At the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, Puerto Rican Rapper Bad Bunny seized one of the world’s biggest stages to celebrate Puerto Rican culture and called for love in a time of deep division.
The show opened in a sugar cane field as Bad Bunny, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, walked through the tall grass filled with field workers, referencing Puerto Rico’s agricultural history and giving credit to the agricultural workers in the Caribbean Islands. Then, Bad Bunny maneuvered through domino tables, a nail salon and a piragua shaved ice stand while singing one of his most popular songs, “Tití Me Preguntó.”
Throughout the 13-minute set, Bad Bunny performed his reggaeton hits. Songs including “Yo Perreo Sola,” “CAFé ́CON RON” and “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” kept the high energy constant, with some shocking moments like when Bad Bunny fell through the roof of a house and Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” started playing. This was just one instance of Bad Bunny honoring the artists who helped bring the genre of reggaeton worldwide.
Latin Pop Icon Ricky Martin joined Bad Bunny for “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” performed on a replica of Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS album cover while sitting in the iconic white, mismatched plastic chairs.
Midway through the performance, the stage transformed into a wedding reception. Lady Gaga appeared for a salsa version of her and Bruno Mars’s hit song “Die With A Smile,” while a couple actually got married beside her. Celebrities like Cardi B, Alix Earle and Pedro Pascal were also seen dancing during the show.
Many powerful symbols appeared throughout the performance, including electric poles symbolizing the power outages that Puerto Rico regularly experiences because of an outdated electrical grid and the island’s susceptibility to natural disasters. Bad Bunny sang “El Apagón,” which translates to “The Power Outage.” This track is a strong criticism of the U.S. government’s negligence and disregard for the small U.S. territory. Bad Bunny then waved the Puerto Rican flag, symbolizing his love and pride for his home country.
Bad Bunny closed the performance by saying “God Bless America” and naming every country in North, South, Central and Latin America. Finally, he spiked a football that read “Together we are America,” showing that “America” is not just the United States, but all of North and South America.
As people with flags from every country in the Americas walked alongside Bad Bunny, a billboard appeared behind them that read: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” This strong message, which was a quote from Bad Bunny’s Grammys acceptance speech, was impactful and still rings true even as Turning Point USA held another halftime show titled “The All-American Halftime Show.” The right-wing conservative group promoted their alternative show as more American, but critics pointed out that Puerto Rico is a part of America and Spanish lyrics are not un-American.
The performance was joyful, colorful, vibrant and entertaining. More importantly though, it promoted an important message: Love can overcome hate through unity and respect for our differences. We need that message now more than ever.