In fact, Bad Bunnyโs success hasnโt been hindered by his outspokenness, I think itโs added to it. Benito Antonio Martรญnez Ocasio is unapologetically himself, a proud Puerto Rican, and someone who believes in the power of art to be political and personal. โBefore I say thanks to God,โ Bad Bunny said in his acceptance speech for Best Mรบsica Urbana Album, โIโm gonna say ICE outโฆ Weโre not savages, weโre not animals, weโre not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.โ And when he won Album of the Year, Bad Bunny accepted in Spanish and dedicated his award to Puerto Rico. At the Super Bowl, Bad Bunny displayed a sign that read, โThe only thing more powerful than hate is loveโ and during โEl Apagรณn,โ a song which mentions the power grid issues Puerto Rico has struggled with since Hurricane Maria (due in large part to the inaction of the U.S. government), the set featured Bad Bunny and dancers hanging from utility poles. Bad Bunny also listed countries across Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America in his Super Bowl set, speaking to our diasporic connection and bookended his performance with holding up a football with the words, โTogether, We Are Americaโ scrawled on it, pushing the message that borders are imaginary and cultures are global. Itโs this clear-eyed consistency that should be the standard and the blueprint for artists who wish to put their actions and words behind their values.
