Bad Bunny's activism causes controversy. The activist spirit of Bad Bunny has marked the lyrics of his songs and his political positions throughout his career, from his participation in the 2019 protests in Puerto Rico to his current criticism of immigrant raids in the United States, which have caused controversy due to his performance this Sunday at the Super Bowl. Whether or not he sent a political message during the Super Bowl halftime show, Puerto Rican sociologist Hiram Guadalupe says that Bad Bunny 'has already taken a position' by being a pioneer in singing in Spanish at the most important sporting event in the US. 'He is going to sing in Spanish and that, at this historical moment, acquires a transcendent political value, mainly due to the xenophobic and migratory policies of President Donald Trump's government, in which Latin and Hispanic communities in the United States have been mainly attacked,' he told EFE. Bad Bunny's defense of migrants was clear when he decided not to take his 'DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour' to the US to avoid raids, and was again evident at the recent Grammy Awards. 'We are not savages, we are not animals, we are humans and we are Americans,' he exclaimed when accepting the Grammy for Album of the Year for 'DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS', adding 'down with ICE (Immigration and Customs Service)'. After the Grammys, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, attacked artists like Bad Bunny for their criticism of ICE during the gala and called the attempt to 'demonize' federal agents 'ironic'. For Puerto Rican leaders, his Grammy victory also sparked reactions. President of the island's Senate, Thomas Rivera Schatz, called the artist a 'criminal' and 'caripelao' and compared his actions to 'the hypocrisy of Maduro's protégé'. The governor of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González, was more diplomatic; despite being a Trump supporter, she congratulated the singer and said this award is 'a source of pride for all Puerto Ricans'. Both González and Rivera Schatz belong to the New Progressive Party (PNP), against which Bad Bunny campaigned in the 2024 elections by paying billboards that read: 'Whoever votes PNP does not love Puerto Rico', 'Voting PNP is voting for corruption'. In those elections, the singer backed the Alliance, formed by the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) and the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC), being one of the protagonists of its campaign closing. He stirs the political hornet's nest. His political involvement dates back to the summer of 2019, when he participated with other Puerto Rican artists like Ricky Martin and Residente in the protests that led to the resignation of then-governor Ricardo Rosselló, also from the PNP. These demonstrations, which gained momentum with the involvement of the artists, erupted after the revelation of a private chat from Rosselló in which he criticized journalists, political leaders of all stripes, social collectives, and well-known faces. Bad Bunny has also been critical of the island's rulers in his songs, addressing issues such as gentrification in 'El Apagón' or in 'Lo que le pasó a Hawai'. His lyrics have not only impacted Puerto Rican politics. The song 'DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS' has become a soundtrack of nostalgia, used in Palestine and Lebanon to remember what their territories were like before the conflict with Israel. This message of universal camaraderie will also be reflected in the Super Bowl with the presence of sign language interpreter Celimar Rivera, who will transmit the performance to the deaf, which in Guadalupe's opinion defines 'the sensitive fiber' of Bad Bunny to achieve that 'everyone understands it'. Guadalupe concluded that seeing Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl represents 'a great merit' for him and for 'everything that the musical movement and Latin American popular culture has been'.
