Unabridged: Bad Bunny Bowl with Vanessa Díaz & Petra Rivera-Rideau

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Stacks — Unabridged: Bad Bunny Bowl with Vanessa Díaz & Petra Rivera-Rideau
Host: Traci Thomas
Guests: Vanessa Díaz & Petra Rivera-Rideau
Date: February 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this special Unabridged episode of The Stacks, host Traci Thomas is joined by scholars/authors Vanessa Díaz and Petra Rivera-Rideau for an in-depth breakdown of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. The trio explores not just the music and spectacle, but the deep-rooted political and cultural messages woven into the performance. The discussion draws heavily from Díaz and Rivera-Rideau's new book, Pay Fucking Array: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance, illuminating how art, identity, and activism collide on one of the world’s biggest stages.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Anticipation: What Did They Expect? [03:12–04:50]

• Bad Bunny’s Trademark Messaging

  • Vanessa expected complexity and “lots of messages,” saying,
    “Bad Bunny is like the master at getting lots of messages into everything he does...I got everything I thought was possible and way more. Way more.” [03:40–04:06]
  • Petra echoed this, anticipating “some kind of...platform to say something,” but was nonetheless surprised by some elements.

• Family Traditions & Song Predictions

  • Petra shares her family makes “family set lists” ahead of big performances, noting her kids “definitely won” this year.

Symbols of Resistance: The Puerto Rican Flag [05:06–09:34]

• The Light Blue vs Dark Blue Flag

  • Vanessa explains the flag’s history,
    “The most common flag that's known as the Puerto Rican flag...has a sky blue...triangle that actually was created to be the inverse of the Cuban flag.” [05:27–06:19]
  • The appearance of the light blue flag signifies support for Puerto Rican independence and is a deliberate political gesture.

• U.S. Colonialism and Suppression

  • Petra succinctly contextualizes,
    “You’ll also see a Puerto Rican flag with a dark blue triangle that is meant to match the dark blue color used in the US Flag...This is a shift as a result of US Colonialism.” [06:19–06:51]
  • The “Gag Law” made it illegal to display the Puerto Rican flag (even at home) from 1948-1957, highlighting decades of repressed identity and activism. As Vanessa emphasizes,
    “You couldn't even have the flag in your home.” [07:19]

• Citizenship without Equal Rights

  • Petra discusses the legal ambiguity and inequality faced by Puerto Ricans:
    “...if you live in Puerto Rico, you don't have any voting representation in Congress. You can't vote for president, but you can be drafted...you can receive certain federal benefits, but at a lower scale than if you lived in the mainland U.S.” [08:05–08:37]
  • She further notes,
    “...people don't realize that Cointelpro, the first group they were surveilling, were Puerto Rican independence activists...using those tactics of surveillance to go after groups we often think of.” [08:37–09:18]

The Setlist: Surprises and Omissions [09:34–11:48]

• Which Songs Missed the Cut?

  • Petra was surprised that I Like It didn’t make the setlist, given its importance in Bad Bunny’s career:
    “I was pretty convinced he would do I Like It. Whether or not Cardi B were there...That was a really major song.” [09:46–10:13]
  • Traci had expected Cardi B or J Balvin to join, revealing the audience's high hopes for certain collaborations. [10:18–10:27]

• Spotlight on Other Artists

  • Vanessa expected Young Miko, a young queer Puerto Rican artist, to perform; instead, they got “an older, queer Puerto Rican artist in Ricky Martin.” [10:44–11:02]
  • She thought explicit songs like Safaera would be left out, but was shocked when it made the cut:
    “I had told myself, there's no way he's going to do Safaera because it’s so explicit. ...And then when he started doing Safaera, I was like, you did it?” [11:10–11:33]

• Personal Favorites

  • Traci had hoped for Ojitos Lindos or Nevadita, acknowledging these aren’t typical Super Bowl tracks but expressing personal affection for those songs. [11:34–11:48]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Vanessa on Bad Bunny’s political artistry:
  “Bad Bunny is like the master at getting lots of messages into everything he does.” [03:40]

• Petra on the symbolism of the flag:
  “For Bad Bunny to have the light blue flag is really critical.” [06:19]

• Vanessa on the tension of U.S. colonialism:
  “They thought, oh, the US is this young nation. They're gonna liberate us. And they were like, actually, no, we're just gonna keep you in perpetual colonialism and also, like, take away every liberty you ever thought you might have. So, yeah, including your flag.” [07:33–07:51]

• Petra on American citizenship for Puerto Ricans:
  “Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917. But the citizenship...is not the same.” [08:05]

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Timestamps of Major Segments

• [00:00–03:12] — Intro, Guest Welcome, Book Release Context
• [03:12–04:50] — Initial Expectations for the Show & The Family Set List
• [05:06–09:34] — The Puerto Rican Flag: History, Suppression, Colonialism
• [09:34–11:48] — Setlist Surprises, Guest Performers, and Song Choices

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Tone & Style

The conversation is lively, bookish, and witty—infused with deep knowledge and personal anecdotes. The hosts and guests blend scholarly insight with a fan’s love, keeping the discussion meaningful yet relatable and energetic.

