Bad Bunny 101: Your Guide To His Lyrics And More Ahead Of His Halftime Show - Beritaja

When Bad Bunny hosted “Saturday Night Live” successful October, he gave viewers immoderate homework to hole for his Super Bowl halftime show.

“If you didn’t understand what I conscionable said, you person 4 months to learn,” he said during his opening monologue, conscionable aft giving a shoutout to “all the Latinos and Latinas successful the full world and present successful the United States” successful Spanish.

Whether aliases not non-Spanish speakers person heeded Bad Bunny’s advice, the Puerto Rican creator is still expected to get group dancing during Sunday’s show, which fans online person deemed “Benitobowl.”

When the superstar takes the field, he will go the first Spanish-language Latin solo creator to header the Super Bowl halftime show. It’s a fitting milestone for the “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” singer, who made Grammys history earlier this month.

But for those who didn’t download Duolingo successful clip or are unfamiliar pinch really Bad Bunny became a world phenomenon, Beritaja has an unofficial guideline to the performer up of his large show.

From bagging groceries to breaking records

Bad Bunny, whose existent sanction is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, collapsed into the euphony segment a decade agone while moving arsenic a bagger astatine a supermarket successful his hometown of Vega Baja. That’s erstwhile his Latin municipality euphony tracks connected SoundCloud first began earning him millions of listeners.

He past went connected to merchandise a dependable watercourse of celebrated singles and remixes, collaborating pinch established reggaeton singers and moreover world-renowned artists, including Marc Anthony, Jennifer López and Cardi B. He subsequently established himself arsenic 1 of 2018’s 10 about streamed artists worldwide, moreover earlier dropping his first album, “X 100PRE,” connected Christmas Eve.

Six workplace albums and six Grammys later, Bad Bunny has go a cardinal fig fueling the globalization of reggaeton, a Latin municipality euphony genre pinch deep roots successful Puerto Rico that was erstwhile considered clandestine. He is besides the first reggaeton vocalist to header a Super Bowl halftime show.

The artist’s database of record-breaking accomplishments see becoming the about streamed creator connected Spotify globally from 2020 to 2022, and again successful 2025, aft staging a first-of-its-kind 31-show residency successful Puerto Rico.

His 2020 medium “El Último Tour Del Mundo” (“The Last Tour of the World”) became the first all-Spanish-language medium to spell No. 1 connected the Billboard 200. He replicated that feat successful 2022 and 2023 pinch his adjacent 2 albums.

He besides group the world grounds for the highest-grossing circuit successful a almanac twelvemonth successful 2022, and amassed $435.3 cardinal pinch complete 2.4 cardinal tickets sold across 81 shows successful his about caller performance tours.

“As Benito, he is simply a emblematic 31-year-old Puerto Rican who grew up experiencing the debt crisis, Hurricane Maria, participating successful the protest of 2019 [and] watching public schools close connected the island,” said Petra Rivera-Rideau, co-creator of the “Bad Bunny Syllabus” and co-author of “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.”

“This situation shaped him and his music, arsenic it did each Puerto Rican who grew up there,” she added. “He talks about these struggles, but he besides leaves abstraction for happiness, joyousness and community, which I deliberation a batch of group want.”

Bad Bunny lyrics, translated

There are 9 Spanish-language position and phrases typically utilized by Bad Bunny that whitethorn beryllium useful to cognize up of Sunday.

Acho, P.R. es otra cosa (AH-cho · PEH-ERRE · ehs · OH-trah · KOH-sah): “Bro, Puerto Rico is thing else.” Bad Bunny popularized the building during his residency by having celebrities and VIP guests outcry it astatine the crowd to rile them up.

Baile inolvidable (BYE-leh · een-ohl-bee-DAH-bleh): “Unforgettable dance.” This is the title of the dreamy salsa deed from his newest medium and the opus featured successful the NFL trailer promoting his halftime performance. According to Billboard charts, this is Bad Bunny’s third-most streamed song.

Debí tirar más fotos (deh-BEE · tee-RAHR · MAHS · FOH-tohs): “I should person taken much photos.” In summation to being the title of his newest album, it’s the opening lyric of the chorus of the way “DtMF,” Bad Bunny’s apical streaming song, according to Billboard charts, successful ample portion acknowledgment to a viral societal media inclination in which group create videos to the opus that grant relatives and friends who person passed away.

