![]() ![]() While Bad Bunny isn’t a political organizer, he is an amplifier, given his huge platform. It’s significant that the first of these performances was broadcast on Telemundo PR - imagine if, say, ABC had Beyoncé perform on national television for four hours straight. They’re rooted in a long history of direct action and often come with brushes with police. (The courts had declared the work illegal in February, after a year of protests.) These protests aren’t just dancing to good beats, though. In the popular beach town of Rincón, protesters danced to plena while they tore down and cleaned up construction materials abandoned by developers last month. As a response to rising developer tensions, party protests have cropped up from coast to coast as an act of reclamation and dissent. It’s a sentiment Bad Bunny touched on in his song “ El Apagón” (literally: “The Blackout”). This tension comes on top of blackouts, caused by the recent privatization of electricity (rates have increased seven times in the last year alone). Developers are polluting the water and endangering the wildlife. Newcomers are claiming the beaches are private property, when legally all of them are public. But resources for islanders haven’t improved. Years after Hurricane María devastated the island, Puerto Rico now is facing an uptick in gentrification and development, especially from mainland Americans who are receiving a hefty tax break in return. The booking was a sign to outsiders to stay out. ![]() Naturally, a record celebrating the island’s beauty, girls, and resilience should be properly danced to by its people. That was by design the tickets were intended to really only be available to those who live on the island. The $15-$150 tickets weren’t sold online, so folks camped outside for hours. To kick off the tour for his latest album, Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny booked El Choli, San Juan’s largest indoor arena, for three nights straight. No other Latin artist today has reached such global stardom - and, yet, the reggaetón rapper only has eyes for one place: Puerto Rico. Between breaking Spotify records, starring in a new Brad Pitt movie, and getting cast as a Marvel superhero, Bad Bunny’s having a helluva year. ![]()
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