With only days left until Super Bowl LX, Black Americans are rallying for Bad Bunny’s highly anticipated halftime show. Support for the Puerto Rican singer may have seemed to come out of nowhere, but between Bad Bunny taking a stand against President Donald Trump and Puerto Rico’s deep ties to Black history, Black folks are prepared to cheer for him — even if many don’t know the lyrics to his songs.
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Sports brings us together, sure, but music is the true universal language! In the case of Bad Bunny, his musical influences speak directly to the African and Caribbean cultures he directly takes inspiration from.
“People keep asking me why I, as a Black American, am hyped to see Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl,” @blackradiohead said on TikTok. “The heartbeat of his music– that’s reggaetón rhythm. That comes from Africa.”
The genre of reggaetón derived directly from Jamaican reggae. And surprise, surprise…Reggae traces its roots back to the west coast of Africa, where the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was prominent. In many cases, this music was Black people’s response to political, social and economic discrimination.
The rhythm of Bad Bunny’s music feels familiar because it’s an extension of African music. And coupled with the fact that throughout history, Puerto Ricans and Black Americans have often fought side by side against social injustice, Black folks celebrating Bad Bunny in 2026 just feels natural.
“Black folks and Puerto Ricans have been in lockstep forever– since the Civil Rights Movement, blues, jazz, hip-hop, locking, breakdancing,” another user, @blackamericaninchina, pointed out. In fact, the two communities — especially in Chicago and New York City — worked in tandem to address voting issues, systemic racism and poverty in the ’50s all the way to the late ’70s.
This eventually led the Black Panther Party to help with the forming of the Young Lords, a radical Puerto Rican street-gang-turned-civil-rights organization in Chicago. After the downfall of the Black Panthers and other political organizations, tensions between Latinx and Black communities began to rise. Still, it’s undeniable how intertwined our American stories are.
Bad Bunny spoke out in 2020 following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans. Although he was criticized for waiting too long to respond, the “EoO” singer has since put his money where he mouth is and donated big time and advocated for Black Lives Matter efforts over the years.
Fast forward to now and the Latinx community is now facing President Trump, who has made mass deportations his personal mandate. In response to nationwide ICE raids, Bad Bunny cancelled his U.S. tour dates last year, which definitely earned some respect from Black folks also denouncing ICE.
After the 2024 election, many Black folks promises to step back from the political frontlines in light of Trump’s reelection. Many folks online expressed their support for Bad Bunny is their way to also protest the administration.
“As a Black American, that story [of Puerto Rico] feels real familiar,” TikToker @blackamericaninchina continued.
“Admittedly, I’m not familiar with Bad Bunny’s music at all. Not my jam. I’m watching the half time show outta pure spite lol,” @chillwoods__ wrote. “Cause f*ck maga, f*ck ice, f*ck Israel, f*ck racism & f*ck any establishment that marginalizes and oppresses black ppl & ppl of color.”
Many Black folks haven’t been quick to jump of the Super Bowl halftime hype, however. “What does black ppl have to do with bad bunny at the Super Bowl and why ya taking up for him,” @ChillAshanti asked on X.
“Yo ppl calling Bad Bunny black are not the black ppl I wanna be around,” @DapoElCapo said. Bad Bunny will take the Super Bowl stage this Sunday (Feb. 8).
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