What a big year it has been for Bad Bunny. Just last week he made history by winning three grammys, one of them being Album of the Year. Words cannot explain the various emotions many Puerto Ricans went through; chief among them pride and happiness, especially considering the meaning behind such a magnificent album. During an interview from Apple Music’s Halftime Show Press Conference, Bad Bunny expressed that he dedicated the entire album to his people without caring if it didn’t get recognition outside of the island. Bad Bunny has grown into being such an incredible performer and he was just so perfect for this year’s Halftime Show. Ever since DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS dropped, many things have happened, not just positive, but negative too, and it’s a good reminder of how Puerto Ricans are also Americans and that no one’s illegal on stolen land. And what a great way to use his platform to speak up!
After seeing Bad Bunny’s most anticipated Halftime Show, I think that it is important to mention the fact that when he announced his No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí tour, he decided to skip the USA entirely because of the ICE raidings and detainings on immigrant people. On September 28 of last year, Apple music announced that Bad Bunny was going to hold Superbowl’s LX Halftime Show and stated that “Bad Bunny is bringing Puerto Rico to the world’s biggest stage.” This obviously formed a big emotional and exciting wave to us Puerto Ricans, because it’s something we hadn’t seen before. The fact that Benito grew up here on this island, and went from working in a local supermarket to becoming the world’s biggest star just gives us so much hope. Knowing that he’s done so much for Puerto Rico is so amazing, and watching his Halftime Show in the Super Bowl this past Sunday was just the beginning of something big.
As I watched Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show, I couldn’t contain my emotions; I mean wow, my culture was being televised on national television. There was Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—aka Bad Bunny—performing in a cane field surrounded by bodegas, laborers, a wedding party, and the one and only casita. The performance was filled with many pieces of symbolism and representation of Puerto Rican culture. First off, by showcasing many field workers doing their jobs in the cane fields, it reflects such a beautiful homage to the island of how hardworking people used to and are currently working. The cane fields are significant to the island’s culture, because it represents those who have relatives who used to work countless hours below the sun’s heat in these fields in order to make a living. Secondly, Martínez Ocasio climbed up an electric pole, which symbolizes the power crisis the island faces most of the time. For us Puerto Ricans, we love the representation of our culture, but Bad Bunny exposes through his performance and his most recent album, the ongoing problems we face on this island. Power outages are a constant problem we face to this day on the island, and there are houses that survived Hurricane María back in 2017 that are still powerless. Thirdly, I want to emphasize the living room we saw during the performance, where a family was watching the moment Benito won Album of the Year. This moment wasn’t just the acceptance of an award, but the constant moments of love and support that went into winning such a deserving award. It means so much more, an entirely Spanish-language album that speaks about topics we on the island can truly relate to, a deeply meaningful gesture to Puerto Ricans. In the Halftime Show, Bad Bunny gave the grammy award to a little kid, which represents his younger self or the next young generation which will do the honor of carrying this legacy.
Among the other impressive things I saw at the Halftime Show was the real wedding ceremony. According to Impact on Instagram, the inclusion of a wedding, which is the most literal and outward celebration of love, is intentional during a time of intensive divisiveness. It was unbelievable, imagine getting wed in the middle of one of the most important Halftime Shows, which speaks up about the political atmosphere USA is facing and about the issues Puerto Rico faces everyday. This makes me realize that, in the middle of chaos, there is always time for love. Also, in the wedding party, latinos could relate to the little kid, who was sleeping on the chairs while the party was in full force. Benito is seen waking him up, so that he could enjoy the party along with the others. Most of the latino community went through this experience during their childhoods, myself included.
Benito did not just give us the performance of the year, but he also brought Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin as special guests. Lady Gaga performed the song “Die With a Smile,” but a salsa version, which is when I realized what a wonderful moment it was to sing that song. This is because that song is originally a duet with Bruno Mars, who is half Puerto Rican, which deepens the meaning of this song choice. And not to mention how much of a big deal it was to have Lady Gaga perform alongside Benito in the Halftime Show, because he has such a big admiration for Mother Monster herself. Then, Ricky Martin performed one of the most meaningful tracks in the album, “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” behind a scenery that looked like the album cover.
Lastly, he closes out his performance by saying “God Bless America” and proceeding to name every country in North, South, Central, and Latin America, emphasizing that “America” doesn’t only mean the USA.This was a moment that we, as a society, celebrated with all our brothers and sisters, no matter what race, or ethnicity you are. Countries from the American continent were filled with pride as the billboard behind them stated, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” There’s no doubt that Benito uses his platform for awareness. And what better than giving the kid who dreamt big a chance to become an incredible person and human being by using his voice to share our struggles and hard work.
I want to thank Bad Bunny for the representation of our small but mighty island, making history by being the first Halftime Show fully in Spanish and surpassing the previous record held by Kendrick Lamar in 2025 with 135.4 million views. There were little things I noticed in the performance that stood out to me, such as the coconut stands, the elders playing domino in the iconic plastic table, the nail tech working, the piragüa stand, the taco stand, the boxers fighting , the pawn shop, the “sapito concho” peeking through the big screen, the mention of one of the most important artists in the reggaeton genre, the bodegas in New York with Toñita, the diaspora from Puerto Ricans and other latin american countries, el cuatro puertorriqueño, the two plastic chairs surrounded by the rural side of the island, the electric poles, actual people being in the plantations, Bomba, Plena, Salsa, and finally, the mention of his homeland after naming every American country.
This halftime show didn’t just prove that Together We are America, but that with love, together we can beat hatred. In order to become one, we have to face loathing with love and kindness. I want to conclude this article with a message of gratitude to Benito, stating that, on behalf of Puerto Ricans, we are so proud of every single accomplishment and goal you have achieved. Thank you for taking Puerto Rico to the next level and showing it to the world. Thank you for being an inspiration and making a huge impact on this place last year with the residency tour. You have done so much for us, and for that, we are endlessly thankful and beyond grateful.
¡Gracias, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio!