Bad Bunny Halftime Show

From the moment Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, it was deemed “controversial” by, let’s say, certain parties. Those who felt it was too political of a choice. This because the “white powers that be” think that everything involving black and brown folks is “political.” Worse still, “illegal.” Just as everything (a.k.a. everyone) in the U.S. seems to be lately. Indeed, at this moment in time, it even feels like the presently radical act of exhibiting and spreading joy, as Bad Bunny did on February 8th at Levi’s Stadium, could be deemed “unlawful” by a particular Orange Creature. You know, the person undoubtedly most incensed by the sight of Bad Bunny and his “battalion of Boricuas” taking center “stage” in California, the only entity that the Orange One appears to despise more than immigrants and common sense.

To be sure, it’s a wonder that the sight of this person and this place joining together for what is, inarguably, the most watched event on TV every year in the U.S., didn’t prompt the Human Cheeto to have a spontaneous heart attack à la Mrs. Sturak in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. And, since he can’t understand a word of Spanish (and, frankly, barely appears to understand English), maybe the Orange One didn’t notice that Bad Bunny sang “NUEVEYoL” (even when the music video for it directly referenced him), the track that kicks off his latest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (a record that also gave Bad Bunny the opportunity to shine at the 2026 Grammys).

In fact, he undoubtedly had (and has) no idea that Bad Bunny would “dare” to sing about a city that the Orange One has long considered “his” dominion. The primary milieu over which he “reigns” (not least of which because he was born in, of all places, Jamaica, Queens…you know, where his recent acolyte, Nicki Minaj, grew up). And one that, presumably, he would like to see “cleansed” of all “melting pot” characteristics (save, perhaps, for the Hasidic Jews that support him due to their hyper-conservative views).

But it was that “melting pot” mentality that America once relished defining itself by (even if quite naively) that Bad Bunny brought to Levi’s Stadium for the halftime show, transforming the field in such a way as to transport everyone watching—whether at home or in person—to his native Puerto Rico (pava hats and all). The place that has, for so long, been given “lesser than” status by the U.S. government despite the fact that the territory was “acquired” (that euphemistic word) by the United States in 1898 after the Spanish-American War and its residents given legal U.S. citizenship in 1917 following the passage of the Jones–Shafroth Act.

With the advent of more affordable air travel and a post-WWII job boom in New York City, Puerto Ricans began to migrate to “Nuevayol” (as some Puerto Ricans like to pronounce Nueva York), spurring a diaspora that would eventually account for why New York has the largest population of Puerto Ricans outside of the island. Whereas California has the largest population of Mexicans outside of Mexico (which, yes, was once California).

Needless to say, “Benito” had little interest in paying attention to that aspect of the Hispanic population, never mind what state he found himself performing in. After all, Bad Bunny, a loud and proud Puerto Rican (in case you didn’t know by now), knows more about “life as a Boricua” in NY, singing at the outset of “NUEVEYoL,” “Si te quieres divertir/Con encanto y con primor/Solo tienes que vivir/(¿Adónde?)/Un verano a Nueva York/(¡Nuevayol!)/Si te quieres divertir/Con encanto y con primor/(Pero, ¿qué es esto?)/Sole tienes que vivir/(Ya está frío)/Un verano en Nueva York/(Un ratito na’ má).”

For the blancos, that means, “If you wanna have fun/With charm and delight/You just have to live/(Where?)/A summer in New York/(New York!)/If you wanna have fun/With charm and delight/(But what’s this?)/You just have to live/(And this cold?)/A summer in New York/(Just for a bit).” Yes, do note that, despite Bad Bunny’s ostensible “love” for NYC, he’s sure to put the caveat in his pro-Nuevayol anthem that it’s really best “just for a bit.” In other words, a summer at the most. Ideally spent, if you’re Puerto Rican, in Spanish Harlem or the Bronx, where rooftop and block parties encapsulate the cultural spirit that Bad Bunny wanted to convey throughout his thirteenish-minute extravaganza touting both unity and an intense sense of national pride…for Puerto Rico. But since said island is a part of the U.S. (as Bad Bunny has had to remind the ignorant many times), it undeniably counts as pride for America as a whole. That is, when it actually stands united. This message being emphasized with the concluding flourish of Bad Bunny tossing a football to the ground that read, “Together we are America” on it (this after parading the flags of various South American countries).

Another key phrase that was prominently featured before the show concluded, via the giant digital sign behind Bad Bunny, was this: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” (or, more accurately for those from the Golden State, “The only thing more powerful than hate is [California] love”). This echoing back the words that Bad Bunny stated during one of his acceptance speeches at the Grammys.

Bad Bunny’s East Coast nepotism in spite of performing “out west” was additionally displayed through a cameo by Cardi B (the girl who helped Bad Bunny soar to new heights when she featured him on 2018’s “I Like It,” along with J Balvin). And then, displayed even more overtly with yet another famous New Yorker: Lady Gaga. Many, in fact, were expecting her to show up to “help” Bad Bunny with his performance after the two seemed so “buddy-buddy” at the Grammys.

No stranger to the Super Bowl at this point (having performed the national anthem for it in 2016 and then headlined the halftime show herself in 2017), Gaga was almost as lackadaisical about the whole thing as the salsa rendition of “Die With a Smile” she delivered while wearing what can only be described as an updated take on Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita” ensemble (in blue instead of red). This done after the audience was made privy to the nuptials going on between two real live people—that’s right, it wasn’t just a “performance” on their part.

After Lady Gaga maximized the opportunity to prove she can “jive” with Hispanic culture (probably more than she can with Italian culture, to be honest), Bad Bunny then made the bold maneuver of delving into “NUEVAYoL,” with the “set” even shifting to a “street scene” designed to mirror an average Puerto Rican neighborhood in NYC. Eventually, one of the background dancers that stands out the most is the woman with the cojones to wear a crop top with “NEW YORK” emblazoned across it in black letters. As if everyone contracted a case of amnesia about what state they were actually in. In truth, performing this song and showing such excessive love for New York in any other state but California would have been much easier to get away with. But since California is known for being the “antithesis” (ergo, “opponent”) of New York, it kind of made this part of the show among the most undercuttingly political. With Bad Bunny perhaps unwittingly crying out for unity even more than he realized by daring to assume that the latent coast war was merely a conspiracy stoked by Diddy in the 90s. (Ah yes, and apropos of Diddy, of course Jay-Z and Beyoncé were also among the many celebrities in attendance to watch the spectacle.)

And, talking of the 90s, Ricky Martin (Puerto Rican “in his own right”) materialized for a singing cameo of his own (specifically, a cover of “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii”) toward the end of the show as well, as if to remind everyone that, long before Bad Bunny, he was the Bad Bunny for a particular generation. Martin didn’t get too much time, however, before Bad Bunny took over again to remind the audience that there’s only one Puerto Rican, between him and Martin, delivering truly political commentary. This much conveyed as he mounted one of the power lines incorporated into the set while singing, “El Apagón.”

His direct allusion to the increased power outages that Puerto Rico has been suffering in recent years is yet another dig at the Orange One. Who, as a means of “consolation,” infamously tossed a roll of paper towels into a crowd of Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria hit the island and caused significant damage to, among other things, many of its utility poles. Hence, one of the longest power outages in the island’s history. Tellingly, it took a year and a half for power to be fully restored to the entire island. This yet another sign of the ways in which Puerto Ricans are viewed and treated as “second-class” Americans by the U.S. government.

But Bad Bunny wanted to make at least one thing clear to the current administration: it is Hispanic culture that serves as an integral part of the United States’ vibrancy and, well, any remaining functionality it might try to lay claim to. That’s hardly an “outrageous” statement for “Benito” to make, just the plain truth.

So while many were expecting Bad Bunny to be “hyper-political” with his messaging, as it turns out, one of the most political acts at this juncture is reminding people in the U.S. that there is greater power (no utility pole pun intended) in unity than division. And then, of course, the always political act of promoting a certain city on its opposite coast. Luckily for Bad Bunny, Californians are far more chill about enduring “NYC pride” than New Yorkers are about enduring West Coast braggadocio. Which, to be honest, has every right to flex itself this past month for how much more livable the weather has been.