Yo hago lo que me da la gana…so I wrote about Bad Bunny

Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio. Bad Bunny. These two names belong to one man that has been periodically creating music that breaks charts and has people longing for the days of safely going to a bar para perrear (to dirty dance). Bad Bunny is an artist well-known for his exemplary ability to meander into different genres of music. Though his main genres are considered Latin trap, he has been experimenting in rock, bachata, and reggaeton. This experimentation and eclectic persona that is Bad Bunny has also been demonstrated in his confidence to speak out on violence against women in Mexico and to break gender roles. 

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Benito began posting his music on SoundCloud until he was signed by record company Hear this Music in 2016. Allegedly, Hear this Music would not allow him to produce or create his own albums. Once he left, he was able to release his first album, X 100pre (2018). Since then, Bad Bunny grew into a world sensation and began releasing albums after albums like Oasis (2019) a collaboration with J Balvin, YHLQMDLG (2020), Las que no iban a salir (2020) and recently El Último Tour Del Mundo (2020). Bad Bunny has collaborated with Latin and U.S. superstars like Cardi B, Drake, Don Omar, and Daddy Yankee. With these collaborations, he is proving to the world that his music can be as diverse as the crowds it reaches.

Bad Bunny frequently uses songs depicting a woman’s life and perspectives on love and life. His song “Yo Perreo Sola” says “Te llama si te necesita/Pero por ahora esta solita/Ella perrea sola” or “She’ll call you if she needs you/But for now she’s alone/She dirty dances/parties alone.” In the music video, Benito dresses in drag and grinds on himself, is chained up by several leashes being handled by women, and ends the video with the the text: “si no quiere bailar contigo, respeta, ella perrea sola” which translates to “if she doesn’t want to dance with you, respect her, she dances alone.” The song and video talk about the sexual harassment women face when going out dancing or anywhere for that matter, and how men should respect their boundaries and personal space. 

In a performance for the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Bad Bunny performed his song “Ignorantes” and revealed a shirt which said: “Mataron a Alexa, no un hombre con falda” or “They killed Alexa, not a man with a skirt.” This was in response to a transgender woman named Alexa Luciano being killed in Puerto Rico, and the media calling her a “man in a skirt”.

Photo by Getty Images

Bad Bunny does not shy away from being an outspoken ally and advocate for important messages in his performances, award ceremony speeches, and in his lyrics. Throughout 2020, he has proven to be a highly resilient artist, breaking barriers that most Latinx artists face when coming into a non-Spanish speaking audience. This year, Bad Bunny was the most globally streamed artist on Spotify, beating American artists. His albums gave audiences the perfect soundtrack to perrear…at home. 

Article by Stephanie Enciso