LOS ANGELES (AP) — The choice of Unhealthy Bunny to headline the Tremendous Bowl halftime present is about greater than music.
The transfer indicators a cultural highlight for Latin id at America’s most-watched tv occasion. It additionally raises contemporary questions on how a lot area there can be for his trademark symbolism and social commentary — together with his previous criticism of President Donald Trump — given the NFL’s historical past of preserving performances tightly managed.
Listed here are some issues to know in regards to the choice.
How the present comes collectively
The halftime present is a collaboration between the NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music.
Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s leisure firm, has curated performers since 2019 and returns alongside veteran producer Jesse Collins. Apple Music distributes the efficiency, whereas the NFL in the end controls the stage, broadcast and branding.
Artists don’t get a paycheck for performing. Nonetheless, their payoff is world publicity. That imbalance provides the league leverage, although historical past exhibits that high-powered stars typically defy the league’s guardrails.
A stage with boundaries
The NFL has a observe document of pushing again when artists get political. Nonetheless, some performers do not at all times comply.
• In 2020, the league requested Jennifer Lopez to chop a phase that includes kids in cages, a critique of U.S. immigration insurance policies. She refused.
• In 2022, it was reported that Dr. Dre and Eminem have been each suggested to not kneel or reference police, however they went ahead.
• Rapper M.I.A. flashed a center finger throughout Madonna’s set, incomes a hefty fantastic in 2012. She and the NFL in the end reached a settlement ending their multimillion greenback dispute a pair years later.
Why Unhealthy Bunny issues
Whereas Unhealthy Bunny is a recognized hitmaker, he’s additionally an artist who ties his music to Puerto Rican id, colonial politics and immigrant struggles. His Tremendous Bowl announcement included a pointed dedication: “This is for my people, my culture, and our history.”
That alone units the stage for a efficiency that would carry layered meanings far past spectacle.
In his profession, Unhealthy Bunny has change into one of many world’s most streamed artists with albums resembling “Un Verano Sin Ti,” an all-Spanish-language document.
The 31-year-old artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has gained three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys. He has change into a world ambassador for Latin music, starred in movies resembling “Bullet Train,” “Caught Stealing” and “Happy Gilmore 2,” and collaborated with high style homes. He enters November’s Latin Grammys because the main nominee with 12, dethroning producer and songwriter Édgar Barrera.
Unhealthy Bunny v. Trump
Unhealthy Bunny has been vocal in his opposition to Trump and his insurance policies. Within the last weeks of the 2024 marketing campaign, he backed former Vice President Kamala Harris after a comic at Trump’s Madison Sq. Backyard rally mocked Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
Days later, Unhealthy Bunny posted a video showcasing Puerto Rico’s seashores and artists, captioned merely: “garbage.”
Since Trump took workplace, Unhealthy Bunny’s criticism hasn’t slowed. This yr, he shared an Instagram video showing to indicate immigration brokers making arrests in Puerto Rico, with the voice behind the digital camera cursing the brokers.
On July 4, he launched the video for “NUEVAYoL”, that includes a Trump-like voice apologizing to immigrants: “This country is nothing without the immigrants.”
Unhealthy Bunny additionally shifted his touring technique. The primary 9 nights of his 31-show Puerto Rico residency have been reserved for island residents, and he skipped U.S. tour stops.
“There was the issue of—like, (expletive) ICE could be outside,” he advised i-D journal. He’s since taken his tour to Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
However on Sunday, earlier than Unhealthy Bunny made the Tremendous Bowl announcement, he mentioned: “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”
A divided response
The halftime announcement has already drawn cut up responses. California Gov. Gavin Newsom cheered the reserving, writing on X: “California is excited to welcome you to Super Bowl LX.”
Some Make America Nice Once more-aligned influencers have been fast to push again.
Ryan Fournier, chair of College students for Trump, mentioned “whoever picks these people should be fired.”
Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson known as Unhealthy Bunny a “massive Trump hater” and “anti-ICE activist,” and criticized that he would not have songs in English.
Unhealthy Bunny has lengthy shrugged off such critiques. Requested by The New York Instances earlier this yr how he felt about followers who don’t perceive his lyrics, he sang into the microphone: “I don’t care.”
Trump’s consideration on sports activities and tradition
Trump has an extended historical past of inserting politics into sports activities. He’s pushed for the late Pete Rose’s Corridor of Fame induction, threatened to dam Washington’s new stadium deal if the crew didn’t restore its previous identify, and often used sporting occasions as political platforms.
The strikes are a part of his broader efforts to form the nation’s cultural temper, weighing in on entertainers and corporations alike. He blasted late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, whose present briefly confronted suspension after the Trump administration signaled potential repercussions following remarks within the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
He additionally revived his long-running feud with Rosie O’Donnell, saying earlier this yr that he was contemplating “taking away” her U.S. citizenship after she criticized his proposed spending cuts.
And simply final month, Trump inserted himself into the backlash over Cracker Barrel’s new brand, posting on Fact Social that the corporate ought to stick to its previous design. When the chain reversed course, he celebrated the choice as a private victory.
What’s at stake
For Unhealthy Bunny, the halftime present is the last word stage to showcase his music, heritage and world affect. For the NFL and Apple Music, it’s a balancing act: ship a spectacle that celebrates variety with out igniting controversy that scares off advertisers.
If Unhealthy Bunny leans strictly into spectacle, the second could possibly be historic for Latin music. If he threads in political symbolism, it may change into probably the most dissected halftime performances in Tremendous Bowl historical past.
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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