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For further details, readers are encouraged to visit the guests’ new book and the podcast’s website. The full discussion (exclusive to paid subscribers) promises even more analysis of culture, resistance, music, and Bad Bunny’s global impact.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody, it is me, Tracy Thomas, host of the Stacks. I'm here again with another episode of the Stacks Unabridged, which is our bonus episode that is exclusive to Patreon and Substack paid subscribers. I am thrilled. Today we are bringing it back. We are doing another super bowl halftime show Breakdown. This year, of course, we are talking about that dude, Bad Bunny. We are talking about the performance, the politics, the beauty, the whole thing from start to finish. And this year, I have brought in two incredible women to help me break it all down. I am joined by Vanessa Diaz and Petra Rivera Rideau. They are the authors behind the brand new book, Pay Fucking Array. How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance. They are also both professors who teach courses on Bad Bunny. So we are going to be getting into the esthetic, into the polit, to every single reference. I cannot wait for you to hear this episode. Yes, it is long, but baby, it is good. Now, if you're listening to this episode and you get about 10, 15 minutes in and it cuts out, that means you're not a paid subscriber to the [e-mail] the stacks or a paid subscriber to my newsletter at Tracy Thomas substack.com so if you want to hear all this Bad Bunny brilliance, you gotta join now. Plus, you get a bunch of other perks when you join, so you should just do it. Honestly though, it is worth it just for this episode. All right, it's time to dive in. Me, Vanessa, Petra, and of course, our boy, Benito. Okay, everybody, it is our second annual Super Bowl Breakdown podcast bonus episode for the Benito Bowl. This year, I am joined by two academics who wrote the literal book on Bad Bunny and politics. The book is called Pay Effin. I don't. How do you. Actually, you guys should say it because it's like pay.

[B]

Yeah, right, Exactly.

[A]

Pay, Eric. Okay, there's a subtitle. It's how Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance. The authors and my guests today are Vanessa Diaz and Petra Rivera Rideau. Ladies, welcome to the Stacks.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

We're super excited.

[A]

You guys have had a. Had a busy week between. The book came out on January 27th. The Grammys were that next weekend we got the Super Bowl. Who is more tired, you two or Bad Bunny?

[C]

It's close.

[B]

It's very close.

[A]

Doing any media. So I think you guys.

[B]

I mean, I think because I have twin 4 year olds and. And I'm also teaching that. I mean, I am.

[C]

It's probably us you're right. Okay.

[A]

That's right. That's right. I tend to believe that. Okay, we're going to dive right in. We're going to talk about the show. I think the best way to do it is sort of high level. We got 13 and a half or so minutes of a performance going into the night. What did you think you were going to get? And did you get what you thought you were going to get?

[C]

Who.

[B]

Going into it? I knew that we were going to get messages because Bad Bunny is like the master at getting lots of messages into everything he does. So I knew we were going to get them. Didn't know what they were going to be or kind of how intense it would be. And I got everything that I thought was possible and way more. Way more.

[A]

Okay. What about you, Petra?

[C]

I also thought there was going to be some kind of, you know, he's like. We talk about in our book. Like, he always uses his platform to say something. But there were a lot of surprises. To me, one of the funny things is that in my family, So I have two children. They're 9 and 12, and they love Kendrick and they also love Bad Bunny. So both of these years we've done family set lists, like, what is he gonna play? And I definitely lost because my son had, like, lo ke. And I was like, there's no way. It's slow. Like, that's like. Like, there's.

[A]

I don't know.

[C]

And yeah, they really. My kids definitely won this year, which is sort of funny. So they were. I was really surprised and I, you know, there were certain things I knew we were going to see. I knew we were going to see the Puerto Rican flag a lot. You know.

[A]

Did you know we were going to see the light blue one?

[C]

That was my assumption, yeah.

[A]

Okay. Can you tell? Sorry, you guys, should I read the book, but people maybe haven't yet. Will you tell folks about the light blue versus the dark blue Puerto Rican flag?

[C]

Sure.

[B]

I can start. There's a lot to say.

[C]

So.

[B]

Prior to US Occupation of Puerto Rico, there are actually multiple Puerto Rican flags. But the kind of most common flag that's known as the Puerto Rican flag that now represents independence, it looks the same as the one that's their official flag that has the dark blue, but it has a sky blue, or as Bad Bunny refers to it in his songs Azul Clarito. So, like a light blue triangle that actually was created to be the inverse of the Cuban flag. There's a lot of, like, overlap in collaboration between Cuba and Puerto Rico. And so the inverse is the sky blue stripes with the red triangle in Cuba. Puerto Rico is the light blue triangle and the. And the red stripes. Then, Petra, I don't know if you want to jump in with the gag law. And then the change of colors.

