“Mientras uno está vivo, uno debe amar lo más que pueda.” In “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” Bad Bunny invites listeners to love as much as they can while they are alive. His words encapsulate a spirit central to Puerto Rican music: joy, identity and love.
In the world today, there are a total of 20 Spanish-speaking countries, and Spanish is the fourth most-spoken language in the world. Hispanic culture is recognized globally, with influential literature, film and music. This includes reggaeton artist Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny.
Native Spanish speaker Bad Bunny was born in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States. He is a well-known artist and musician, currently selling out shows for his world tour “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” and he was the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2025, 2022, 2021 and 2020. In addition to creating music, Bad Bunny has shone a light on Puerto Rico and spoken out against the mistreatment of Latinos.
Denise Soto, Archer’s librarian, said she enjoys Bad Bunny’s music and appreciates how it has reached a variety of listeners while remaining in Spanish.
“Someone young, someone in the mainstream, who is taking chances, and he’s definitely making a difference, especially when you hear Caucasian people singing his songs,” Soto said. “They’re singing in Spanish. He doesn’t do anything in English.”
Bad Bunny delivered an almost all-Spanish Super Bowl performance Sunday, Feb. 8. The performance included cultural elements from Puerto Rico like sugarcane fields, the casita and pava hats. Gabriela Mendez Arteaga, a member of the Hispanic community and longtime fan of Bad Bunny, views him as a “cultural icon” and believes his music is helping give Latinos a voice.
“He represented all Latinos, especially when he displayed all the flags of all of the Americas,” Arteaga said. “I loved that there were so many symbols and that he included so many vendors, and things in the Latino community that not a lot of people know about: the taco stand, the bodegas and things like that.”
According to ESPN, the halftime show averaged 128.2 million viewers on NBC and another 4.8 million on Telemundo, making it the most watched halftime show ever in Spanish-language television. Chloe Ventura Rubalcaba (’27), a member of the Hermanas Unidas board, said the halftime show was beautiful. She loved the joy articulated in the wedding scene, which was her favorite part.
“It just makes me more proud of my culture, that it’s represented,” Rubalcaba said. “I feel seen in his music … Going to parties with my family and hearing that same type of music just makes me feel so seen.”
After watching the halftime show, President Trump called Bad Bunny an “affront to the Greatness of America” and complained, “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” The Super Bowl performance also received heavy criticism from other members of the Trump administration and conservative circles.
The message projected on the jumbotron during Bad Bunny’s performance, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” resonated with many, including Soto, who said this message reminded her that everyone is human. She said there is currently a lot of hate in the world from the government, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and social media, but that helping others in need can go a long way.
“I hope that more people feel empowered and compelled to speak out against what is currently happening in our community, not necessarily to ruffle any feathers, but it’s about solidarity, the term community. It’s about coming together to help lift one another,” Soto said. “I hope that by seeing him on such a national stage, that other people feel safer expressing themselves, whether or not it’s their Latin culture or Latin identity.”
Along with Bad Bunny, who has spoken out against ICE, Archer students recently organized a walkout to spread awareness about ICE Wednesday, Feb. 18, for 10th-12th graders. Andrea (‘28), who requested that her last name not be included in the interest of privacy, said organizing the walkout enhanced her pride about being Latina and gave her a chance to advocate for herself.
“Bad Bunny had a lot of threats to him during the Super Bowl, but that didn’t stop him from doing a performance to show the people the issue,” Andrea said. “I think that’s what we’re doing right now, not being afraid, just going out there and advocating for the people who can’t.”
ICE continues making arrests in Los Angeles and other major cities, including Chicago and Minneapolis. Over the last year nearly 400,000 arrests have been made. ICE claims to target “the worst of the worst,” and the enforcers use specific terms like “criminal aliens” and “illegals.” Andrea said she disagrees with ICE, believing many of the arrests are unjust and targeted toward innocent people. A report from the Guardian stated that immigrants without any criminal record have been detained disproportionately by ICE.
“It really hurts because they would say, ‘Oh yeah, we’re going after criminals’ when they’re going to jobs, to people who are hard working and are just looking to find the best life,” Andrea said. “Honestly, I think that it hurts because you just see them, and then you’re like, ‘Oh my god, you can’t do anything.’”
The Guardian reported that 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, at least six have died already in 2026, and there have been 33 shootings with ICE involved in 2025. The public has expressed outrage at the handling of immigrants, and many student protests and walkouts took place nationally to express disapproval. Soto said the weight of ICE is difficult to manage, especially seeing the impact it has had on the people she cares about.
“It feels like a burden some days, having to sort of compartmentalize what is happening to people in my family, people in the community … It feels like members of our community are being persecuted simply for being brown, speaking Spanish, having an accent when they speak,” Soto said. “I know that that’s hard to relate to as people who don’t — we don’t have accents when we speak, because we’re so assimilated in our communities.”
Rubalcaba said a way she manages upsetting headlines in the news is by reminding herself she is loved and has friends and family that care about her. She believes music can help bring joy.
“I think listening to music is really impactful because it brings you so much joy in your life. And definitely staying updated on what’s happening in the world has given me hope,” Rubalcaba said. “While some people can fall into despair from learning about the ICE raids and everything, but you can also be filled with hope by learning what we’re doing as a community.”
Arteaga said she believes Latinos are a powerful group of people, noting that the NFL’s decision to feature Bad Bunny recognized that Latinos have a big economic impact. Not only do they have an impact in the economy, but Latinos have influenced many aspects of US identity, including food, music and language.
“We need to continue to be strong and be proud of our heritage and continue to work hard and show that we’re here to do good and that we’re capable of doing whatever, whatever we came here to do, accomplish our dreams,” Arteaga said. “Build businesses, travel the world, bring people together.”
Arteaga, Soto, Rubalcaba and Andrea all emphasized the importance of pride in one’s identity and heritage. Just like Bad Bunny said in the Super Bowl, “Vales más de lo que peinsas” — you are worth more than you think.
“Never lose who you are and what you want to fight for and how you want to fight it,” Rubalcaba said. “Be yourself, no matter what, and always be proud of where you come from.”
