Bad Bunny has made history yet again. The DeBĂ TiRAR MáS FOToS singer became the first Latino artist to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year on Feb 1. The album is very special to Puerto Ricans, as well as Latinos who resonate with its underlying message. Bad Bunny’s album expresses just how much the Puerto Rican community has been through over the past few decades, and showcases the hardships of being a Latino immigrant — how the people that you once grew up with had to move off the island in search for a better opportunity to support their families.
When Bad Bunny — aka Benito Antonio MartĂnez Ocasio — got up to the stage to accept his Grammy, he proceeded to thank his community in Spanish, and remind them of the importance of following their dreams. “Puerto Rico, we are bigger than 100×35,” he said, “and there is nothing we cannot achieve.” His choice to state this in Spanish was quite powerful, since it can be perceived as an intimate conversation between him and the Puerto Rican community to never back down from their dreams, no matter what anyone says or thinks, because they are capable of conducting great things for themselves and their culture.
To say Puerto Ricans are proud of Bad Bunny’s most recent accomplishment would be an understatement. Victoria Maldonado, a student from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus says, “I believe that Bad Bunny is one of the few artists that uses their platform to showcase a positive message, by promoting peace and love, as well, the movement he created with his No Me Quiero ir de Aquà tour — the 30-night residency Bad Bunny did on the island of Puerto Rico.
Bad Bunny’s words were especially meaningful amid ICE raids in the United States that have turned violent. In Minneapolis, Minnesota in January, two civilians were killed at the hands of ICE agents. Bad Bunny spoke out against ICE in his acceptance speech for Best MĂşsica Urbana Album, saying, “We’re not savages, we’re not aliens, we’re not animals — we are humans and we are Americans.” He made note that society is currently more focused on being hateful towards others, and he implored his fans to showcase love to fight that hate.Â
“It was very impressive how he promoted peace and love in his speech, since he received a lot of hate when he was announced to be the upcoming Super Bowl LX Halftime Show performer,” Maya*, another student at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, tells me. “He never backed down or attacked anyone, like others did to him.” The singer is set to take the stage at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, California on Feb. 8.
As a fellow Puerto Rican, Bad Bunny’s latest career accomplishment — in which he achieved such a prestigious award — is an impressive reminder of what all Latinos are able to achieve. His speech is a representation of how, no matter the platform, we can make our voices heard. While listening to his speech, I was reminded of his song “LA MuDANZA,” where Bad Bunny sings, “AquĂ mataron gente por sacar la bandera y por eso es que ahora yo la llevo donde quiera.” (“People were killed here for displaying the flag, and that’s why I carry it with me everywhere now.”) This line is truly important for me as a Puerto Rican, because it symbolizes all the hardships we’ve gone through, as well as how proud I am to be a part of this culture and wanting to showcase it to everyone.
*Name has been changed.