Background and reactions to Bad Bunny’s halftime show in The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the name given to the final match of the National Football League (or simply known as the NFL) championship, whose opponents are the winners of the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The match is due on the second Sunday of February every year and is one of the most watched broadcasts in the United States, but it is not the only thing that grabs viewers’ attention that day.

Over the years, the Super Bowl has become one of the most important social events in the country, to the point that it is one of the days of the year when more food and drink are consumed. One of its biggest attractions, and a matter of controversy from time to time, since its inception has been the Halftime Show. 

Absolutely every edition has featured a musical performance during halftime of the match. In the beginning, college marching bands were responsible for taking up the cudgel for the show, but its growing popularity got much more famous singers and bands be hired to take this prime spot.

There have been great and supremely talented artists, such as the exceptional case of Michael Jackson, who gave one of the most legendary and memorable performances to date. Likewise, artists such as U2, Justin Timberlake, Prince, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and Madonna, among others have also participated there. More recently, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and Usher have performed at the halftime show.

However, few musical performances have caused as much controversy as this year’s, which was performed by music producer, rapper, and reggaeton artist Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny.

Who is Bad Bunny?

Seeing everything he has achieved on a professional and artistic level, we could find it hard to believe the humble origins of the Puerto Rican artist, who grew up in a working-class household and was the son of a truck driver and a teacher who always instilled in their son the taste for music since childhood. By that time, many of his acquaintances started calling Benito “Bad Bunny” because of a sweet photo of him wearing bunny ears and having an annoying face.

What is known of his working life before becoming an artist is that for a time he worked as a bagger at Econo Supermarket while uploading the songs he composed to SoundCloud, material which reached the ears of producer DJ Luian. Through him, he managed to be signed to the label Hear This Music in 2016 and strengthened himself as an artist by collaborating with urban music greats such as J Balvin, Ozuna, and Cardi B. From there, his fame and popularity did nothing but grow and grow.

After that, what came next was a string of hits from his albums, which were “X 100PRE,” “YHLQMDLG,” “El Último Tour del Mundo,” “Un Verano Sin Ti,” “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar,” and “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.” Following the release of “X 100PRE,” the Puerto Rican left Hear This Music and broke his professional relationships with DJ Luian and Mambo Kingz due to creative differences and the lack of support for their projects. 

Already in 2018, it was finally confirmed that “El Conejo Malo” left Hear The Music to join Rimas Entertainment led by his manager Noah Assad, who is the current CEO, public face, and majority owner of the company. However, the main investor since its founding in 2014 was former Venezuelan military officer and public official Rafael Jimenez Dan, whose links with the late President Hugo Chávez have made him a controversial figure and, to some extent, harmful to the company. For this reason, every effort has been made to disassociate Jiménez from the label until he finally sold his 60% stake in 2023, when Assad took full control of Rimas and Sony Music stepped in as a new investor.

However, this situation inflicts no injury on the image and great success of Bad Bunny, who clearly has nothing to do with these businesses and operations between the owners of his current record label.

Social and political stances

In recent years, Bad Bunny has used his art to put a magnifying glass on important issues for Puerto Rican and Latino communities. Some of them are the exodus of many inhabitants of the island, gentrification, the energy crisis, and the territory’s status of associated state. In fact, he participated in the 2019 protests demanding the resignation of then Governor Ricardo Rosselló and released the song “El Apagón” and financed a documentary of the same name denouncing the constant blackouts, the terrible service provided by the private company Luma Energy, the privatization of beaches, and the government’s abandonment of Puerto Rico’s infrastructure. 

As for the Latino community in the United States, the artist has been very vocal about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) proceedings against illegal immigrants and recent altercations with some protesters who claim that the institution has criminalized Latinos, no matter if they are criminals or not. Moreover, in his acceptance speech for his Grammy in the category of Best Urban Music Album, he said, “ICE out! We are not savages, we are not animals… we are humans and we are Americans.”

With this prelude, it is clear how Bad Bunny would focus his show at the Super Bowl a week later on February 8 of this year.

Bad Bunny’s participation in the Super Bowl

The NFL and the production company Roc Nation, led by American rapper Jay-Z, chose Bad Bunny as the main artist for the halftime show in order to attract a global and Latino audience, a decision that obtained Commissioner Roger Goodell‘s support, which earned him a tsunami of criticism from much of the American public. What is known about this is that Jay-Z took into account his cultural impact and status as a Spanish-language musical leader, aiming to go for freshness and novelty on stage. 

So, that was how February 8 arrived with a very high expectation for what the artist and his team had prepared for that day. And boy, did they have a few surprises.

The performance, executed entirely in Spanish, was a tribute to Puerto Rico and Latin America in general. During the 15 minutes the Puerto Rican artist was on stage, scenography represented typical elements from the Island of Enchantment and much of Latin America, such as sugar cane fields, men playing dominoes, piragua stands, boxers, plastic chairs, barbershops, among others. 

He kicked off the concert with one of his greatest hits, “Tití Me Preguntó,” followed by a remix of some of the most iconic songs by reggaeton artists such as Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, and Tego Calderón. One of the big surprises was the appearance of Lady Gaga performing “Die With A Smile” in salsa version and dancing with Bad Bunny to make way for Ricky Martin singing “Lo Que Pasó En Hawaii” in open protest against the parallels between the situation in Hawaii and that of Puerto Rico today. 

The show closed with the urban artist saying “God Bless America” and proceeding to list all the countries that comprise the American continent alongside people waving their flags. 

Some reactions after the show

Reactions to the show were extremely divided. While much of the Latino audience welcomed the Benito’s message, many Americans found it boring and confusing because of unfamiliar references and language barrier. However, it is clear that it had a profound impact and will extend the conversation about Latinos for a long time. 

Even aside from art and the quality of the performance, many understand that the show goes much further than the artist and his actions, but rather the social and political message he wanted to bring to the United States and the world, to the point that President Donald Trump himself described it as “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” He also added that the show “doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, and Excellence” of the United States and that it was “a slap in the face to our country.”

However, other personalities like Jimmy Fallon, who has had Bad Bunny on his show, have shown his support to the artist on numerous occasions both on his show and social media. He also received support and praise from singers such as Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, and Alicia Keys. 

A Puerto Rican artist’s perspective on Bad Bunny’s show

There have been many reactions from all over the world, but what do Puerto Ricans themselves think about it? To know what a Puerto Rican artist thinks about this great event, we spoke with singer, comedian, and actress Carmen Nydia Velázquez, who shared her thoughts about “el conejo malo” and all the debate his show generated in the media and social networks. The performer noted the following:

”In common with the vast majority of Puerto Ricans, I am deeply proud of our Bad Bunny’s performance in the Benito Bowl. He was spectacular! The fact that our beautiful island has given birth to a world-famous artist who has reached the most coveted stage for any artist fills your heart with joy. But the most important thing about Benito is his commitment to give us a relevant place in the world, with our Spanish language and our culture. The noise surrounding Benito’s participation, before, during, and after the Super Bowl seems to have no end. It’s now history!”

Read also: Musician and entrepreneur of Latin origin Jorge Torres talks about his band and his company