4 weeks ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - As Bad Bunny is acceptable to instrumentality implicit the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, 1 Fresno State prof hopes it inspires not lone Latinos but each American viewer.
"The Super Bowl Halftime Shows person ever had a contented of gathering either the astir culturally important artists, those that are capable to make a crowd, arsenic good arsenic those that are capable to make conversations," said Associate Professor of Chicano Latin American Studies astatine Fresno State, Luis Fernando Macías.
The multi-award-winning creator besides makes past arsenic the first Latino headliner whose full discography is successful Spanish.
"Bad Bunny is idiosyncratic that, successful the past fewer years, has truly travel into his ain successful presumption of civilization and politics, arsenic good arsenic individuality wrong his music. Unapologetically Puerto Rican, unapologetic astir his politics, and it's going to beryllium absorbing to spot however helium past takes that into the biggest stage, arguably, successful the United States— if not the world," Macías said.
Following Kendrick Lamar's amusement successful 2025 astatine Super Bowl LIX, Macías believes Bad Bunny's halftime amusement this twelvemonth volition person an overarching taste connection down it, citing his astir caller medium "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS."
"In a clip close present wherever Latino individuality is seen arsenic a threat. Latino individuality is thing that galore folks are benignant of downplaying, shying distant from, due to the fact that of the threats that travel with that. He's turning it to 11," Macías said. "He talks astir issues of gentrification, helium talks astir issues of liberation, helium talks astir each of the things that marque a governmental medium what it is."
Macías hopes that if determination is simply a message, it's not mislaid successful translation.
"It would not astonishment maine if Bad Bunny incorporates issues of Puerto Rican liberation, of criticizing ICE raids, of criticizing the Trump Administration successful a mode that toes the enactment perfectly betwixt knowing what that connection was about, but not crossing it to the constituent wherever radical volition past crook off, unopen down," helium explained.
Despite immoderate contention that the announcement has raised, Macías describes Bad Bunny's show arsenic the "perfect invitation" to unfastened the eyes and ears of communities to a caller perspective.
"First, fto your assemblage move, fto your assemblage consciousness [the music], and then, that's the invitation to larn much astir the language. And with that, you'll find a batch much astir the radical who made the music, the civilization down that music, and wherefore galore are applauding this arsenic significant," Macías expressed.
Overall, Macías believes Bad Bunny's halftime show volition ignite pridefulness among Latinos successful the US.
"For him to accentuate his Latino identity, for him to beryllium proudly Boricua— proudly Puerto Rican, gives america each that are surviving done this clip of threat, of hazard, gives america anticipation that we tin beryllium our authentic selves. Even erstwhile it's the astir perilous," helium said.
Super Bowl LX volition instrumentality spot connected Feb. 8, 2026, astatine Levi's Stadium successful San Francisco.
