Harshi Pannala Q3 #3 - Señor Ocasio

 To say that pop culture is influential is a massive understatement. And yes, this is because I want to discuss the NFL Halftime Show. Or more specifically, Bad Bunny.

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, or commonly known as Bad Bunny, uses his platform to highlight social injustice in grand ways—subtlety is definitely not his style. In his song, "NUEVAYol" which he performed at the Super Bowl just now, he nods to a lot of cultural references. The song repeatedly states “Si te quieres divertir…” then spend “un verano en Nueva York,” meaning if you want to have fun, spend a summer in New York. But underlying the fun beats, he discusses how there is deep-rooted racism and inequality for immigrants or people of color in the States. 


This isn’t new for him though. In his song “Compositor del Año” his lyrics (“Y un presidente…un pito”) out the president for not being more proactive during such an unjust time, effectively utilizing the more vulgar vocab of the Spanish language. He continued the pattern today when he yelled “God bless America” and then listed out a long list of various Latino countries. That phrase has begun to adopt some more negative connotations as it’s been utilized as a way to justify white supremist beliefs and actions. The halftime performance was accompanied by a large board reading, “the only thing stronger than hate is love.” The board’s message ties back to his Grammy speech, as well. His award acceptance highlighted the mass ICE involvement throughout the nation.


 Picture Credits : USA Today

Bad Bunny has a tremendous following. The Super Bowl draws in more, averaging almost 127 million views. Now, the Super Bowl is an exciting event for football fans around the world, so juxtaposing it with harsh realities, like ICE and immigrant prejudices, force them to pay attention. Many people have the privilege of being ignorant to social issues since it doesn’t directly affect them (however, it definitely does in some way or the other whether they choose to admit it or not). So times like this are game changing (see what I did there). Celebrities have the power to leverage their platforms and address injustice. When celebs have opportunities as big as Señor Ocasio had, they have the reins to spread important messages.

I am not entirely sure how Bad Bunny’s show will be regarded by the audience yet. Side note: I was a little confused when Gaga started singing. However, I am very pleased with how Bad Bunny chose to handle his opportunity.

Comments

  1. Tanisha MadhukarFebruary 18, 2026 at 7:08 PM

    Once I saw the white suit and gloves I became so excited to read your blog. I’ve always enjoyed Bad Bunny’s music but, as you have pointed out, his most recent album is one of his more remarkable, and a clear homage to his home country, Puerto Rico. I fully agree that his song “NUEVAYol” is the song that represents the bridge between his heritage and current lifestyle. Bad Bunny has never been one to shy away from taboo topics, especially politics, which is why I believe he makes such an impact on all Americans.

    It is understood amongst the American public that the Superbowl Halftime Show is the kickstarter for pop-culture throughout the rest of the year. Any artist who performs brings their all in order to leave their mark in the Hall of Fame. Overtime leaving their mark has turned from performing catchy music to advocating justice for those who do not have a voice. With what is currently happening in our country Bad Bunny’s performance was monumental, not only for being the first show in a language other than English, but as you highlighted, it set the precedent that nothing can break a strong knit community.

    I really enjoyed listening to your interpretations of his songs and I hope you continue analyzing the deeper meanings behind songs you enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alex FrancavillaFebruary 18, 2026 at 9:31 PM

    Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show seemed to be very controversial within the United States, with one side praising the show for its uniqueness and transparency and another side criticizing it for being too political. Some more vehement attackers called Bad Bunny an “alien” and “not an American citizen” due to his Latino ethnicity, despite his birthplace of Puerto Rico legally granting him citizenship—one such attacker and popular influencer Jake Paul resides in, you guessed it, Puerto Rico (for tax reasons! How fun).

    In performing his songs in the ephemeral NFL Halftime Show, Bad Bunny used his fame and nationwide audience to alert those who, as you mentioned, “have the privilege of being ignorant” to the real, prevalent social issues that could directly jeopardize the livelihoods of tens, if not hundreds, of millions of American people of countless ethnicities, immigrant or native, undocumented or not. His show not only set a precedent for all future live music performances in terms of politicalness but in terms of culture; it was the first Superbowl Halftime Show to be performed almost exclusively in a non-English language, and also the first to be interpreted in Puerto Rican Sign Language.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emily NguyenFebruary 18, 2026 at 9:31 PM

    Harshi, I regret to say that I was too busy to watch the Super Bowl this year (yes, I should’ve made the time…) so I was glad to see you write on this for the week.

    Regarding Bad Bunny—I was never really interested in his music, not being naturally exposed to it, but you’ve now gotten me listening to his music. These lyrics (which I can finally understand through three years of Spanish) are great, and he is extremely deserving of such a large following. I’m glad to see that he isn’t afraid to stand against ICE during one of the most influential American sports events, which is watched by one of the largest present American audiences. Many people detest ICE’s actions, but are unwilling to use their platform to openly criticize or rally against the organization—which is disheartening because, if a person of such fame can’t do this, what can we do? (of course, we still have lots of individual power, I just mean in the general scope of protest). So it’s wonderful to see that Bad Bunny uses all that he can to address this to fans across the country. I like how you highlight his juxtaposition of “harsh realities” and how he “force[s]” them to pay attention!!

    Side note #2: I was also confused to see that Lady Gaga sung along this year…

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lara Reyes-TerryFebruary 18, 2026 at 9:36 PM

    First, thank you for talking about this, I was honestly waiting for someone to bring it up, but also, thank you for making sure the Spanish learner in me stays alive. Though I’ve never actually listened to Bad Bunny’s music before, seeing the lyrics you pointed out made me giggle (not at them, but because all I could think was “yeah I still know what that means”). Something I’ve been seeing around a lot since the release of the Epstein files and a lot of talk about what distracted from it, what it might be distracting people from, and about information overload as a result of it. Something I think is truly admirable about Bad Bunny’s performance is the fact that his message is very clearly delivered, “the only thing stronger than hate is love” has been said before, but what is more timely than being reminded of the facts of our reality that are reliable and concrete? And addressing your sidenote, I’m not sure if you’re talking about the choice for Lady Gaga to be there at all or the tempo of her singing itself (as I’ve seen that has confused some people), for the first I can’t offer anything but for the latter, I believe it has something to do with adapting key signature. Thank you for your timely blog!

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