Flamboyán (flam-boh-JAHN): “Royal poinciana tree.” Famous for its orange-red flowers that colour Puerto Rico’s lush greenish scenery each summer, this character was brought by Spanish colonizers from Madagascar successful the precocious 1400s. Since then, Puerto Ricans person adopted it arsenic a taste emblem that reminds them of their homeland anyplace they go. The character is showcased successful the NFL trailer of the halftime show and was a scenography centerpiece for his residency successful Puerto Rico.

Pava (PAH-vah): There is nary nonstop translator for this word. The word refers to a accepted wide-brimmed chapeau made of woven straws worn by “jíbaros,” agrarian farmers aliases laborers from Puerto Rico, until the 19th century. Bad Bunny sported this chapeau successful a halftime show teaser and astatine the Met Gala past year.

Perreo (peh-RREH-oh): “Twerk.” The connection refers to the type of dance specifically performed to the hit of reggaeton. The word is featured successful overmuch of Bad Bunny’s euphony — including successful the steamy lyrics of his Grammy-winning opus “EoO” (which is besides the way of his Calvin Klein ad) and his deed “Yo Perreo Sola” (“I Twerk Alone”), which resonated pinch group connected societal media during Covid-19 shutdowns.

P FKN R (PEH · f-----g ·ERRE): There is nary nonstop translator for this Spanglish term. Bad Bunny came up pinch it erstwhile he wrote the opus of the aforesaid sanction successful 2020. The moniker intends to showcase Puerto Rican pridefulness and the resiliency of its people. In “LA MuDANZA,” the past way of his newest album, he closes the grounds pinch a lively salsa chorus saying, “Yo soy de P FKN R” (“I americium from P FKN R”).

Sapo concho (SAH-poh · KOHN-choh): “Puerto Rican crested toad”: It is the only toad autochthonal to Puerto Rico and is currently an endangered species. In “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” which Bad Bunny has dubbed his about Puerto Rican medium yet, Concho was utilized arsenic a characteristic successful respective euphony videos and successful the residency arsenic a stand-in for Puerto Ricans who activity to sphere their taste personality nary matter wherever they live. The NFL precocious released some shot merch featuring Bad Bunny’s Concho character.

YHLQMDLG (yeah, we’re not trying a pronouncer for this one): This is simply a shorthand for Bad Bunny’s signature life motto “yo hago lo que maine de la gana,” Spanish for “I do immoderate I want,” and the title of his Grammy-winning sophomore album.

But what about the backlash?

A decade into his euphony career, Bad Bunny has evolved into “an creator of resistance” and an inventive musician who has blended reggaeton pinch truthful galore genres “that his repertoire has thing for everyone,” said Vanessa Díaz, co-creator of the “Bad Bunny Syllabus” and co-author of “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.”

The prima was among the fistful of artists astatine the Grammys who made bold “ICE out” statements.

“We’re not savage,” he said onstage while accepting 1 of his 3 awards. “We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.” He encouraged viewers to conflict dislike pinch love, saying, “The only point that is much powerful than dislike is love.”

The creator has agelong been vocal about politics, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to Puerto Rico. During his TV debut connected “The Tonight Show pinch Jimmy Fallon,” he called retired the U.S. government’s botched response to Hurricane Maria successful Puerto Rico successful 2018 and demanded justice successful the sidesplitting of Alexa, a trans female successful Puerto Rico, successful 2020. He besides took a break from touring successful 2019 to subordinate mass protests successful Puerto Rico that led to an embattled governor’s ouster, and he became involved successful the captious 2024 gubernatorial predetermination successful Puerto Rico.

“In everything he does, he’s ace meticulous and ace intentional,” Díaz said. “Even if you don’t understand the lyrics, location are a batch of messages successful his performances. He ever has a batch of Easter eggs successful everything he does.”

Since Bad Bunny was tapped arsenic the headliner successful September, a fistful of blimpish pundits and Fox News commentators person criticized the artist. Turning Point USA, the blimpish statement co-founded by the precocious Charlie Kirk, besides subsequently announced plans to big an replacement halftime show, which will beryllium headlined by Kid Rock.

President Donald Trump told the New York Post he’s “anti” Bad Bunny and Green Day, a set that is besides performing Sunday. He besides said he’s skipping the matchup betwixt the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, which will return spot astatine Levi’s Stadium successful Santa Clara, California.

The NFL has stood by its determination to enlist Bad Bunny. When asked about the artist’s remarks astatine the Grammys, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended him and said the Super Bowl halftime show “is utilized to merge people.”

“I deliberation Bad Bunny understands that,” Goodell said connected Tuesday. “And I deliberation he’ll person a awesome performance.”