David Grutman, a nightlife legend who owns high-profile restaurants and clubs across America, is taking credit for introducing Bad Bunny and Drake.
The 51-year-old Miami staple who owns LIV clubs and the Komodo restaurants opened up about his path from bartending to becoming a successful entrepreneur in his new self-help book Take It Personal: How to Succeed by Building Relationships and Playing the Long Game — and revealed how making one star-studded connection changed the trajectory of his career.
In a sneak peek of the book obtained by USA Today, Grutman revealed that he came to co-own a steakhouse, Gekko, with Bad Bunny due to a domino effect that started when he brought the Puerto Rican rapper into Drake’s orbit.
Grutman said he realized Bad Bunny’s potential shortly after hearing his music. He then felt even stronger about the rapper’s future after the pair “instantly clicked” upon meeting, which led him to want to help the singer “connect and grow.”
“That’s a big part of who I am, especially in my work as an entrepreneur in hospitality,” Grutman wrote in the book, out April 14. “Whether it’s through my restaurants, clubs, or ventures, I’m always hosting, always bringing people together. Around the time I met Bad Bunny, my friend Drake was in Miami recording his album Scorpion. We met for dinner, and as we caught up, Drake asked me who the most exciting new artist was. Without hesitation, I said, ‘Bad Bunny.”
Grutman said he urged the Canadian rapper to get on the phone with Bad Bunny’s manager and offer to collaborate on a song. The next day, Bad Bunny — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — and his team flew to Miami — but things became awkward when Drake delayed the meeting due to a last minute recording session.
Later that night, Grutman said Drake’s team told him he wanted to have dinner with Bad Bunny at Grutman’s restaurant, Komodo.
“We all went to dinner, and the connection between Drake and Bad Bunny was instant,” he wrote. “They decided to record a song together called ‘MÍA.’”
“MÍA” did not make it onto Scorpion in 2018, but it was released as a single months later and became an instant hit. The track marked Bad Bunny’s first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it debuted at No. 5.
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“A few months later, Drake was back in Miami for a rescheduled concert,” Grutman recalled. “Over dinner, I asked him, ‘Why isn’t Bad Bunny performing with you? The song is huge—people would lose it.’”
Bad Bunny flew to Miami to hit the stage, and Grutman wrote that “the crowd went wild” during the song’s first-ever live performance.
“It was one of those moments that reminded me why I do what I do,” he said.
Drake and Bad Bunny have supported each other publicly over the years with several concert appearances, shout-outs on social media and even in song lyrics.
Grutman’s introduction produced more music in 2023, when Bad Bunny and Drake collaborated again on the latter’s song “Gently” for his eighth album For All the Dogs.
The connections also brought good fortune back to the entrepreneur — after he brought Bad Bunny into conversations with Drake as well as an executive at Live Nation, Bad Bunny then floated the idea of the pair opening a restaurant together.
“My answer was immediate – yes,” Grutman said.
Gekko, the Japanese steakhouse, opened in Miami in August 2022 and is still open today. Grutman and Bad Bunny have remained friends, with the club mogul appearing in his Super Bowl halftime show in February.
“For me, it wasn’t just about launching a successful spot; it was about what it represented,” Grutman wrote. “A connection that started with no expectations, just a desire to help someone grow, had led to something beautiful. That’s the power of bringing people together for no reason other than to see what might happen when you do.”
