It’s Bad Bunny’s world, we’re just living in it.
Friday night at a college bar in Madison, Wisconsin typically generates a familiar scene—a room packed to the brim with college students, plastic cups filled with mixed drinks in each of their hands. As blaring music encapsulates the dance floor, they move as one, an electric energy ruled by the beat of popular pop melodies.
The characteristically American bar anthems are always played: Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” and of course, Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” Yet, one warm September night, the standard lineup shifted. After my friends and I had screamed yet another rendition of “Sweet Caroline,” a different song emerged from the speakers: Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez’s “Dakiti.” Unlike the reliable favorites, the lyrics to “Dakiti” are all in Spanish.
I gazed at the crowd of (mostly) white students around me and felt goosebumps rise on my skin. As I awaited the reaction of my peers, I was filled with both a sense of pride in my culture as well as a twinge of nervousness that the Spanish dialect would be ill-received.
The crowd sang every word.
The highly positive response to Bad Bunny that night is a testament to the enormous success of the 28-year-old Puerto Rican native in recent years. Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is a rapper/singer who made his claim to fame through a unique blend of modern hip-hop and Caribbean Latin roots. His style of music is often defined as a mix of Latin trap and reggaeton; however, he has also incorporated other genres of music into his work, including soul, rock and pop punk. He’s the first core Latin music act to earn the #1 spot on the Billboard Artist 100 chart, and he appeared in the Spotify top 100 more times than Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and Kendrick Lamar combined during the summer months, according to Bloomberg.
In the Latinx community, Bad Bunny’s stardom is incredibly meaningful. For many, he represents what many of us have witnessed firsthand in our own families: the story of a lower-middle-class grocery store clerk from Puerto Rico who had a dream. If he could make it big, who’s to say we can’t do the same? Bad Bunny’s songs are also a nod to the music we grew up listening to on behalf of our parents—his work is rooted in the foundation laid down by the original reggaeton stars, such as Ivy Queen, Daddy Yankee and Wisin & Yandel.
But what makes Bad Bunny so different from these classic reggaeton artists is the widespread influence his music has had on the general population. Despite his music being majority Spanish, Bad Bunny has transcended cultural and linguistic barriers through his infectiously playful energy. Whether you speak Spanish fluently or can’t understand a single word of his lyrics, the music has united us all in a celebration of Latinx culture and has introduced reggaeton to an audience who may have never listened to Spanish music before. Though he’s known for his tongue-in-cheek lyrics, he also has used his platform to bring more serious issues to light, such as blackouts and gentrification in Puerto Rico, allowing more privileged individuals to learn about the struggles these individuals face.
For me, Bad Bunny’s music has been a way to connect to my mixed roots in a climate of acceptance, pride and enthusiasm. The Spanglish phrases and slang terms embedded in his lyrics have taught me that it’s OK to not understand every Spanish word while providing me with a type of Latin music that I can identify with, making me feel more proud to be half Puerto Rican than ever.
The rise of Bad Bunny means so much more than just another viral celebrity trending on the charts. It conveys the power of music to unite all of us, no matter who you are, what language you speak, or where you come from. It means that even in a room filled with largely Midwestern, non-Spanish-speaking individuals, we are all connected by that feeling we get when we hear a great song. Most importantly, it’s given us the chance to appreciate and embrace Latinx culture without leaving anyone behind.