Bad Bunny took center stage at Super Bowl 60 at Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8. His electrifying performance proved that music is more entertainment; it is an art form that can unite people.<\/span><\/p>\n While the show did not surpass Kendrick Lamar\u2019s record of 133.5 million views in the U.S., its <\/span>128.2 million views<\/span><\/a> places Bad Bunny at fourth all-time in Super Bowl halftime show history. However, his impact extended far beyond television. On YouTube, as of Feb. 14, the official, <\/span>NFL-uploaded<\/span><\/a> view of Bad Bunny\u2019s halftime show has more than 90 million views. To put this number in perspective, Lamar\u2019s performance, now a year ago, sits at 166 million views as of Feb. 14. On social media, according to the NFL, it racked up <\/span>4 billion views<\/span><\/a>, an increase of 137% from last year\u2019s show. Additionally, the NFL stated that more than <\/span>55% of all social views came from international markets<\/span><\/a>. Lastly, viewership on Telemundo, the Spanish-language broadcast, averaged 4.8 million views during Bad Bunny\u2019s halftime show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Puerto Rican star not only electrified the 70,823 fans at Levi\u2019s Stadium, but also infused his performance with rich symbolism and storytelling. Adorned in an off-white jersey, the King of Latin Trap stepped out in the beginning sequence of his show with \u201cOcasio\u201d on his back, an homage to his mother\u2019s name and a large \u201c64\u201d across both sides of the jersey, an homage to his uncle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Shortly after he delivered his 2022 hit \u201cTit\u00ed Me Pregunt\u00f3,\u201d the party moved to \u201cLa Casita,\u201d a real-size replica home from the star\u2019s historic 31-day \u201cNo Me Quiero Ir de Aqui\u201d residency in Puerto Rico. The home is not only a symbol of his residency, but also a cultural beacon, reflecting a traditional house style found across the island and marquesinas, house parties that take place in the garage or car port of a person\u2019s home. At the Big Game, the celebrities hanging out at La Casita included\u00a0 Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Young Miko, Karol G and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The party did not stop there, and neither did the cultural weight of the performance. Samples from fellow Puerto Rican music artists Tego Calder\u00f3n, Don Omar and Daddy Yankee rang out in tribute. The tribute to Daddy Yankee was most notable as the sound of his 2004 hit \u201cGasolina\u201d reminded millions of his significance to the genre and his induction to the <\/span>National Recording Registry in 2023<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Those in attendance cheered with the surprise appearance of Lady Gaga, who performed a salsa rendition of her hit \u201cDie with a Smile\u201d in a baby blue dress with a red floral brooch representing the maga, the national flower of Puerto Rico. Her salsa rendition serves as a bridge between pop and Latin music on one of the grandest stages in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tributes to two icons of New York City were next as Benito entered a stage set inspired by La Marqueta, an East Harlem market. According to <\/span>Public Markets by New York City<\/span><\/a>, from the 1930s to the 1950s it was originally an informal gathering place for pushcart vendors and merchants was home to Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban and Mexican immigrants. The next icon was Maria Antonia Cay, lovingly known as \u201cTo\u00f1ita.\u201d Cay, the owner of Caribbean Social Club in Brooklyn, has been a bastion of Latino culture where <\/span>patrons of her club<\/span><\/a> have described it as \u201chome.\u201d During the performance of \u201cNUEVAYoL\u201d, Cay made an appearance at a recreation of her club, giving the artist a shot. Her cameo serves not only as a thanks to her hard work, but also a reminder of the importance of Latino culture in hubs such as New York City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A 1-2 combo of storytelling was displayed as Ricky Martin made a surprise cameo. Martin\u2019s appearance is significant as he served as an innovator of Latin pop into the global mainstream and paved the way for future Latin stars. Combined with his performance of Bad Bunny\u2019s \u201cLo Que Le Pas\u00f3 a Hawaii,\u201d which translates to \u201cWhat Happened to Hawaii,\u201d allowed Martin to speak out about the gentrification and political issues of his home, Puerto Rico. The cameo was capped off by the performance of \u201cEl Apagon,\u201d meaning \u201cThe Blackout,\u201d by the headliner who carried a distinct version of the Puerto Rican flag and sang atop a power line. The flag featured a light blue triangle, <\/span>a color that is particularly associated with sovereignty and independence<\/span><\/a>. The performance upon a power line comes as a reminder of the destruction of Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria in 2017. As a result, it is now the <\/span>longest power outage in U.S. history and the second longest power outage in world history<\/span><\/a>. Today, Puerto Rico still has recurring power outages, a topic that is addressed in \u201cEl Apagon.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner of the Super Bowl 60 halftime show, it came with an astronomical amount of criticism. Just days after the announcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem <\/span>spoke out against the NFL for its decision<\/span><\/a>. Noem told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, \u201cThey suck, and we\u2019ll win, and God will bless us. We\u2019ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day, and they won\u2019t sleep at night because they don\u2019t know what they believe. And they\u2019re so weak, we\u2019ll fix it.\u201d Additionally, Noem\u2019s chief adviser Corey Lewandowski, <\/span>also made comments about the decision to feature Bad Bunny saying<\/span><\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s so shameful that they\u2019ve decided to pick somebody who just seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime game.\u201d Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, <\/span>made a brief comment <\/span><\/a>saying it was a \u201cterrible decision.\u201d President Donald Trump in an interview with <\/span>The celebrity.land<\/span><\/a> talked about the decision and the addition of Green Day saying, \u201cI\u2019m anti-them. I think it\u2019s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.\u201d All of the criticism against Bad Bunny resulted in the creation of Turning Point USA\u2019s <\/span>pre-recorded<\/span><\/a> \u201cAll-American Halftime Show,\u201d which was headlined by Kid Rock and peaked at around <\/span>6.1 million views<\/span><\/a> come game day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Post-Super Bowl arose <\/span>a call by U.S. Rep. Randy Fine<\/span><\/a> for the Federal Communications Commission to put fines on the NFL, NBC and Bad Bunny, calling the show \u201cillegal.\u201d <\/span>U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles followed suit<\/span><\/a>, requesting the Energy and Commerce Committee to launch a formal congressional inquiry into the NFL and NBC. The president would also make a <\/span>Truth Social post stating<\/span><\/a>, \u201cIt makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn\u2019t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,\u201d while adding, \u201cthere is nothing inspirational about this mess of a halftime show.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n