Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio gave us a revelation.
At every turn of his spectacular Super Bowl halftime show, Bad Bunny countered death-dealing hatred with unabashed joy. He sang in his native tongue, and in all the glory of his unmistakable Puerto Rican accent. From tall, sugarcane fields tended by jíbaros in pavas to the bustling streets outside the marqueta and barbershop, there was dancing and singing from performers across generations and nationalities. In the middle of the show, we witnessed an actual wedding and fell in love with a little boy who held Benito’s Grammy tight to his chest as Bad Bunny whispered in his ear: Cree siempre en ti (“Always believe in yourself”). Echoing Kendrick Lamar on top of an ’87 Buick GNX in last year’s show, Benito stood on the cab of an old truck and paid tribute to reggaeton legends like Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, and Tego Calderón, who first gave the genre an international stage. He climbed electric poles and sang “El Apagón” (“The Blackout”), reminding the world of how Puerto Ricans flourish even as their power grids falter.
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