As a fellow Puerto Rican, Bad Bunny's Super Bowl show was personal

February 10, 2026

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance represented a powerful cultural moment for Puerto Rico, as the artist performed almost entirely in Spanish before 125 million viewers while incorporating imagery of sugarcane fields, rural homes, and colonial San Juan. The author, also from a small Puerto Rican town, connects with Bad Bunny's working-class background and shared experiences of growing up far from the capital, learning English as adults, and speaking Puerto Rican Spanish that some dismiss as unintelligible. His music addresses Puerto Rico's struggles including school closures, a failing electrical grid, crumbling infrastructure, and the island's limited political power as a US territory whose residents cannot vote in presidential elections.

Who is affected

Bad Bunny (Benito Martínez Ocasio)
Puerto Ricans generally, particularly those from small towns and working-class backgrounds
People born in Puerto Rico (who are US citizens but cannot vote in presidential elections)
Young people of Afro-Caribbean descent in poor communities (historically affected by reggaeton persecution)
Puerto Rican artists including Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderón, Don Omar, and Ricky Martin
Guest performers Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, and celebrities Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, and Jessica Alba
An audience of 125 million Super Bowl viewers
English speakers learning Puerto Rican Spanish words and expressions

What action is being taken

Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl halftime show, singing almost entirely in Spanish
He is using symbols like the "pava" (traditional farmer's hat) and the endangered Puerto Rican crested toad in his performances
The artist is carrying the Puerto Rican flag "everywhere" including to the Super Bowl
English speakers are learning Puerto Rican Spanish words like "pichear" and "janguear"
Bad Bunny is blending reggaeton and trap with salsa, merengue, bomba, plena, and other Latin American genres

Why it matters

Bad Bunny's success represents unprecedented global visibility for Puerto Rican culture at a time when the island has limited political power—residents cannot vote in presidential elections and have no voting representation in Congress. Culture remains Puerto Rico's "primary doorway to the world" in the absence of sovereignty or international participation. His affirmation of Puerto Rican Spanish challenges decades of US efforts to impose English as the primary language and validates a way of speaking that has been dismissed as unintelligible. The performance also elevates reggaeton, a genre that was once persecuted and associated primarily with marginalized Afro-Caribbean youth, to the world's biggest stage. His music addresses critical issues facing Puerto Rico including fiscal crisis, infrastructure collapse, school closures, and political struggles while creating intergenerational dialogue across Latin American communities.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC