Spring: “there is music wherever there is rhythm, as there is life wherever there beats a pulse.”

What makes a rhythm distinctive or catchy? The answer lies in the pattern that underlies the structure. Much of human creativity beyond rhythm and music is also shaped by the math underneath the patterns.

Bad Bunny’s characteristic reggaeton rhythms are derived from what is called the tresillo, a distinctive pattern created by two groups of three beats........

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