Hypocrite Bad Bunny is a controversial choice for…
Bad Bunny is a dangerous choice for the Super Bowl halftime efficiency.
Not merely because the Puerto Rican rapper’s politically pushed touring decisions are incompatible with somebody being awarded one of the most prestigious perches of American tradition. Nor because his songs aren’t in English.
But have you ever heard his autotune racket masquerading as music? Why can’t anybody sing or rap without the help of computer systems these days?
Puerto Rican rapper and singer, Bad Bunny has been chosen to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. REUTERS
I can already see the mute button in my future.
Beyond the offensive tunes, the performer, whose real title is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio is taking flack for his hypocrisy. He’s proudly accepting the splashy high-profile gig at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., after explicitly declining to play on the United States mainland for this current tour in protest of Trump’s immigration insurance policies and ICE enforcement.
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“Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel [to Puerto Rico], or to any part of the world,” he told i-D magazine. “There was the issue of, like, f–king ICE could be outside. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
But the choice actually looks like a watershed second for the National Football League — and maybe a center finger from Jay-Z to conventional followers. The Roc Nation mogul was given the keys to produce the long-lasting Super Bowl halftime show in 2019, to appease those in the growing social justice motion that was consuming sports activities complete during the great awokening.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar, who carried out at last yr’s recreation was a controversial decide for the Super Bowl halftime show. Getty Images
Most of his decisions — which have been a combine of hiphop and R&B — achieved the purpose of interesting to a broad swathe of Americans, particularly non soccer followers, who see the music, not the pigskin, as the main event.
Last yr’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, however, he tapped rapper Kendrick Lamar, who was most undoubtedly a subversive and area of interest choice.
And this yr, would it not have killed them to decide a Zach Bryan or Taylor Swift this go around?
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, is featured in the NFL’s “Por La Cultura” adverts. NFL
Maybe Jay-Z has his agenda, but for the league, the dominant motive to forged Bad Bunny is their urge for food for global growth, which they’ve taken on with the aggression and pace of a cocaine fueled Lawrence Taylor in his prime.
What began years in the past as a handful of video games being performed in London has mushroomed into an worldwide project rivaling the attain of the United Nations. This yr, there are worldwide match ups in Germany, UK, Ireland, Brazil and Madrid, with more distant lands on faucet for next season.
That growth contains a huge play for the Spanish talking market. Every Sunday, the NFL runs commercials for their “Por La Cultura” initiative, which highlights Hispanic gamers in the league.
Puerto Rican famous person Bad Bunny performs during his summer season residency in his homeland. In February, he’ll be in Santa Clara performing at the Super Bowl. AP
“It’s mathematically impossible for the league to grow without Latinos,” Marissa Solis, SVP of global model and client advertising at the NFL told CNBC last yr. “This audience is critical for our growth.”
Bad Bunny, despite his dangerous music, has major crossover appeal.
On Spotify, the rapper has been the most streamed artist globally for the first three years of this decade. He joined Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s show at the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami, has carried out at WWE occasions and even stepped into the ring in 2023.
He had a major position in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore 2” ably enjoying Oscar Mejias, a busboy turned caddy. And now, he’s been given the Holy Grail of levels.
At Super Bowl LIV halftime show, Bad Bunny carried out with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Getty Images
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown … this is for my people, my culture, and our history,” he said.
Hopefully, he’ll use it as a showcase for his performing chops, not his personal political grievances.
Regardless, the league is aware of that old-fashioned die arduous followers, people who affiliate the sounds of the NFL with the voice of John Facenda shall be tuning in to the sport regardless. They’d even watch if they put up a hologram of Milli Vanilli at the break.
In this new period, the loyal followers are taken for granted while the league whistles at the beautiful new factor in city.
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