“Jay-Z is a funny guy.”
That’s what someone on X said regarding another tweet saying that White Christian Nationalists are going to lose it over the news that Bad Bunny was picked to perform at the Super Bowl. And of course, they were right: jokes flew, memes were made. One Bad Bunny fan page posted a screenshot of one of his performances with the closed captions saying, “speaking non-english, singing in non-english.”
Then there was the other side of the spectrum where I saw someone replying to multiple tweets referring to the Puerto Rican superstar as “Speedy Gonzalez,” the type of old-school racism that you can’t help but chuckle at when you come across it. My group chats blew up when the news was official, because about an hour prior certain music news social media accounts did their best Woj impression and spoiled the announcement with some of us not yet ready to call it, even if betting markets had Bunny as the favorite.
Conspiracy theorists and laymen alike assumed it would be Taylor Swift because of her recent engagement with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and because of fan theories based on hints she supposedly made during her recent appearance on Kelce’s New Heights podcast.Some said it was a no-brainer to have a safer, whiter pick, especially after this string of hip-hop leaning pop stars, and especially after Kendrick Lamar’s politically charged performance during last year’s Super Bowl performance.
It’s hard not to talk politics when it comes to this pick; my conversations Sunday night when the news broke immediately went there. Jay’s relationship with the NFL has been hot and cold depending on who you talk to: He’s been heavily criticized by some because they feel like he co-opted Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest, backlash that led to his unfortunate “I think we have moved past kneeling” comment during a press conference announcing the deal alongside NFL commissioner Roger Goodell where the legendary rapper defended the deal.
However, in Jay’s mind, he felt like a partnership with social justice initiatives at its core made the most sense. “I think it’s time for action,” he said. “We forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice. In that case, this is a success. This is the next phase.” The NFL’s Inspire Change initiative is supposed to help address issues like education, economic advancement, criminal justice reform and community-police relations — which is a perfect segue to the decision to tap Bad Bunny for Super Bowl LX this upcoming February.
The 60th iteration of the NFL’s championship game will be taking place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the San Franciso 49ers, and an area with a considerable Latino population. In fact, according to the county’s website, Latinos make up a quarter of Santa Clara County’s overall population, and while most might not be able to afford Super Bowl tickets in the first place, they’ll be outside partying that weekend just like everybody else. And in Trump’s America, you can damn sure bet that ICE agents will be on the ground, being the haters that they are.
This is an environment Bad Bunny wanted to avoid when he was considering dates for a tour, so instead of touring Trump’s America, he decided to do a 31-date “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” residency in his home country and reluctant U.S. territory Puerto Rico instead. “Man, honestly, yes,” Bunny told i-D after being asked if the way the U.S. is handling immigration had anything to do with his choice. “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times. All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S…. But there was the issue of—like, f—king ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
Bunny, whose homeland hasn’t truly been free since 1493, has never really been shy about his politics. Back in 2019, he paused his European tour to join protests calling for the resignation of then Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló after Telegram messages leaked of he and some of his current and former staff making racist, sexist and homophobic remarks about various individuals and political opponents. “My respects to everyone who has had the courage, valor and initiative to go out in the streets and fight for our country,” the singer and rapper said in a since-deleted Instagram post. “I’m in Ibiza in the middle of my European tour, but I’m going to stop everything to jump on a plane to Puerto Rico to be able to go out in the streets and be with my people — the people of Puerto Rico. I wish I was there now.”
The former governor, who was eventually forced to resign, was also for statehood while Bad Bunny stands for independence — a topic that has been a point of discussion on the island, but has been especially on top-of-mind since the signing of controversial bills like the Export Services Act and the Individual Investors Act. Those helped speed up gentrification by attracting wealthy mainland investors with tax incentives and the PROMESA Act by President Obama in 2016, as well as the lackadaisical response by President Trump’s government during and after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Bad Bunny tackled gentrification on the song “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” where he sings, “They want to take away the river and also the beach, they want my neighborhood and grandma to leave. Don’t let go of the flag… I don’t want them to do with you what they did to Hawaii.”
He also told Time that most rich American transplants only care about the tax situation and could less about island’s history or culture. “Politically and historically, they know nothing about Puerto Rico, nor are they interested in knowing,” he proclaimed. “They don’t even know that Puerto Ricans on the island don’t even vote for the president, but they do know that they can go to the island to legally evade taxes. That’s something that shocked me.” In 2024, he supported Kamala Harris for president, following comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s infamous quote about Puerto Rico being a “floating piece of garbage” at a Trump rally earlier that year.
When the news became official that he would be the headliner of this upcoming Super Bowl, the bad hombre took to X to stunt a little bit. “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States,” he tweeted. In a statement, Jay said he’s been inspired by Bunny’s love of his homeland. “What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring,” he said. “We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”
Jigga has taken a lot of heat for his relationship with the NFL — and while it’s true that political statements made at a venue as corporate and compromised as some would call the Super Bowl may come across as performative, I’m also sympathetic to the idea that saying or doing something of merit on that stage has the possibility of reaching a singularly massive audience. It could be an opportunity to create a truly timeless moment — particularly from an artist like Bad Bunny, who has talked the talk and walked the walk when it comes to social issues.
Naturally, some right-wingers were up in arms about the pick. Cuban American filmmaker Robby Starbucks (sounds like a porno director) wrote some silly tweet about the NFL wanting to make the Super Bowl political with the pick. “Most of his songs aren’t even in English,” he ranted. “This is not a pick designed to unite football fans or let people just enjoy the show. It was a pick designed to divide fans, and no doubt Bad Bunny will find some way to push a woke message.”
Sports pundit and frequent vomit-spewer Jason Whitlock added his two cents with some textbook fear-mongering and told TMZ that he’s going to use whatever little influence he has to get the NFL to back away from the decision — because he feels like the Puerto Rican singer-rapper, not only makes “demonic” rap music but also “grooms kids into sexual fluidity.” Then there’s certified weirdo Jack Posobiec who suggested on X that maybe former President Obama has some influence on who gets picked, saying that Obama and Jay are besties. There were also a bunch of tweets lamenting having to watch a performance for 15 minutes that’s entirely in Spanish.
Now, I know this doesn’t mean that Bad Bunny will necessarily be making a political statement at the Super Bowl, or that Jay-Z really prioritized all of this when asking one of the more popular acts to play the prestigious Super Bowl Halftime Show, or that Trump and his goons will even have the cojones to send ICE out to Santa Clara during Super Bowl weekend. But just being aware of how all three have moved in the past, I would be willing to bet on two or more of those things happening, especially if those things happened to be Super Bowl prop bets. I’m all for political messages on world stages, but if doesn’t happen and he decides to play it straight, I’m not going to hold it against him. Yes, these gestures are often times viewed as symbolic, however, if his mere presence gets racists mad, then it’s already been a job well done. You don’t have to be fluent in Puerto Rican Spanish to enjoy his music. I’ve seen him live about four or five times now and as an American-born Puerto Rican whose Spanish isn’t the greatest, he’s unequivocally one of the best performers I’ve ever seen. His music is undeniable and it’s the reason why he’s the baddest man on the planet.
So pull up Duolingo to start brushing up on that high school Spanish, stop crying, shut up and dance.
