When Bad Bunny hosted “Saturday Night Live” in October, he gave viewers some homework to prepare for his Super Bowl halftime show.
“If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn,” he said during his opening monologue, just after giving a shoutout to “all the Latinos and Latinas in the entire world and here in the United States” in Spanish.
Whether or not non-Spanish speakers have heeded Bad Bunny’s advice, the Puerto Rican artist is still expected to get people dancing during Sunday’s show, which fans online have deemed “Benitobowl.”
When the superstar takes the field, he will become the first Spanish-language Latin solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. It’s a fitting milestone for the “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” singer, who made Grammys history earlier this month.
But for those who didn’t download Duolingo in time or are unfamiliar with how Bad Bunny became a global phenomenon, NBC News has an unofficial guide to the performer ahead of his big show.
From bagging groceries to breaking records
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, broke into the music scene a decade ago while working as a bagger at a supermarket in his hometown of Vega Baja. That’s when his Latin urban music tracks on SoundCloud first began earning him millions of listeners.
He then went on to release a steady stream of popular singles and remixes, collaborating with established reggaeton singers and even world-renowned artists, including Marc Anthony, Jennifer López and Cardi B. He subsequently established himself as one of 2018’s 10 most streamed artists worldwide, even before dropping his first album, “X 100PRE,” on Christmas Eve.
Six studio albums and six Grammys later, Bad Bunny has become a central figure fueling the globalization of reggaeton, a Latin urban music genre with deep roots in Puerto Rico that was once considered clandestine. He is also the first reggaeton singer to headline a Super Bowl halftime show.
The artist’s list of record-breaking accomplishments include becoming the most streamed artist on Spotify globally from 2020 to 2022, and again in 2025, after staging a first-of-its-kind 31-show residency in Puerto Rico.
His 2020 album “El Último Tour Del Mundo” (“The Last Tour of the World”) became the first all-Spanish-language album to go No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He replicated that feat in 2022 and 2023 with his next two albums.
He also set the world record for the highest-grossing tour in a calendar year in 2022, and amassed $435.3 million with over 2.4 million tickets sold across 81 shows in his most recent concert tours.
“As Benito, he is a typical 31-year-old Puerto Rican who grew up experiencing the debt crisis, Hurricane Maria, participating in the protest of 2019 [and] watching public schools close on the island,” said Petra Rivera-Rideau, co-creator of the “Bad Bunny Syllabus” and co-author of “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.”
“This environment shaped him and his music, as it did every Puerto Rican who grew up there,” she added. “He talks about these struggles, but he also leaves space for happiness, joy and community, which I think a lot of people want.”
Bad Bunny lyrics, translated
There are nine Spanish-language terms and phrases typically used by Bad Bunny that may be handy to know ahead of Sunday.
Acho, P.R. es otra cosa (AH-cho · PEH-ERRE · ehs · OH-trah · KOH-sah): “Bro, Puerto Rico is something else.” Bad Bunny popularized the phrase during his residency by having celebrities and VIP guests shout it at the crowd to rile them up.
Baile inolvidable (BYE-leh · een-ohl-bee-DAH-bleh): “Unforgettable dance.” This is the title of the dreamy salsa hit from his newest album and the song featured in the NFL trailer promoting his halftime performance. According to Billboard charts, this is Bad Bunny’s third-most streamed song.
Debí tirar más fotos (deh-BEE · tee-RAHR · MAHS · FOH-tohs): “I should have taken more photos.” In addition to being the title of his newest album, it’s the opening lyric of the chorus of the track “DtMF,” Bad Bunny’s top streaming song, according to Billboard charts, in large part thanks to a viral social media trend in which people create videos to the song that honor relatives and friends who have passed away.
Flamboyán (flam-boh-JAHN): “Royal poinciana tree.” Famous for its orange-red flowers that color Puerto Rico’s lush green landscape every summer, this tree was brought by Spanish colonizers from Madagascar in the late 1400s. Since then, Puerto Ricans have adopted it as a cultural emblem that reminds them of their homeland anywhere they go. The tree is showcased in the NFL trailer of the halftime show and was a scenography centerpiece for his residency in Puerto Rico.
Pava (PAH-vah): There is no direct translation for this word. The term refers to a traditional wide-brimmed hat made of woven straws worn by “jíbaros,” rural farmers or laborers from Puerto Rico, until the 19th century. Bad Bunny sported this hat in a halftime show teaser and at the Met Gala last year.
Perreo (peh-RREH-oh): “Twerk.” The word refers to the type of dance specifically performed to the rhythm of reggaeton. The term is featured in much of Bad Bunny’s music — including in the steamy lyrics of his Grammy-winning song “EoO” (which is also the track of his Calvin Klein ad) and his hit “Yo Perreo Sola” (“I Twerk Alone”), which resonated with people on social media during Covid-19 shutdowns.
P FKN R (PEH · f—–g ·ERRE): There is no direct translation for this Spanglish term. Bad Bunny came up with it when he wrote the song of the same name in 2020. The moniker means to showcase Puerto Rican pride and the resiliency of its people. In “LA MuDANZA,” the last track of his newest album, he closes the record with a lively salsa chorus saying, “Yo soy de P FKN R” (“I am from P FKN R”).
Sapo concho (SAH-poh · KOHN-choh): “Puerto Rican crested toad”: It is the only toad native to Puerto Rico and is currently an endangered species. In “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” which Bad Bunny has dubbed his most Puerto Rican album yet, Concho was used as a character in several music videos and in the residency as a stand-in for Puerto Ricans who work to preserve their cultural identity no matter where they live. The NFL recently released some football merch featuring Bad Bunny’s Concho character.
YHLQMDLG (yeah, we’re not trying a pronouncer for this one): This is a shorthand for Bad Bunny’s signature life motto “yo hago lo que me de la gana,” Spanish for “I do whatever I want,” and the title of his Grammy-winning sophomore album.
But what about the backlash?
A decade into his music career, Bad Bunny has evolved into “an artist of resistance” and an inventive musician who has blended reggaeton with so many genres “that his repertoire has something for everyone,” said Vanessa Díaz, co-creator of the “Bad Bunny Syllabus” and co-author of “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.”
The star was among the handful of artists at the Grammys who made bold “ICE out” statements.
“We’re not savage,” he said onstage while accepting one of his three awards. “We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.” He encouraged viewers to fight hate with love, saying, “The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”
The artist has long been vocal about politics, particularly when it comes to Puerto Rico. During his TV debut on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” he called out the U.S. government’s botched response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2018 and demanded justice in the killing of Alexa, a trans woman in Puerto Rico, in 2020. He also took a break from touring in 2019 to join mass protests in Puerto Rico that led to an embattled governor’s ouster, and he became involved in the critical 2024 gubernatorial election in Puerto Rico.
“In everything he does, he’s super meticulous and super intentional,” Díaz said. “Even if you don’t understand the lyrics, there are a lot of messages in his performances. He always has a lot of Easter eggs in everything he does.”
Since Bad Bunny was tapped as the headliner in September, a handful of conservative pundits and Fox News commentators have criticized the artist. Turning Point USA, the conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, also subsequently announced plans to host an alternative halftime show, which will be headlined by Kid Rock.
President Donald Trump told the New York Post he’s “anti” Bad Bunny and Green Day, a band that is also performing Sunday. He also said he’s skipping the matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, which will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The NFL has stood by its decision to enlist Bad Bunny. When asked about the artist’s remarks at the Grammys, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended him and said the Super Bowl halftime show “is used to unite people.”
“I think Bad Bunny understands that,” Goodell said on Tuesday. “And I think he’ll have a great performance.”