By Derrel Johnson
If you live in New York City, particularly in Harlem, then you are familiar with Bad Bunny’s music, even if you did not know it was him. You could not walk down the streets in 2022—especially in the summer—without hearing his massive hit “Tití Me Preguntó,” which not only reached the Billboard Top Five and topped Billboard’s Latin charts for 14 weeks, but also joined YouTube’s exclusive billion-view club earlier this year.
So it was no surprise when Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, started his 14-song, 13-minute Super Bowl LX Apple Music Halftime Show performance on Sunday, February 8, with the song. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the performance was a guest appearance by 16-time Grammy Award winner Lady Gaga, who performed a salsa version of her duet with Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile,” at the real-life wedding of a couple married on stage. The other big cameo came from Latin music legend and fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin, who performed Bad Bunny’s hit “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii.”
Other celebrity cameos appeared in “La Casita,” a recreation of a typical Puerto Rican home, and included Cardi B (honoring her Dominican and Trinidadian roots), Karol G (celebrating Colombian pride), Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal (bringing Chilean flair), Major League Baseball star Ronald Acuña Jr. (representing Venezuela), and boxers Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas (highlighting their Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage, respectively). “What an honor to be part of such an extraordinary moment in history,” Alba said via Instagram about taking part in the performance.
But Bad Bunny’s halftime performance was about more than music; it was also a vibrant celebration of Puerto Rican culture, complete with realistic replicas of colorful sugarcane fields that once fueled the colonial empire and now fuel pride. These fields represented those of the American commonwealth, and at times the performance looked like a giant party on the football field. Other areas of the field depicted a bustling urban neighborhood, complete with residents playing dominoes and dancing to bachata, appearing to represent everyday life.
Finally, Bad Bunny also gave a brief—but necessary—ode to reggaeton pioneers, playing snippets of “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee, “Pa’ Que Retozen” by Tego Calderón, and “Dale Don Dale” by Don Omar. Perhaps there always would have been a Bad Bunny, but he would be a different artist without those foundational reggaeton figures.
Perhaps there was no better place to watch Bad Bunny’s halftime show in New York City than the Puerto Rican–owned Bronx venue Barrio Bx, which also hosted a watch party for Bad Bunny’s 2025 residency at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan. As hundreds watched, cable network CNN also filmed a segment hosted by correspondent Maria Santana, who wore a T-shirt that read, “I’m Just Here For Benito Bowl.” For the non-football fans, that certainly was the case.
Bad Bunny/shutterstock.com