This may sound ironic, seeing as Bad Bunny himself insists on singing only in Puerto Rican Spanish, but the “Tití Me Preguntó” singer has been a global force in countering the USA’s current wave of right-wing back cultural insularity and cultural imperialism. One may argue that he is closing other’s out of understanding his message, but Bad Bunny’s method to representing himself and his heritage is so powerful that it, instead, draws us in to make an effort to open our eyes to a part of the world that is often ignored and underrepresented.
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, aged 31, has made many songs celebrating his Puerto Rican identity, notably his 2025 song, “NUEVAYoL” where he unpacks the gentrification of Puerto Rican culture by and in the United States of America. The song and its music video feature a simulation of President Donald Trump apologising for his policies and the negative impact they have had on immigrants. He had previously addressed the impact of colonialism on Puerto Rico in his 2022 song, “El Apagón,” where he criticised the lack of aid and reconstruction efforts directed towards the island.
His performance at the Superbowl on 8 February 2026 was also meant as a political statement. The 12 minute performance centred Puerto Rican identity specifically and Latin communities more broadly. However, many of the aspects of Latino culture he referenced were relatable worldwide, particularly in Black and Brown cultures. Dancing with joy and celebrating at weddings while children sleep on the chairs in the hall were two simple things portrayed that resonated with millions of people across the globe.
What I liked in particular was the importance of family and marriage. In a world filled with horrendous alt right-wing propaganda blaming women and immigrants for the decline of society, it was so refreshing to see marriage portrayed positively and as a delightful, rather than harrowing event between a man and a woman. Just minutes after the fictionalised proposal, Bad Bunny had an actual marriage during his performance. This unusual but wonderous way of two people joining hands in eternal love was a beautiful way to break stereotypes of colonised populations as having a decadent and disorganised culture that promotes debauchery and non-committal relationships resulting in children out of wedlock and broken homes. Instead, Bad Bunny portrayed Puerto Ricans and Latinos generally as family-oriented and loving, strongly desiring to be with one another.
He then went on to name the countries of the Americas, reminding us that America consist of several countries across two joint continents and is not centred around one country. The United States of America is not the centre of America and neither is it the centre of the world.
President Donald Trump, unsurprisingly, responded negatively, calling it the “one of the worst” Superbowl performances and complaining of not understanding the words being sung.
Did Mr Trump think all the listeners and dancers actually understood the full context of what Benito’s aunt asked him in Tití Me Preguntó? Did he not realise that the performers climbing up the power line shed light on the context of “El Apagón” (The Power Outage) to non-Spanish listeners, who similarly may have missed why this particular dance is unforgettable (BAILE INoLVIDABLE) for Bad Bunny?
Music, for the culturally open, is not about language, but about feeling and unity. One does not need to understand each and every word sung to feel connected to a song. At a superficial level, we are moved by the beat of the song, the bass of the drums, a sound familiar in many African and Caribbean cultures. Our hips sway as one, and men and women join together holding each other, or shaking their stuff at a respectful distance. You do not need to understand all the lyrics to do this. We do not even know all the English lyrics of some of the very vulgar and offensive songs we twerk and bob our heads to in clubs. And this is what makes President Trump’s words even more ridiculous.
For those who do understand a little bit, this is because linguistic diversity is normal in other parts of the world. This does not necessarily mean everyone can speak more than one language fluently, but for the most part, it is normal to, at least, be able to understand the words of someone speaking in another language and be able to communicate with them at some level. So for many people, the handful of Spanish words they know are enough to enjoy the performance.
The deeper understanding and feeling of Bad Bunny’s music is left for those who speak Spanish fluently and those from Puerto Rico and Latin America who relate directly to the lyrics. Sometimes you are not the subject of the art and music, and that is okay.
Over the last decade, non-Western music has had its time to shine, from the rise in popularity in Afro-beats, to Dancehall, to the global influence Amapiano experienced, and the wave of Afro-Pop that artists such as Ayra Star and Tyla were apart of. Artists such as Burna Boy and Wizkid have lyrics in their own languages that some commented they did not understand. Amapiano is usually in Nguni and Sotho-Tswana languages of South Africa, which are not understood by everyone even within Southern Africa, but who still let their bodies move to the beat.
What President Trump’s words signal is a hardened stance on cultural imperialism and a closing of one’s mind to the unknown and the foreign. Nothing stopped him and the Republicans sitting next to him from Googling the lyrics or asking someone what the lyrics of “Safaera” and “MONACO” meant. This is a normal way in which people from different cultures speak to each other, and it is odd to see a President governing millions of people who come from different parts of the world refusing to do the same.
There is some huge irony in this considering ignorance towards Latin culture insults some of the white people President Trump claims to care about. White Portuguese, and Spanish people formed part of the colonial class that enslaved Indigenous Americas and trafficked enslaved Africans away from their home into what we not call the United States. Later, Italian people formed a large migrant community, bringing business and vibrance into American life. Mr Trump ignored Lady Gaga and her Italian heritage’s significance in the performance in his determination to denigrate Puerto Ricans.
He also displays his cultural imperialism, insularity, and ignorance, in criticising this dancing being displayed in front of children. Moving your hips, gyrating and twerking are not sexual. They are normal parts of non-European cultures. They only became sexualised when colonisers interacted with other people and misunderstood their artistic expression, imposing a puritanical way of life on colonised subjects. His comments are easily brushed off and seen for the closed mindedness they represent.
However, Bad Bunny’s influence is too strong to be countered, with thousands of social media users expressing their interest in learning Spanish. While one can recognise that Spanish is also a language imposed on Latin Americans via colonialism, it is interesting to see the Anglophone cultural supremacy and hegemony and the monolinguism it encourages being countered worldwide.
Bad Bunny reminds us of the importance of looking outside ourselves and engaging with cultures we are not familiar with. We have so much too learn from each other, especially what is common to us all. Across the world, art unites. It is created from the deep emotions within us, and invokes further emotion as we consume it. He reminds us that understanding each other rather than closing ourselves off from other walks of life is essential to broadening the human experience. Speaking in multiple languages allows us to express, in many ways, the struggles we go through, as well as the multitude of joys we look forward to. When we gain this knowledge, we are able to speak in once voice against inequality and injustice.
As his football said, the only thing powerful than love is hate. So let us look forward to a world where we can dance side by side, united in love for art and love for each other, not allowing ourselves to be divided by resolvable difference such as language and culture.
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