Diversity has been the name of the game since Jay-Z's Roc Nation took over production of the Super Bowl halftime show for the 2020 edition.

Prior to that, the classic-rock run of Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and the Who had already ended in 2010 and viewers were into a stretch that included the likes of Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5.

Beginning in 2020, Jay-Z took the production firmly into the hip-hop/R&B realm — the most popular genre in the country, according to Nielsen — with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and then continuing with the Weeknd, a group of Dr. Dre-led rap and R&B legends, Rihanna and Usher.

Last year was a bold step with the incendiary Kendrick Lamar, who was not there to please the masses with sing-along hooks.

On Sunday, the NFL goes full global and full hot groove with one of the walk-ons from that 2020 halftime spectacle — Bad Bunny. The so-called "King of Latin Trap" takes the field with music built on booming low-end bass, skeletal beats and a voice that slides between rapping and melodic crooning.

"What I'm feeling goes beyond myself," the artist said in a statement. "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. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL."

Who is Bad Bunny?

If you go to Bad Bunny's Spotify page, the first thing you may notice is that four of his "Popular" tracks have crossed the billion-stream mark, speaking to his sheer cultural saturation. He has upwards of 82 million monthly listeners on that service alone and ranked as the most streamed artist in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2025. He has won three Grammys, 17 Latin Grammys and 10 Billboard Music Awards.

He is also known beyond the music world as a celebrity performer in WWE and, on the big screen, an assassin in "Bullet Train" and a busboy-turned-caddie in "Happy Gilmore 2."

Before he was selling out stadiums, the 31-year-old Puerto Rican star born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was a grocery bagger uploading songs to SoundCloud. His early tracks, going back to 2016, blended Latin trap with a DIY looseness — distorted vocals, lo-fi beats and lyrics like late-night voice notes.

The turning point came with "Soy Peor," a minimalist breakup anthem that caught fire in Puerto Rico and beyond for its emotional bluntness.

By 2018, he was collaborating with Cardi B ("I Like It") and Drake ("Mia"), introducing millions to a Spanish-language star who made no effort to translate himself.

His debut album, dropped on Christmas Eve 2018, revealed Bad Bunny as an artist unbound by genre and style. Per its Wikipedia page, it is "primarily a Latin trap and reggaeton album, which also incorporates elements of pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B, bachata, dembow, ballad, acoustic, electronic, house, reggae, dancehall, Andean, tropical, synth-pop, pop-punk, chillwave and synthwave."

In case you're counting, that's 20 things, so he's all over the place. And yet, he pulls it together under his voice. He can pivot from bruised-heart ballad to beach-party anthem to political lament without warning.

"YHLQMDLG," his second album, leaned more into bouncy reggaeton with punchy, percussive tracks built on dembow rhythms. The sun-soaked "Un Verano Sin Ti" ("A Summer Without You") (2022) spent 13 weeks at No. 1 and became Spotify's most-streamed album of all time, equally suited for beach parties and late-night drives

In January 2025, he went to No. 1 again with "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," a rhythmic reinvention of Puerto Rican folk grappling with questions of identity, displacement and cultural survival.

The look, the message

Alongside the music, Bad Bunny has challenged rigid ideas of masculinity in reggaeton by wearing skirts, painting his nails and speaking openly about gender norms.

He has been active in the political ring as well. In 2019, he halted his European tour to join massive street protests in Puerto Rico that led to Gov. Ricardo Rosselló's resignation amid corruption scandals and mishandling of Hurricane Maria recovery.

His 2022 track "El Apagón" (The Blackout) referenced chronic blackouts and gentrification and on the 2025 track "LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii" ("What Happened to Hawaii"), he warned against Puerto Rico becoming losing cultural identity through U.S. integration and tourism-driven changes.

During her 2024 presidential campaign, he endorsed Kamala Harris and responded to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's quip about Puerto Rico being a "floating island of garbage" with an eight-minute Instagram video celebrating Puerto Rican resilience and culture.

More recently, he said he was avoiding U.S. concert dates because "ICE could be outside."

Bunny backlash

Of course, a lot of people would prefer Bad Religion or the long-gone Bad Brains and Bad Company.

Like just about everything else, the reaction to Bad Bunny as headliner has been highly polarized.

President Donald Trump weighed in saying, telling Newsmax, "I've never heard of him. I don't know who he is. ...I think it's absolutely ridiculous." Tossing in Green Day as pregame performers, Trump told The New York Post, "I'm anti-them. I think it's a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible."

A Change.org petition titled "Replace Bad Bunny with George Strait for the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show" garnered more than 120,000 signatures.

Turning Point USA just announced an "All-American Halftime Show," framed around "faith, family and freedom," with Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett.

Kid Rock said in statement, "We're approaching this show like David and Goliath. Competing with the pro football machine and a global pop superstar is almost impossible, or is it? He said he's having a dance party — wearing a dress and singing in Spanish. Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the choice, saying, "He's one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world. That's what we try to achieve." He added, "I don't think we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism."

Jennifer Lopez joined Bad Bunny fans in celebrating the moment, telling "The Today Show" in October, "I'm so excited for him... He puts on a great show. He's an amazing entertainer."

Ken Casey, frontman for punk band Dropkick Murphys, added his two cents, telling Billboard that is Bad Bunny a "true American" and saying, "I had never really listened to Bad Bunny's music, but after his performance in 'Happy Gilmore 2,' I will go to the mat for that guy. God bless him."

Bad Bunny, in his "SNL" monologue, addressed the language barrier issue, saying, "If you didn't understand what I just said, you have four months to learn."

What he might play

Should you want to jump in with both feet and game-prep for Bad Bunny, here are some of the most likely songs on the setlist.

"BAILE INoLVIDABLE": The massive hit from his latest album, built around a salsa groove, is a poetic lament about a romance that may have run its course. "Life is a party that one day ends," he sings, "and you were my unforgettable dance."

"Tití Me Preguntó": Rolling Stone ranked this track from "Un Verano Sin Ti" the best song of 2022. The shapeshifting hit finds Bunny telling his auntie why he can't seem to settle down, flipping between humor and bravado.

"Me porto bonito": This reggaeton club anthem featuring Puerto Rican singer Chencho Corleone is a flirtatious come-on on which Bad Bunny offers, "If you want me to, I'll make you a baby or bring you the plan B."

"I Like It": Cardi B, superstar and girlfriend of New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, would carry the ball here should she walk on for her festive hit deemed the "song of the summer" in 2018.

"DtMF" ("DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS"): This song from the new album, translating to "I should have taken more photos," is a nostalgic look back at good times and good friends in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while also moving positively toward the future.

"Now Bernie has a baby, and Jan has a girl," he sings. "We're no longer about the flashy stuff and chains / We're here for the things that are truly worth it."

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