Why Bad Bunny’s Spanish-Language Super Bowl Performance Resonated Deeply With Puerto Ricans

The article is a personal reflection by Puerto Rican journalist Ronald Ávila on Bad Bunny’s historic Super Bowl half-time performance, which he describes as both culturally powerful and deeply personal. Drawing parallels between his own upbringing and that of the artist Benito Martínez Ocasio, Ávila explains how shared experiences—such as growing up in small towns, working modest jobs, and feeling distant from Puerto Rico’s metropolitan center—help explain why many Puerto Ricans strongly identify with Bad Bunny.

The performance itself is framed as a celebration of Puerto Rican identity. Sung almost entirely in Spanish, the show incorporated musical styles such as reggaeton, salsa, bomba, and plena, while visually referencing sugarcane fields, rural homes, and historic landmarks like El Morro. Symbols such as the traditional farmer’s hat, endangered native species, and depictions of the island’s fragile electrical grid reinforced themes of resilience, neglect, and cultural pride.

Ávila highlights how Bad Bunny’s music openly addresses social and political issues affecting Puerto Rico, including school closures, economic hardship, migration, and the island’s limited political power within the United States. The article also explores how reggaeton, once marginalized and criminalized, has become a global genre largely due to Puerto Rican artists.

A central theme is the validation of Puerto Rican Spanish. By refusing to conform linguistically to English-speaking markets, Bad Bunny affirms the island’s language and identity on a global stage. For the author, the performance symbolized recognition, dignity, and cultural visibility for Puerto Rico before a massive international audience.