Right off the bat: I loved the #BadBunny halftime show

Right off the bat: I loved the #BadBunny halftime show.
Yeah, I could do without some of the over-the-top sexy shit — but let’s be real, that’s his bread and butter. I’m not excusing it, just saying: if that’s all you saw, you missed the whole damn point.

From the very first image — people cutting sugar cane — this was political as hell. Sugar cane isn’t some random aesthetic. It’s the industrial agriculture imposed by the United States after they took over Puerto Rico in 1898. That was the moment communal farming was destroyed and Puerto Ricans were forced into brutal export agriculture for U.S. profit. That history matters.

The entire performance was an homage to the island I grew up in. The neighborhoods, the sounds, the colors, the references — there’s so much nostalgia packed in there I honestly can’t even list it all. They went down the fucking list. Every Puerto Rican I know was watching this with tears in their eyes.

And maybe most important of all: he did the whole thing in Spanish. At a time when Spanish has basically been criminalized — when people are afraid to speak it in public, afraid of having the “wrong” accent, especially after years of Trump-era racism — that alone is a massive political act.

I need to rewatch it because there’s so much going on, but I wanted to put this out there now. Because I already know a lot of people aren’t going to get it at first glance.

But make no mistake: this wasn’t just a halftime show.
It was a huge cultural and political moment — and for Puerto Ricans especially, it meant a hell of a lot.

¡Pa'lante!

@riotmuffin @franklinlopez He showed tremendous restraint by not having one of them throw a roll of paper towels.

Right off the bat: I loved the #BadBunny halftime show.
Yeah, I could do without some of the over-the-top sexy shit — but let’s be real, that’s his bread and butter. I’m not excusing it, just saying: if that’s all you saw, you missed the whole damn point.

From the very first image — people cutting sugar cane — this was political as hell. Sugar cane isn’t some random aesthetic. It’s the industrial agriculture imposed by the United States after they took over Puerto Rico in 1898. That was the moment communal farming was destroyed and Puerto Ricans were forced into brutal export agriculture for U.S. profit. That history matters.

The entire performance was an homage to the island I grew up in. The neighborhoods, the sounds, the colors, the references — there’s so much nostalgia packed in there I honestly can’t even list it all. They went down the fucking list. Every Puerto Rican I know was watching this with tears in their eyes.

And maybe most important of all: he did the whole thing in Spanish. At a time when Spanish has basically been criminalized — when people are afraid to speak it in public, afraid of having the “wrong” accent, especially after years of Trump-era racism — that alone is a massive political act.

I need to rewatch it because there’s so much going on, but I wanted to put this out there now. Because I already know a lot of people aren’t going to get it at first glance.

But make no mistake: this wasn’t just a halftime show.
It was a huge cultural and political moment — and for Puerto Ricans especially, it meant a hell of a lot.

¡Pa'lante!

@franklinlopez @virtualbri Amen

Also STATEHOOD NOW

@christopherbrown @franklinlopez we missed a coqui cameo?!

Right off the bat: I loved the #BadBunny halftime show.
Yeah, I could do without some of the over-the-top sexy shit — but let’s be real, that’s his bread and butter. I’m not excusing it, just saying: if that’s all you saw, you missed the whole damn point.

From the very first image — people cutting sugar cane — this was political as hell. Sugar cane isn’t some random aesthetic. It’s the industrial agriculture imposed by the United States after they took over Puerto Rico in 1898. That was the moment communal farming was destroyed and Puerto Ricans were forced into brutal export agriculture for U.S. profit. That history matters.

The entire performance was an homage to the island I grew up in. The neighborhoods, the sounds, the colors, the references — there’s so much nostalgia packed in there I honestly can’t even list it all. They went down the fucking list. Every Puerto Rican I know was watching this with tears in their eyes.

And maybe most important of all: he did the whole thing in Spanish. At a time when Spanish has basically been criminalized — when people are afraid to speak it in public, afraid of having the “wrong” accent, especially after years of Trump-era racism — that alone is a massive political act.

I need to rewatch it because there’s so much going on, but I wanted to put this out there now. Because I already know a lot of people aren’t going to get it at first glance.

But make no mistake: this wasn’t just a halftime show.
It was a huge cultural and political moment — and for Puerto Ricans especially, it meant a hell of a lot.

¡Pa'lante!

@franklinlopez @riotmuffin Wait, was that not Liam Rampos himself?

@franklinlopez @canadianglen and let’s be honest. In terms of “sexy shit” that is one of the most subdued family friendly performances in the history of the Super Bowl. And does’t Mr. Bunny make a specific point to say that women can do and dance and dress however they like because they have the power not him or any man.
I wish I understood more. But it was great. And I got the sugar cane reference at least. Big enough reference to drive a truck through.

@chris @canadianglen Quick clarification for friends before this turns into a whole thing:

When I said “sexy shit,” that was shorthand for the objectification of women — not some vague pearl-clutching about sex or bodies. I don’t want to minimize that impact at all. It matters. And yeah, it’s 2026 — Bad Bunny can absolutely do better on that front.

That said (and this is not a full-on defense), the song playing during that first part — with a lot of women dancing — was Yo Perreo Sola (“I twerk alone”). And that song is literally a call for men to step the fuck back and let women exist, move, and express themselves without being touched, harassed, or claimed.

So yeah: both things can be true.
There’s still a problem with how women’s bodies get framed — and there’s also an intentional message there about autonomy and boundaries.

Right off the bat: I loved the #BadBunny halftime show.
Yeah, I could do without some of the over-the-top sexy shit — but let’s be real, that’s his bread and butter. I’m not excusing it, just saying: if that’s all you saw, you missed the whole damn point.

From the very first image — people cutting sugar cane — this was political as hell. Sugar cane isn’t some random aesthetic. It’s the industrial agriculture imposed by the United States after they took over Puerto Rico in 1898. That was the moment communal farming was destroyed and Puerto Ricans were forced into brutal export agriculture for U.S. profit. That history matters.

The entire performance was an homage to the island I grew up in. The neighborhoods, the sounds, the colors, the references — there’s so much nostalgia packed in there I honestly can’t even list it all. They went down the fucking list. Every Puerto Rican I know was watching this with tears in their eyes.

And maybe most important of all: he did the whole thing in Spanish. At a time when Spanish has basically been criminalized — when people are afraid to speak it in public, afraid of having the “wrong” accent, especially after years of Trump-era racism — that alone is a massive political act.

I need to rewatch it because there’s so much going on, but I wanted to put this out there now. Because I already know a lot of people aren’t going to get it at first glance.

But make no mistake: this wasn’t just a halftime show.
It was a huge cultural and political moment — and for Puerto Ricans especially, it meant a hell of a lot.

¡Pa'lante!