Every week after his “ICE out” declaration dominated Grammy headlines, anticipation is constructing over whether or not Dangerous Bunny will flip the most important efficiency of his profession — the 2026 Tremendous Bowl halftime present — right into a political name to motion.
“One factor about Dangerous Bunny is that he’s a grasp on the artwork of shock,” Petra Rivera-Rideau, an affiliate professor of American research at Wellesley Faculty who makes a speciality of Latin music and U.S.-Latinx pop cultures, informed CBS Information.
However some consider Dangerous Bunny, whose actual identify is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, does not want theatrics to ship a message.
“I believe lots of people expect him to have a political message in there,” Mike Alfaro, the creator of Millennial Lotería who has gone viral for translating Dangerous Bunny lyrics into English forward of the massive recreation, added. “I believe simply him being there may be the political message.”
Matt Winkelmeyer 
Reactions poured in when it was introduced that the Tremendous Bowl’s halftime headliner could be the favored Puerto Rican artist who performs primarily in Spanish, with some hailing the historic alternative and others criticizing it.
President Trump blasted the choice to provide Dangerous Bunny and Inexperienced Day — who’re set to open the Tremendous Bowl LX pregame festivities — a world stage, calling the lineup a “horrible alternative.”
“I am anti-them,” Mr. Trump informed The New York Submit, including that he will not be attending Sunday’s recreation.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell referred to as Dangerous Bunny “one of many best artists on the planet” and stated he does not count on the halftime present to spark main controversy.
“Pay attention, Dangerous Bunny is — and I believe that was demonstrated final night time — one of many nice artists on the planet, and that is one of many causes we selected him,” stated Goodell, referring to Dangerous Bunny’s Grammys speech. “However the different motive is he understood the platform he was on, and that this platform is used to unite folks, and to have the ability to carry folks along with their creativity, with their abilities, and to have the ability to use this second to try this. And I believe artists up to now have finished that. I believe Dangerous Bunny understands that, and I believe he’ll have an ideal efficiency.”
Dangerous Bunny’s political voice
Dangerous Bunny hasn’t shied away from decrying America’s politics.
When he took his new album on tour, he selected a residency in Puerto Rico and skipped the U.S. mainland solely for concern that his followers could be focused by federal brokers.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Photographs 
In 2018, throughout Dangerous Bunny’s first look on American mainstream tv, he kicked off his rendition of “Estamos Bien” on Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Present” by reminding the mainland that Puerto Ricans had been nonetheless coping from one of many deadliest disasters in U.S. historical past.
“After one 12 months of the hurricane, there’s nonetheless folks with out electrical energy of their properties, greater than 3,000 folks died,” stated Dangerous Bunny, including, “and Trump remains to be in denial.”
Past pioneering on the Tremendous Bowl stage in a special language, Dangerous Bunny has already made political historical past via his music and cultural advocacy.
Mobilizing Puerto Rico
“We speak about stuff like Hurricane Maria, the protests in 2019, his involvement within the Puerto Rican elections in 2024. However actually the purpose of [my] e book is to speak about how his music capabilities as an act of resistance on this larger political and social context of colonialism in Puerto Rico,” defined Rivera-Rideau, whose e book focuses on Boricua historical past over the previous three a long time.
Rivera-Rideau stated “Benito,” as Latinos lovingly name him, continues to channel messages of satisfaction and requires political accountability for Puerto Rico in his newest album.
“It’s in some ways his most overtly political album,” Rivera-Rideau stated.
In “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” for instance, Dangerous Bunny calls out gentrification within the island, an ongoing development fueled by monetary incentives which have catapulted property taxes.
“There’s so many issues that make life right here troublesome and but, on the identical time, there’s a lot satisfaction and pleasure,” Rivera-Rideau stated.
In his newest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Dangerous Bunny attracts from Bomba, an Afro-Puerto Rican music style that’s rooted within the island’s connection to enslaved Africans. Bomba dancers usually be part of drummers to merge their rhythms right into a musical dialogue.
RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP by way of Getty Photographs 
Through the 2019 protests calling for Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s resignation, Bomba, and different Caribbean music genres, had been as outstanding as chants and indicators. Puerto Ricans used artwork and music — bomba dances, slam poetry, queer balls and extra — to assemble folks collectively and name for change. Dangerous Bunny joined the motion, taking break day his live performance tour that summer season to march in San Juan and collaborate on what turned the protest anthem, “Afilando los Cuchillos,” or “Sharpening The Knives.”
In 2020, Dangerous Bunny used his look on “The Tonight Present” to boost consciousness concerning the homicide of a homeless transgender lady in Puerto Rico. He wore a T-shirt that learn, “They killed Alexa, not a person in a skirt,” to make clear the tragedy and advocate for justice.
The broader influence of Dangerous Bunny’s halftime present
Dangerous Bunny’s Tremendous Bowl halftime efficiency — the primary to be headlined by a predominantly Spanish‑language artist — might be a landmark second for the Latino neighborhood.
“I believe there’s so many layers to how significant this halftime present is, and it hasn’t even occurred but,” Rivera-Rideau stated.
“To have a Spanish language artist headlining this stage, which is though not a nationwide vacation, sort of capabilities like one within the context the place Spanish audio system, together with Puerto Ricans, are getting racially profiled, are being harassed, to have somebody like that on the stage is vital.”
Spanish is the commonest non-English language within the U.S., with about 13% of the inhabitants talking it at house.
“There are extra folks that talk Spanish right here in america than in my house nation of Guatemala,” Alfaro stated. “I believe it is vital to know that music is a common language, even should you do not fairly perceive what they’re saying.”
For some followers, Dangerous Bunny is the principle draw of this 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl.
“It is about time to acknowledge our tradition, our ardour, our folks,” Miriam Velez, co-owner of the Puerto Rican-themed social membership Pe Erre Domino in Chicago, informed CBS Information Chicago.
“To not solely have an effect in america, however a world influence is superb,” Puerto Rican DJ Emmanuel Ríos Colón added.
“I believe it does not matter that it is Dangerous Bunny, however that any Latino that goes and represents us within the Tremendous Bowl, we’re good,” Yazmin Auli, proprietor of the Philadelphia bakery El Coquí, informed CBS Information Philadelphia. “It does not matter who it’s, however since it’s Dangerous Bunny, that is even higher.”
The joy over Dangerous Bunny’s halftime present can also be sparking curiosity in additional than simply Latin music — it is inspiring folks to be taught Spanish.
Duolingo, the language studying software, reported that nearly 49 million folks worldwide are studying Spanish on the app. When the NFL introduced the Tremendous Bowl line-up, they shared a “Dangerous Bunny 101” crash course to get extra Spanish learners on board. Duolingo informed CBS Information that 60% of these learners are nonetheless lively as we speak and factors to the info as proof that persons are motivated to be within the know.
