I"t’s 9-0 at the half. Fans are disappointed for paying all this money to see such a low-scoring Super Bowl. But at half time, here on this field at Levi’s Stadium, all the way from Puerto Rico, is rapper Bad Bunny"--Adela orozco & Vanessa schulte 6th grade
It’s 9-0 at the half. Fans are disappointed for paying all this money to see such a low-scoring Super Bowl. But at half time, here on this field at Levi’s Stadium, all the way from Puerto Rico, is rapper Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio). From addressing politics and his home life in Puerto Rico, to a wedding and special guest appearances—his halftime show did it all. But how did he pull this show off? And what was the meaning behind it all?
Bad Bunny opened with a very memorable set. We find him in the middle of a sugar cane field, which is a reference to Puerto Rico’s crops becoming a US territory during the end of the 19th Century. He starts with one of his most popular songs, “Titi Me Pregunto.” As he walks down the path, we see a bunch of different stands, a clear representation of Puerto Rico!
Bad Bunny opened with a very memorable set. We find him in the middle of a sugar cane field, which is a reference to Puerto Rico’s crops becoming a US territory during the end of the 19th Century. He starts with one of his most popular songs, “Titi Me Pregunto.” As he walks down the path, we see a bunch of different stands, a clear representation of Puerto Rico!
When he shows the piragua stand, if you look closely, you can see that the piraguas are the colors of the Latin American Flags.
Probably the hardest thing to create in that set was the little pink casita. After Benito finishes his song, he falls through the roof, which causes a gasp from the audience. In this scene, he drops in on a family watching him perform at the Super Bowl.
“That’s basically two different pre-tapes: The pre-tape inside the house, and then there’s the pre-tape on the field of him falling through the roof during the dress rehearsal,” explains Harriet Cudford, the show’s creative director. “And then comping that all together, then cutting to the transition of him falling through the roof and being able to kick the front door open.” Looking at all the detail and authenticity in this set, Cudford went on to describe this as “audacious in every direction.”
The casita also had a deeper meaning to Puerto Rico, resembling a Puerto Rican house with its bright wall colors and a carved wood door. “These are the kinds of homes that are becoming less common with new development in Puerto Rico,” says Vanessa Diaz from Rolling Stone.
Probably the hardest thing to create in that set was the little pink casita. After Benito finishes his song, he falls through the roof, which causes a gasp from the audience. In this scene, he drops in on a family watching him perform at the Super Bowl.
“That’s basically two different pre-tapes: The pre-tape inside the house, and then there’s the pre-tape on the field of him falling through the roof during the dress rehearsal,” explains Harriet Cudford, the show’s creative director. “And then comping that all together, then cutting to the transition of him falling through the roof and being able to kick the front door open.” Looking at all the detail and authenticity in this set, Cudford went on to describe this as “audacious in every direction.”
The casita also had a deeper meaning to Puerto Rico, resembling a Puerto Rican house with its bright wall colors and a carved wood door. “These are the kinds of homes that are becoming less common with new development in Puerto Rico,” says Vanessa Diaz from Rolling Stone.
After he kicks open the door, we hear the beginning beats of the very well-known song, “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee, and the whole stadium gets loud. Yankee was the first reggaeton artist to make it big, so Benito wanted to pay homage to him. Unfortunately, Yankee did not perform at the Halftime show because he is currently on “a mission.” However, there were special performances by Lady Gaga and Ricki Martin.
Also, if you look closely, you can see Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, Young Miko, and Karol G dancing near the casita—all fellow Latin American artists and actors.
Next, Bad Bunny dances on the power lines, singing “El Apagon,” which in English is “The Blackout.” This represents Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in 2017 and caused a MAJOR black out that caused Puerto Rico to not have power for almost a year!
Once Bad Bunny descends the power lines, he goes to a wedding. A wedding? Benito has been very ambitious up to this point in the show with the sugar canes, powerlines, casita, and everything, but a wedding is crazy! Many people throughout this performance obviously thought this was staged, but no, Bad Bunny actually signed their wedding certificate. Eli and Tommy Wolter originally asked Bad Bunny to perform at their wedding but he decided to invite them to get married at the Super Bowl instead.
Hailey Paige, Eli’s dress designer, was so honored to have her design in the halftime performance, even though she found out on short notice. “It wasn’t just a performance,” Paige said. “It was for a real moment for a girl to just have a time of joy and say yes to her person.”
Also, if you look closely, you can see Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, Young Miko, and Karol G dancing near the casita—all fellow Latin American artists and actors.
Next, Bad Bunny dances on the power lines, singing “El Apagon,” which in English is “The Blackout.” This represents Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in 2017 and caused a MAJOR black out that caused Puerto Rico to not have power for almost a year!