[C]

Yeah. So I think we should just say like, the change of colors. Right. Like, so you'll also see a Puerto Rican flag with a dark blue triangle that is meant to match the dark blue color used in the US Flag. Right. And this is a shift as a result of US Colonialism. Right. So I think for bad money to have the light blue flag is really critical. It is not necessarily the independence flag of Puerto Rico, but it is a widely recognized symbol of, you know, supporting independence. And then the other thing about the flag is, you know, at some point, right. The United States takes over puerto Rico in 1898. The gag law is the law that existed from 1948 to 1957 that made it illegal to express anything supporting the independence movement and including owning. On displaying a Puerto Rican flag.

[B]

Even in your own home. You couldn't even have the flag in your home.

[A]

So having the flag, America had a First Amendment. What am I missing? Like, it's just the logic is, like, it does well.

[B]

And that's, I mean, that's like the whole tension with like, the history of Puerto Rico is that like, they thought, oh, the US Is this young nation. They're gonna liberate us. And they were like, actually, no, we're just gonna keep you in perpetual colonialism and also, like, take away every liberty you ever thought you might have. So, yeah, including your flag. Including your flag.

[A]

So including your baby blue flag that, like, honestly, it's not a big deal.

[B]

And then the rebranding happens within the context of the gag law. So 1950, when we see the dark blue triangle emerge and then the end of the gag law.

[C]

But I think your point, Tracy, about the First Amendment is really important, Right. Because Puerto ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917. But the citizenship of Puerto Ricans is not the same. Right. And so if you live in Puerto Rico, you don't have any voting representation in Congress. You can't vote for president, but you can be drafted right into the military. You can receive certain federal benefits, but at a lower scale than if you lived in the mainland U.S. so I think that's important because there's a discussion in, you know, Puerto Rico gets its own Constitution in 1952, but the US Constitution supersedes everything in the Puerto Rican Constitution. Yeah. And then, and then Ostensibly, that means you should have free speech, right? Because that's part of our. Our rights as US Citizens. And yet, like, people don't realize that, like, cointelpro was the first group they were surveilling were Puerto Rican independence activists. And then, you know, using those tactics of surveillance to go after the groups that we often think of, like the Black Panther Party and things like that. So I think it's an interest. It's an important question because it's kind of like we are in this moment where we have free speech, but then, like, people are, like, not really having free speech. But in Puerto Rico, that's been the reality for a really long time, you know?

[A]

So. Okay, so you knew that there was going to Be the Flag. What songs did you think he would play that he didn't play? What was on your list, Petra, that you were like? Oh, for sure.

[C]

I was pretty convinced he would do I Like it. Whether or not Cardi B were there. Like, I. I didn't. I wasn't necessarily convinced Cardi B. Would be a guest, but I was convinced he would do I Like It. That was a really major song in his career.

[B]

This is the New Religion bank and Latino Gang.

[A]

And then when you saw her, weren't you like, it's gonna happen?

[C]

No, because as soon as I saw her in the casita, I was like, okay, she's not coming on the stage.

[A]

Oh, see, I thought it was gonna be like, she was gonna be like, yeah, baby. You know, she's gonna, like, bust out. I also knew that J. Balvin was up there for the super bowl, like, I'd seen him on, so. And I was like, oh, it's happening. Like, we're gonna get the moment. Yeah. What else? Anything else, Vanessa, that you thought for sure.

[B]

I actually really thought that Young Mikko was gonna perform with him, but she was in the casita as well. But I knew she was up there, and I. I. What I did know was I was like, he's gonna showcase some young Puerto Rican artists or a queer artist. And so, like, instead, we got an older, queer Puerto Rican artist than Ricky Martin. But I. But I. So I thought. I thought young Mikko, like, I. I mean, to be honest, like, the reason I was like, I don't know about that song is because that's a really explicit song. But also, I had. I had told myself, there's no way he's going to do Safaera because it's so explicit. There's no way he could do it. And then when he started doing Safaera, I was like, you did it? Like how? Like, oh my gosh. Like, once he started Safa, I was like, all bets are off. He could do anything at this point.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I'm an unvaranos and tea person. I just love the album. So I was really hoping we were going to get, like, Ojitos Lindo or like, I just. Or like Nevadita. Like, I just love those songs. I know they're not super bowl songs, but I also thought maybe we get this. Pues de la Playa.

[C]

Yeah, that's another one I was surprised that we didn't hear, actually.

[A]

All right, that's it. If you want more of this episode of the Stacks on a Bridge, you must join the Stacks Pack on Patreon by going to patreon.com the stacks or subscribe to my newsletter unstacked at Tracy Thomas substack.com and remember, by joining either of those places, you make it possible for me to make the Stacks every single week free to all. Thank you so much for your support and we will see you in the stacks.

[D]

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