Much of the criticism surrounding global superstar Bad Bunny as the 2026 Super Bowl's featured halftime show performer centers on the Puerto Rican artist's decision to perform primarily in Spanish, prompting debate over language, belonging and what defines American culture.
Gustavo Souza Marques is an assistant professor of music at the University of Michigan whose research and teaching explores the relationship between music, technology and social life, with a focus on hip-hop in the Americas. He discusses the cultural and political issues surrounding Bad Bunny's upcoming performance.
As a Puerto Rican, Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen. How does this controversy reveal misconceptions about who and what languages are considered "American"?
The very idea of "American" is normative and tends to position white Americans as the default or dominant ethnic group in the country. This becomes evident in everyday language, where people of color are often referred to as Black American, Asian American, Native American or Latino/Latina/Latinx American-creating an implicit distinction from white Americans, who are rarely labeled by race.
For instance, Boston rapper Akrobatik has a powerful line that challenges this norm: "If I'm African American, tell me which country?" This line is clever not only because it questions the racial categories used in the U.S., but also because it draws attention to the vastness and diversity of the African continent-which is often overlooked.
The concept of race in the U.S. tends to be more rigid than in other parts of the world, and not by coincidence, efforts toward meaningful integration still face significant challenges today. When we think about Americanness and language today, it's also important to consider the massive success of Bad Bunny as a Puerto Rican artist-and what his rise represents within both American and global cultural landscapes.
Studies suggest that in the coming decades, the U.S. will become a significantly more diverse country, with Latino/a/xs playing increasingly prominent roles in many areas. Los Angeles, for instance, already reflects this demographic and cultural shift.
Bad Bunny's success not only reflects Puerto Rican resilience in the U.S., but also points to the growing influence of Global South artists during a time of broader cultural reconfiguration in global society. Naturally, these shifts may prompt reactions-especially among those who perceive such changes as a disruption to a more traditional or familiar sense of American identity. But rather than a threat, they can also be seen as part of the ongoing evolution and enrichment of what it means to be American today.
Is the NFL's choice purely a business move to capture the Latino market, or does it signal a genuine shift in what defines "mainstream" American culture?
Any artist who has a critical outlook on society and wants to make money with their music will always have to negotiate resistance and co-optation. Many ideas around this tension have appeared in popular music everywhere. My favourite Brazilian group from the 1990s, Chico Science & Nação Zumbi, used to claim that they were using the machine to transform it from within and bring changes to society, for instance. This is something that I constantly discuss with my students, and some interesting conversations have arisen from that.
We also need to consider the role that Jay-Z's Roc Nation plays in the halftime show. Jay-Z is a very successful rapper who has also evolved and transformed his musical work a lot throughout his career. He used to be seen as a hardcore rapper for at least two decades, but since the 2010s, his music has acquired a great deal of nuance and vulnerability-something also connected to the role that his wife, Beyoncé, plays in pop music, articulating resistance and co-optation in many ways, with her approach closely associated with Black feminism.
In other words, there are many nuances to consider before hastily labeling participation in the halftime show as simply "resistance" or "co-optation." I believe there are bits of both in settings like this. The NFL's interest is clearly tied to profit, but the fact that Latino/a/xs are now at the center of their attention certainly speaks volumes about the cultural shifts I discussed in the previous answer.
For the millions of Latino fans, what is the symbolic power of seeing an unapologetically Spanish-language artist on this international American stage?
I feel excited to see a Latino artist like Bad Bunny reaching such heights. Especially because he is much more than just a reggaeton, hip hop or pop artist, right? He is involved with many social causes in Puerto Rico and has spoken out on issues affecting Latino communities in the U.S. One recent example was his decision to exclude U.S. dates from his latest tour due to concerns over potential ICE raids outside concert venues. He has also publicly opposed the idea of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state, which is a complex and ongoing debate on the island-a topic he's been able to articulate thoughtfully over time and will likely continue to engage with in the coming years.
I'm certainly expecting a thought-provoking presentation, somewhat similar to what Kendrick Lamar did in his own performance. Latino/a/xs have been part of American culture and history for centuries-or even millennia, depending on how you view it. So I'm confident Bad Bunny will present something meaningful during his show. Bunny is known for pushing boundaries, and one strong example of that is his drag performance in the music video "Yo Perreo Sola," which is also one of his biggest hits. He has publicly spoken about his fluid approach to sexuality, identifying as heterosexual but not seeing this identity as rigid or limiting.
Beyond the controversy, what does Bad Bunny's performance ultimately represent for the future of Latin music and cultural representation on the world's biggest stages?
It represents a shift in mentality, especially among newer generations who may be more interested in discussing intersectional issues such as the impact of race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality, and so on in our everyday lives. I'm sure that Bad Bunny's fans are not only Latino/a/xs; he certainly has a multiracial and multigenerational audience that will be impacted in some way by the discussions he brings to society.
However, I don't want to sound naive, and I know that a considerable portion of his fans might consume his music simply because it is good entertainment. Nevertheless, whether we like it or not, the immense success of his music and his role as an outspoken Latino artist undeniably reveal the cultural shifts I have been discussing throughout this interview. Hopefully, this will lead us toward a better society-one that is less limiting, punitive, aggressive and oppressive.
