By Madison Forrest
Boston University News Service
Bad Bunny, or Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, recently embarked on a tour, but deliberately chose not to perform in the United States because of the political climate. Instead, he had a successful 31 show residency in Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rican artist advocates for his island above all, reserving the concert to his home country to stimulate his home’s economy and ensure his American fans’ safety from ICE.
“People from the US could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world,” Bad Bunny said. “But there was the issue of — like, f—— ICE could be outside (my concert). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
A study by Invest Puerto Rico estimates that the Bad Bunny’s shows have brought in $200 million to the territory.
In late September, he was announced to perform at the NFL Halftime Show.
Jaime Suarez, a Puerto Rican graduate student and longtime fan of Bad Bunny, said “Benito,” as he calls the artist, will definitely bring politics into the Halftime Show.
“[Bad Bunny] has always been pretty outspoken. His most recent album is relatively politically charged” Suarez said.
Some social media users find Bad Bunny’s decision to perform at the Halftime Show a contradiction to his outspoken aversion to performing in the States.
“I heard he was a rapper who canceled his tour as a protest of ICE and the government,” one Reddit user posted. “But then jumped at the chance to perform at the Super Bowl, which to me seems like a bit of a contradiction of his views.”
“Whether it’s about ICE, about Trump, about Puerto Rico and our status as a nation. There’s a lot of opportunities there,” Suarez said, referring to the opportunities for the artist to share his political views.
Suarez said this break could be similar to Kendrick Lamar’s last year performance, one The New York Times called “political art.”
Lamar used the opportunity to directly comment on America’s racist past and present, while performing on one of the country’s biggest stages.
Sofia Chavez, a BU senior studying international relations, thinks the halftime show “makes total sense” for Bad Bunny.
“It’s the most American event ever, and him performing there is a statement — like, ‘I’m here, and you can’t ignore me,’” Chavez said.
Both Suarez and Chavez expect and are excited to hear songs from Bad Bunny’s recent album in his performance.
“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” was released in January and maintains over 120 million listeners monthly, according to Chart Masters.
Bad Bunny compares Puerto Rico’s current struggles with Hawaii’s extensive history with the U.S. in the 14th track of this album. The following verse is from this song, “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” (WHAT HAPPENED IN HAWAii):
“Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa
Quieren al barrio mío y que abuelita se vaya
No, no suelte’ la bandera ni olvide’ el lelolai
Que no quiero que hagan contigo lo que le pasó a Hawái”
(Thеy want to take my river and my beach too
They want my neighborhood and grandma to leave
No, don’t let go of the flag nor forget the lelolai
‘Cause I don’t want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii)
“The song ‘LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii’ talks about our experience of having to leave the island to have better opportunities, while the government promotes wealthy people moving in and changing our lives,” Suarez said.
President Trump spoke for the MAGA movement when he called the news of Bad Bunny’s performance “absolutely ridiculous” earlier this month on “Greg Kelly Reports.”
Days after Trump’s reaction, Turning Point USA, a conservative organization, announced an alternative Halftime Show performance on its network at the same time as Bad Bunny’s.
“People are acting like the halftime show is just a Bad Bunny concert — but it’s not. It’s the Super Bowl,” Chavez said. “Most people are there for football. That’s what makes his performance even more powerful.”
The Super Bowl is arguably the most American event and means a lot to the people of the United States. May it be for the football, creative ads or grand halftime performance, all eyes are on the screen.
On Feb. 8, 2026, Bad Bunny will have all eyes on him.
“It’s great for our culture. Especially now, when Latinos and Hispanics are being harassed and persecuted the way they are. It’s a great way to challenge the political shift going on with the U.S. government,” Suarez said.