Sankofa Lecture Series - Petra Rivera-Rideau, PhD: P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.

Benito Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, is breaking musical records, breaking stereotypes, and centering his homeland of Puerto Rico in everything he does. How did an all-Spanish-language act from Puerto Rico become the biggest musical artist in the world? Bad Bunny was the world’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for three consecutive years (2020-2022), has the longest-running Spanish-language album at the top of the Billboard chart, and in 2022 became the first artist in history to stage two separate $100 million-grossing tours in less than 12 months. His album Un Verano Sin Ti (2022), which is the most streamed album in history, was the first Spanish language album ever nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy award. In 2026, his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the first Spanish language album to ever win the Album of the Year Grammy award, and just days later he became the first Super Bowl Halftime headliner to perform almost entirely in Spanish. This presentation examines Bad Bunny’s impact on global popular music and culture, with a focus on his cultural commentary and outspokenness about issues in his homeland of Puerto Rico. Ultimately, this talk will situate Bad Bunny as an artist of resistance and demonstrate how he disrupts dominant Latinx media representations.