Once Bad Bunny descends the power lines, he goes to a wedding. A wedding? Benito has been very ambitious up to this point in the show with the sugar canes, powerlines, casita, and everything, but a wedding is crazy! Many people throughout this performance obviously thought this was staged, but no, Bad Bunny actually signed their wedding certificate. Eli and Tommy Wolter originally asked Bad Bunny to perform at their wedding but he decided to invite them to get married at the Super Bowl instead.
Hailey Paige, Eli’s dress designer, was so honored to have her design in the halftime performance, even though she found out on short notice. “It wasn’t just a performance,” Paige said. “It was for a real moment for a girl to just have a time of joy and say yes to her person.”
After they kiss, they step aside, and behind them Lady Gaga appears to perform her Grammy-winning hit, “Die with a Smile.”
Now comes the very fun part, the party! Bad Bunny starts to sing another one of his most famous songs, “Baile Inolvidable.” You see a bunch of people dancing and even little kids dancing, and the newlywed couple cuts the cake. Bad Bunny wakes up a kid sleeping on the chairs, which a lot of people noticed, even Literary Arts ' very own, Paloma Bastos, a 7th grader. “I loved how they had the kid sleeping on the bench,” she said. A lot of other people noticed too, because it is a well-known tradition with Latino families for kids to fall asleep as the family celebrates. It is a small but important detail during the party.
After the wedding, we see a shot from the DTMF album art of the two white plastic chairs under a banana tree, with another special guest. The next song comes on, “LO QUE PASO EN HAWAII” performed by the well-known artist Ricki Martin.
The song references a time in Hawaii when the US turned Hawaii into a state. “Today, most native Hawaiians can’t live near their beaches because prices are outrageous, and tourism has turned everything into a giant resort. Their language, their identity, their history… It’s all been sidelined,” explains LATV.
And of course, we can’t ignore the very obvious and big part of the halftime show, the part where Bad Bunny gives his Grammy to a kid!As he dances through the party on the TV, it shoots over to a kid sitting between his parents as they watch a TV, which is, if you look closely, Bad Bunny accepting his Grammy! The kid represents him as a child. If you know, you can see that that is the same shirt he used to wear when he was a kid, as CBS puts it, Bad Bunny gives himself the Grammy as a "you can do anything in this world" moment.
Did we cover it all? Maybe not, but this halftime show, in fact, was jam-packed.
Alice Stewart, a 7th grader in Literary Arts, says, “I thought it was really fun! Everyone did a great job.” Bastos agrees. “I think it was amazing, it was so unique and really sent a big message to our country and president, it even got my dad obsessed with Bad Bunny,” she says.
“You didn't need to speak a single word of Spanish to understand that Benito's performance was a fun-filled and meaningful celebration of music, joy, and unity,” says Buzzfeed.
Last but not least, the finale brought the tear-jerking moment: the flags. At the end of the show, Bad Bunny is followed by a parade of people carrying flags representing most countries of the Americas. Bad Bunny did this to point out how all those countries are America, not just the U.S., but Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, and more!
Amara Deanes, an 8th Grader from Literary Arts, says, “I think this halftime show was very important right now. It felt like a breath of joy in such dark times. I think that's what we need more of. Joy is healing and hopeful. It encourages action. Sometimes I get so down in the dumps that it feels hopeless to take action. The halftime show shows that there's still love in the world.”
On the football he holds up, he delivers an important message, “Together, we are America.”
⯎🇺🇸🇵🇷🇧🇷🇲🇽🇨🇦🇺🇾🇦🇷🇧🇴🇨🇱🇵🇾🇧🇸🇵🇪🇨🇴🇨🇺🇨🇷 🇵🇦⯎
Alice Stewart, a 7th grader in Literary Arts, says, “I thought it was really fun! Everyone did a great job.” Bastos agrees. “I think it was amazing, it was so unique and really sent a big message to our country and president, it even got my dad obsessed with Bad Bunny,” she says.
“You didn't need to speak a single word of Spanish to understand that Benito's performance was a fun-filled and meaningful celebration of music, joy, and unity,” says Buzzfeed.
Last but not least, the finale brought the tear-jerking moment: the flags. At the end of the show, Bad Bunny is followed by a parade of people carrying flags representing most countries of the Americas. Bad Bunny did this to point out how all those countries are America, not just the U.S., but Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, and more!
Amara Deanes, an 8th Grader from Literary Arts, says, “I think this halftime show was very important right now. It felt like a breath of joy in such dark times. I think that's what we need more of. Joy is healing and hopeful. It encourages action. Sometimes I get so down in the dumps that it feels hopeless to take action. The halftime show shows that there's still love in the world.”
On the football he holds up, he delivers an important message, “Together, we are America.”
⯎🇺🇸🇵🇷🇧🇷🇲🇽🇨🇦🇺🇾🇦🇷🇧🇴🇨🇱🇵🇾🇧🇸🇵🇪🇨🇴🇨🇺🇨🇷 🇵🇦⯎
