Today, Explained — "Good Bunny" (August 22, 2025)
Podcast by Vox
Host: Sean Rameswaram
Guests: Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (Senior Writer, The Cut), Jerrell Melendez Badillo (Author & Historian, University of Wisconsin)
Episode Overview
This episode of "Today, Explained" delves into how global superstar Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio) has turned Puerto Rico into the epicenter of music and culture this summer with his unprecedented 30-show residency. Instead of taking his talents to major U.S. arenas, Bad Bunny brought the world to his home island, making a cultural, economic, and political statement. The episode explores the meaning and impact of this move for Puerto Rico and for the "crisis generation" of Puerto Ricans, both on the island and in the diaspora.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Spectacle of Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico Residency
Guest: Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (02:06–10:03)
- One of the biggest cultural events: The residency is seen as unprecedented on the island, with the first nine shows reserved exclusively for Puerto Rican residents, requiring in-person ticket purchases.
- Festival Atmosphere: Before the shows, fans enjoyed a street-festival vibe outside El Choli (the arena): food, drinks, hair and makeup stations.
- Embodying Puerto Rican identity: Attendees wore traditional clothing, and the show’s stage design recreated rural Puerto Rico and typical “casitas” (small homes).
- Concert as a Cultural Tapestry:
- Show is divided into four acts: traditional music, acoustic/sad songs, segments with VIP guests, and a climactic salsa section.
- Musical arrangement features genres like Bomba and Plena, linking modern reggaetón to Afro-Caribbean roots.
- Emotional resonance: For diaspora Puerto Ricans, the experience of the show was deeply moving, evoking feelings of pride, grief, belonging, and healing.
- Closing moments: The final songs, especially "La Mudanza," imbued defiance and pride, leaving the audience chanting, "Yo soy boricua, pa’ que tú lo sepas" (“I’m Puerto Rican, just so you know”).
"Closer to God than Bad Bunny, but you can see everything."
— Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (04:36)
"The concert itself is a love letter to Puerto Rico. I think it's also a love letter to our generation of boricuas."
— Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (11:11)
2. Residency as a Political & Cultural Statement
Discussion with Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez & Host (10:03–12:30)
- Refusing to “cross over”: Bad Bunny resists pressure to please an English-speaking audience, instead inviting the world to experience Puerto Rico directly.
- Political overtones: The decision to hold the residency instead of a U.S. tour, and his explicit attention to the island’s colonial status, serve as statements of national pride and resistance.
- Encouragement for the diaspora: The event provided hope and unity for those who have left the island, as well as those who remain.
"It's a declaration he's making, right, that you can be the biggest artist in the world... and you don't have to compromise or change your art... You can just bring everyone to your home and show them what Puerto Rico is about."
— Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (10:31)
3. Bringing History to the Mainstream: Bad Bunny’s Creative Process
Guest: Jerrell Melendez Badillo (15:01–20:39)
- Academic Collaborator: Historian Jerrell Melendez Badillo was approached to embed Puerto Rican history into the album’s visualizers (YouTube videos for each song).
- Extensive historical curation: Each song’s visualizer covers periods from pre-Columbian history to contemporary politics, including colonial governance, surveillance, and Afro-Caribbean musical influence.
- Highlighting overlooked narratives: Punk bands, champion boxer Felix “Tito” Trinidad, the 2004 basketball victory over the U.S., and other slices of Puerto Rican cultural history.
- Personal impact: For Melendez Badillo, seeing his historical writings paired with Bad Bunny’s music served his mission of democratizing knowledge.
"My heart dropped. As you can imagine... They wanted me to write about 40 historical texts of Puerto Rican history and Puerto Rican culture itself."
— Jerrell Melendez Badillo (15:16–16:45)
"He could have kept talking about expensive cars... but he used his platform to amplify Puerto Rican history and Puerto Rican culture."
— Jerrell Melendez Badillo (19:21)
4. Using Pop for Political Awakening & Global Awareness
Conversation with Jerrell Melendez Badillo (20:39–25:03)
- Highlighting colonial reality: Songs such as "La Mudanza" expose issues like U.S. fiscal control over Puerto Rico and the lack of island representation in U.S. governance.
- Inspiring resistance: Music videos and album content emphasize Puerto Rican resilience, resistance, and refusal to be defined solely by colonial status or crisis.
- Reflection of a “crisis generation”: Bad Bunny and his peers have grown up with political turmoil, natural disasters, and economic instability, shaping a more politicized, assertive identity.
"I think that Bat Bunny wanted his listeners to understand the colonial reality of Puerto Rico... [he's] using his platform to highlight the colonial dimension of Puerto Rico to the United States."
— Jerrell Melendez Badillo (21:01)
"We needed an artist in the mainstream to amplify the conversations that are happening around colonialism, displacement, and crisis in Puerto Rico."
— Jerrell Melendez Badillo (24:18)
5. Bad Bunny as “Benito” — A Symbol of Collective Identity
Quick Q&A (25:03–25:50)
- On using “Benito” instead of "Bad Bunny": On the island, calling him by his first name is a symbol of affection, familiarity, and collective uplift. He’s seen not just as a superstar, but as one of their own.
"Benito. I think it's a term of endearment... When we've been in the residency, we're not only celebrating Benito, but it feels as we're celebrating ourselves."
— Jerrell Melendez Badillo (25:18)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On being in the crowd:
“I was in the last, literally the very last row of the top section. Closer to God than Bad Bunny, but you can see everything.”
— Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (04:36) -
On the show’s message:
“The concert itself is a love letter to Puerto Rico. I think it's also a love letter to our generation of boricuas.”
— Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (11:11) -
On artistic defiance and pride:
“No one's gonna take me out of here... there's, like, a level of defiance and, like, pride that comes with that song, and it's very emotional.”
— Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (09:39) -
On generational trauma and healing:
“It just felt like a level of grief that we carry a lot if you are in the diaspora... being there, feeling so at home—I was just like, this is the best thing. And also, I'm so incredibly sad right now.”
— Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez (09:03) -
On the political dimensions of Bad Bunny’s music:
“The record is very political, even in the soundscape that it creates. Mixing plena, salsa, all these sort of Caribbean rhythms. It was mind blowing.”
— Jerrell Melendez Badillo (19:04) -
On shifting global narratives:
“You have the biggest star in the world using his platform to amplify Puerto Rican history and Puerto Rican culture.”
— Jerrell Melendez Badillo (20:09)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 02:06–10:03 – Andrea Gonzalez Ramirez recounts her experience at the residency and the cultural significance.
- 10:03–12:30 – Discussion of the residency’s meaning for Puerto Rico, politics, and diaspora.
- 15:01–20:39 – Jerrell Melendez Badillo explains collaborating with Bad Bunny and the album’s historical content.
- 20:39–25:03 – Politics of Bad Bunny’s music, the “crisis generation,” and increasing political consciousness.
- 25:03–25:50 – Emotional and communal connection to Bad Bunny (“Benito”).
Conclusion
"Good Bunny" captures how Bad Bunny’s artistic choices transcend music and entertainment, engaging with deep questions of identity, history, pride, grief, and resistance. His Puerto Rico residency becomes a site for both celebration and political awakening, reaffirming the island’s place in the world—and in the hearts of its people.