Why Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show Will Be Culturally-Defining

This booking makes Bad Bunny the first male Latin artist to ever lead the Super Bowl’s halftime festivities, a milestone fans have been quick to celebrate. The Grammy-winning singer-rapper shared a statement expressing how profound the moment is for him: “What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el halftime show del Super Bowl,” Bad Bunny said, switching to Spanish at the end to tell fans to “go tell your grandma that we will be the Super Bowl halftime show.” The announcement comes amid a career-defining run for Bad Bunny – he just finished a historic concert residency in Puerto Rico that drew over 500,000 fans, and he leads all artists in nominations at the upcoming Latin Grammy Awards. Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation company is co-producing the show, praised Bad Bunny’s cultural impact, saying the artist’s work for Puerto Rico is “truly inspiring.”

How Benito Became Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny’s journey to global stardom has been remarkable. He first gained attention in 2016 while working as a supermarket bagger in Puerto Rico, uploading songs to SoundCloud and scoring a breakout hit with “Diles.” By 2017, he was already a rising star in Latin music, and in 2018, a feature on Cardi B’s smash hit “I Like It” (alongside J Balvin) introduced him to mainstream audiences – it became his first #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. He released his debut album X 100pre later that year to critical acclaim, spawning hits like “Mía” with Drake. Over the next few years, Bad Bunny broke one music industry barrier after another. In 2020, he was named Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world, the first time that title had ever gone to a non-English-language artist. His mix of infectious reggaeton beats and genre-blending creativity produced a string of record-setting albums: from YHLQMDLG (Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana) – which shattered streaming records in early 2020 – to El Último Tour del Mundo later that year, which became the first all-Spanish album to top the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2022, Bad Bunny’s album Un Verano Sin Ti (“A Summer Without You”) was a global phenomenon that cemented his status at the center of pop culture; it dominated streaming charts and became the first Spanish-language record ever to earn a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. By blending Latin trap and reggaeton with pop and dembow influences, and by sticking to Spanish lyrics even as his audience grew worldwide, Bad Bunny opened the door for Latin music at the center of U.S. pop culture. He has already won three Grammy Awards and 12 Latin Grammys, and he’s branched into acting (with Hollywood roles in Bullet Train and more) and fashion ventures – all while proudly representing Puerto Rico on the global stage.

Debí Tirar Más Fotos: Bad Bunny’s Magnum Opus

His latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Spanish for “I Should Have Taken More Photos”), released in September 2025, is arguably his most personal project yet. Musically, the album blends traditional Puerto Rican genres like plena and bomba with modern reggaeton and house beats. Lyrically, it even explores Puerto Rico’s political status and issues like gentrification and cultural identity – a rare move for a commercial pop album. Critics hailed Debí Tirar Más Fotos as an homage to Puerto Rico and Bad Bunny’s boldest artistic statement, and it was a massive commercial success.

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 (his fourth chart-topper) and spawned the global hit “DTMF,” which went No. 1 worldwide on Spotify’s chart for over two weeks. In its first month, Debí Tirar Más Fotos amassed more than 2 billion streams and quickly became 2025’s biggest album. Its success has helped Bad Bunny rack up a historic 100 million album sales (equivalent units) milestone – placing him among the top-selling artists of all time and solidifying his reign as the greatest Latin artist in music history by many metrics. 

What the Halftime Show Means for Bad Bunny

It’s also not lost on fans that this Super Bowl gig carries political symbolism. Earlier this month, Bad Bunny revealed that he left the United States off his current world tour due to concerns over aggressive immigration enforcement. In an interview with i-D magazine, the Puerto Rican artist admitted that fear of ICE raids at his shows was a major reason he skipped U.S. tour dates. “Man, honestly, yes,” he said when asked if he was worried about mass deportations of Latino fans. “There was the issue of – like, ICE could be outside [my concert], and it’s something we were very concerned about,” Bad Bunny explained fearing for his fan at his concert venues. Instead, Bad Bunny launched his tour with a two-month hometown residency in San Juan (letting American fans come to him in Puerto Rico), and he’s taking the show to Latin America, Europe, and beyond. 

Given this stance, the news that Bad Bunny will now perform on America’s, or some would argue the world’s biggest stage – the Super Bowl halftime – generated a buzz of excitement and debate. Many supporters see it as a poetic turn of events: a proud Latino immigrant’s son who wouldn’t play under hostile conditions will now own the spotlight at a quintessentially American spectacle. On social media, fans lauded the NFL’s choice as a “powerful statement of Latino pride.” Many believe Bad Bunny’s mere presence at the Super Bowl – singing in Spanish, waving the Puerto Rican flag perhaps – will send a message of belonging, resistance, and deep connection at a time when immigrant communities feel under attack. 

How Were the Reactions to the Announcement?

Of course, not everyone was immediately on board. A number of NFL traditionalists and casual football fans reacted skeptically, questioning whether Bad Bunny is “qualified” or the right fit for such a mainstream American event. On sports forums, some detractors grumbled that they had hoped for a rock legend or a pop superstar like Taylor Swift instead, and a few even vowed to “turn it off at halftime” or watch on mute. Last season’s hip-hop halftime show with Kendrick Lamar also drew mixed responses (even fielding over a hundred viewer complaints to the FCC), and Bad Bunny’s selection has similarly sparked debate. But supporters outnumber the naysayers on social media, and the general buzz is one of anticipation. Even many non-Spanish-speaking viewers are curious to see what this trailblazing artist will bring to the Super Bowl stage. Bad Bunny himself playfully teased the announcement just minutes before it became official – posting cryptically on X (formerly Twitter) that he was thinking of doing “just one date in the United States”, a nod to his tour boycott and the impending Super Bowl reveal.

And the Anticipation Starts…

As the countdown to Super Bowl LX begins, Bad Bunny’s fans are already dreaming up what his creative vision of the halftime show could entail. Will he perform a medley of his bilingual bangers like “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Moscow Mule,” or perhaps bring out surprise guests (he’s collaborated with countless stars from Drake to J Balvin to Cardi B)? Will he make a political statement onstage, or let the sheer fact of his presence speak for itself? Either way, the significance of this moment is not lost. For the NFL, booking Bad Bunny is a chance to connect with a younger, diverse audience and affirm that Latin music is truly pop music today.

For Bad Bunny, it’s an opportunity to showcase his culture and artistry to over 100 million viewers – and to remind everyone watching that Latinos belong at the center of American culture. Come February, all eyes will be on Bad Bunny in Santa Clara, and it’s sure to be a historic performance that transcends entertainment to become an iconic cultural moment.

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