Bad Bunny celebrates Puerto Rico during Super Bowl performance

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny on Sunday turned the Super Bowl into a giant street party emphasizing unity over division in his groundbreaking Spanishlanguage set but still earning President Donald Trumps scornAnticipation was high for the 31yearolds set amid rampant speculation about whether he would use his platform to renew his criticism of the Trump administrations immigration crackdown in front of tens of millions of viewersBut the wildly popular musician whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio instead made good on his pregame promise to joyously share his culture and largely avoided overt political statements in favor of subtle messaging through symbolsIn a set featuring a sugar cane plantation a traditional piragua cart selling treats and even a wedding he opened with Titi Me Pregunto and feminist anthem Yo Perreo Sola with a cast of dancers fueling the party atmosphereActors Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba and rapper Cardi B were among the guest stars vibing in his familiar La Casita backdrop representing a home in Puerto Rico Bad Bunny wore an allwhite ensemble with a football jersey featuring the number 64 and Ocasio before donning a classy suit jacketHe delved into more political territory with El Apagon Blackout which touches on the displacement of Puerto Ricans on their own island and the constant problems caused by the unreliable power grid He carried a Puerto Rican flag at one pointThe performance also included a young boy watching the Grammys on an old television set Bad Bunny who won the Album of the Year prize a week ago presented the child perhaps a younger version of himself with a golden gramophoneThe internet went wild with unverified rumors that the child was Liam Conejo Ramos a fiveyearold Ecuadoran boy recently detained by US immigration agents in MinnesotaAn NFL spokesman confirmed to AFP that the boy was an actor and an Instagram post seemingly from the child in question Lincoln Fox was hashtagged youngbadbunnySurprise musical guests included Lady Gaga who sang a Latininflected version of her hit Die with a Smile the only English lyrics in the show and Puerto Rican singer Ricky MartinAffrontAt the Grammys Bad Bunny made a searing statement about Trumps sweeping immigration crackdown earning cheers for saying ICE out from the stage But on Sunday he did not call out the Republican president At the end of the set after listing Latin American countries Puerto Rico the United States and Canada Bad Bunny spiked a football that said Together we are America A giant screen in the stadium read The only thing more powerful than hate is love Trump nevertheless quickly took issue with the performance saying Nobody understands a word this guy is saying even though government data shows more than 41 million Americans speak Spanish Posting on his Truth Social account he called the show an affront to the Greatness of AmericaEarly backlashBad Bunny has been Spotifys moststreamed artist in the world four separate times including last year and won Album of the Year at the Grammys with Debi Tirar Mas Fotos the first Spanishlanguage work to win musics highest accolade But the decision to showcase his work at the Super Bowl in California was met with conservative outrage specifically about the idea that he would not sing in English The NFL entered into an agreement in 2019 with JayZs entertainment company Roc Nation which leads the leagues entertainment strategy Since that time the list of Super Bowl headliners included Jennifer Lopez and Shakira with a guest spot for Bad Bunny but the duo did not perform exclusively in Spanish leaving Bad Bunny to set that benchmarkFrom Vega Baja to Super BowlBad Bunny grew up in Vega Baja a small municipality near Puerto Ricos capital San Juan He was working at a supermarket bagging groceries when he got a call from a label over his viral plays on the DIY platform SoundCloudThus began the reggaeton stars rapid explosion to the top of global music Late last year Bad Bunny released Debi Tirar Mas Fotos a history lesson in Puerto Rican music that he promoted with a hometown concert residency in San Juan and a world tourIn Puerto Rico a US territory since 1898 there was nothing but pride for the islands native son For someone from here to be at one of the most important events in the United States is a source of pride for every Puerto Rican Olvin Reyes 39 told AFPThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever