Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, professionally known as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican singer and rapper who has been producing music for roughly a decade, having released seven studio albums in the process. On Feb. 8, he performed at the Superbowl LX Halftime Show in Santa Clara, Calif. During his performance — the artist conveyed a compelling message of love and unity in times of hate- one that resonated with audiences across the world.
Bad Bunny’s music is consistently distinguished by his celebration of Latin American culture. His concerts and live performances are a reflection of his pride for being Latino, displaying his use of traditional Puerto Rican rhythms, touring primarily in South America and speaking almost entirely in Spanish during his performances. His halftime show was no different. To begin, Bad Bunny displayed a field of Jíbaros,traditional Puerto Rican farmers, harvesting sugarcane crops as a tribute to his Puerto Rican roots and the country’s origins. The farmers were also wearing Pavas, straw hats made from Puerto Rican palms. He then performed one of his most well-known songs, “Tití Me Preguntó,” from his album, “Un Verano Sin Ti.” Throughout the song, Bad Bunny displayed key parts of Puerto Rican culture: a coconut stand, a group of older men playing dominoes and a piragua stand, Puerto Rican shaved ice. His usage of Latino culture being circulated to the rest of the world to honor it created a feeling of celebration and unity that resonated with viewers at home, as well as in the crowd.
Throughout the rest of the show, Bad Bunny played hit songs “EoO” and “MONACO.” Afterwards, Bad Bunny brought out critically-acclaimed artist, Lady Gaga, as a special guest to sing one of her most popular songs, “Die with a Smile.” Replacing the usual flow with a salsa-style beat, Gaga displayed her support and recognition for the Latino community. After Gaga’s guest appearance, Bad Bunny played another one of his biggest hits, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE.” During this song, Bad Bunny showed people of different ages dancing together. This song is often seen as a symbol of love and harmony despite differences, illustrated through his usage of dancers of varying ages. Following this, he played another popular song, “NUEVAYoL.” At the end of the song, the camera panned to a little boy and his two parents watching Bad Bunny’s speech at this year’s Grammy Awards. The boy was meant to represent Bad Bunny as a child, to portray his success and how far he’s come.
Next, Bad Bunny brought out fellow Puerto Rican artist and actor, Ricky Martin to sing “LO QUE LE PASO A HAWAII.” The song’s lyrics are a message to Puerto Ricans to avoid the same fate as Hawaii, previously an independent country but later colonized by the U.S. and subsequently had their language and culture essentially taken from them. This song was extremely notable to play on live television, as it promotes a message of individuality and resistance against cultural oppression. Later, during his song “CAFé CON RON,” a group of dancers came out holding the flags of each country in the Western Hemisphere, a symbol of all the countries being united despite their differences in language, culture and people.
“God bless America, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, Republica Dominicana, Jamaica, Haiti, United States, Canada, Puerto Rico,” Bad Bunny said.
By doing this, the artist redefined what America is; not just the U.S., but the entire continent as a whole. During his speech, a screen in the back of his performance read “the only thing stronger than hate is love,” a direct reference to the speech he gave at this year’s Grammy Awards; addressing the treatment towards hispanic immigrants and urging love over hate in times of difficulty. He also held up a football that stated “Together, We Are America.”
Despite the universal messages of kindness and acceptance Bad Bunny strived to promote, the Halftime Show received significant backlash. Many viewers were quick to criticize the performance, arguing that Bad Bunny only speaking Spanish made the show dull and difficult to understand. In contrast, others saw the performance as a beautiful tribute to Puerto Rican and Hispanic culture and a perfect way to spread love in times of division. In the time leading up to the Halftime Show, Bad Bunny received a lot of hate from Americans planning to watch the Super Bowl. This was simply because of the fact he is from Puerto Rico and not the states. Due to this retaliation, Turning Point USA, an American nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating conservative ideals created its own Halftime Show. This show featured artists such as Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Gabby Barret and Lee Brice.
This secondary Halftime Show became extremely controversial due to it being a counter-program against Bad Bunny’s diverse performance. Many came after the Turning Point Halftime show because of its low number of viewers and “anti-woke” intentions. The secondary show was purposefully designed as a conservative alternative performance to protest the NFL picking Bad Bunny as its Halftime Show performer; which upset many.
Although Bad Bunny’s performance was controversial and polarizing, it brought together audiences of all backgrounds and fostered inclusivity. By using his platform to speak out against the current political climate of the U.S., Bad Bunny strongly stated his opinions on today’s politics and created a safe space for all to be one group united together by the celebration of the success and diversity of America.
