(Courtesy of Eric Rojas/Rimas Music)
This piece is from the CU Independent’s opinion section. Any opinions or views do not represent the CU Independent.
The 2023 season of the National Football League is underway, which means that people have started discussing the Super Bowl. However, the buzz surrounding the Super Bowl isn’t about football at all. It’s about the halftime show. Every year, during the Super Bowl, a halftime show is presented, featuring a famous artist. There have been some halftime show scandals in the past, but those usually happen during the show, this time the “scandal,” if you can even call it that, came early.
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, also known as Bad Bunny, was recently announced by the NFL to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. Bad Bunny is a musical artist from Puerto Rico, and his songs follow the rap/reggaeton genre. His songs cover a wide range of topics, from heartbreak and moving on to domestic violence, gentrification and Puerto Rican politics. These messages have helped push his songs out, not just to the Latino/Hispanic community but to people all over the world. As of Oct. 4, he is the second most-streamed artist on Spotify worldwide, and it is no secret that he has made waves in the music industry.
I can hear you asking yourself, “What is the so-called scandal?”
Great question, because I am asking myself the same thing.
Since the announcement of Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl, there has been a huge uproar online, with people threatening to boycott the Super Bowl. One of the main arguments against having Bad Bunny headline the show notes that he only sings in Spanish, so it could cause problems since most viewers of the NFL speak English. He has also been called anti-American because he has spoken against the Trump administration.
I’ve also heard some people call his citizenship status into question, even though he is very publicly from Puerto Rico. But, in my opinion, there is no better time to have someone like Bad Bunny perform. In times like these, the Latino representation is needed.
Over the past couple of months, there have been many cases of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement popping up throughout the nation. Violent attacks, violations of constitutional rights and racial profiling have all been used by ICE agents in the name of the “law.” These attacks have mostly been on people of Latino/Hispanic descent, but really, ICE has targeted various minority groups. These attacks have been so frequent and so violent that people have started to call the validity of ICE into question. What is the true goal of ICE? Is it really the enforcement of immigration law, or is it blatant racism?
Even Bad Bunny himself shared concerns about ICE. As mentioned, on his tour for his latest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” none of his tour dates included cities in the United States. He did this in fear of ICE showing up at his concert venues and detaining people. Instead of doing U.S. tour dates, he did 30 concerts in the Caribbean, and people flew out to see him.
I, for one, am very excited to see his performance at the halftime show, since I missed out on his tour. I just couldn’t justify flying to Puerto Rico on a broke college student budget. But in the end, it all worked out, and now his fans in the U.S. can enjoy a performance. And for those who do not know his music or understand his songs, he also has a message for you.
“You have four months to learn.” Bad Bunny said on Oct. 4, during a Saturday Night Live show.
Contact CU Independent Writer Frida Montes at frida.montes@colorado.edu
