Bad Bunny's Historic Halftime Show: Exploring Latino Identity and Culture

Bad Bunny fan or not, one cannot deny the electricity his Super Bowl Halftime performance produced. The discourse and backlash were intense and disappointing, but nevertheless, latino’s rejoiced. In a political moment shaped by immigration crackdowns, ICE raids, protests, and rising conversations about identity, watching one of the world’s biggest stages center Spanish language, Latino culture, and unapologetic pride was powerful in a way that is hard to explain unless you felt it too.

Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, much like his music, is so much more than the “perreo.” It was drenched in symbolism, and even a real-life wedding. It encompasses Puerto Rican history, culture, and politics, and sparks conversations that frankly do need to be part of U.S discourse. 

Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory since 1898, following the Spanish-American War. In the Halftime performance, Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin came out singing “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” a song that urges islanders to avoid the path Hawaii took when it pursued U.S. statehood in 1959. Like Puerto Rico, Hawaii came under U.S. rule in 1898, and both places have long grappled with gentrification and the steady replacement of local communities by wealthy outsiders. The inclusion of this song highlighted ongoing conversations about colonial history. 

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (Bad Bunny) refused to translate himself. He didn’t soften his culture for the comfort of spectators. He sang and spoke only in Spanish, reminding millions of Latinos across the United States that our language, our stories, and our presence belong in the mainstream. People often forget that when people say “America,” they are not exclusively speaking about the United States. America includes North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and all of South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezulea, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Cuba, Republica Dominicana, Haiti, Mexico, United States & Canada. 

Today, Latinos are one of the largest and fastest-growing communities in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 68 million people in the country identify as Hispanic or Latino. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States, with over 41 million native speakers and millions mor who speak it fluently or culturally.

And yet, Latino voices are underrepresented in mainstream media and major stages. That is why moments like this halftime performance matter so deeply. In honor of this momentous Super Bowl Halftime show, we would like to highlight our Spanish-language YouTube channel, El Archivo, which features titles of Latin American and Hispanic origin and offers Spanish-dubbed content. 

Here are some of the titles available on El Archivo and others that are soon to be restored and available through Multicom: 

Meet My Abuela explores something deeply familiar across Latino families: love, tradition, and the sacred role of the Abuela. Eight Latino and Latina young adults seek relationship advice and blessings from the most important matriarch in their lives. This is a heartfelt look at Latino family dynamics with plenty of humor. 

Gipsy Kings Live at Kenwood House brings the global influence of flamenco to the screen. For more than three decades, the Gipsy Kings have carried Spanish-language music across borders and generations. This high-definition performance captures their iconic sound, passion, and cultural legacy in one unforgettable concert experience.

Musica Cubana captures the spirit of Cuban rhythm!

Following the smash success of Buena Vista Social Club (1999), the acclaimed documentary celebrating the legacy of Cuban music, German filmmaker Wim Wenders served as executive producer on the follow-up documentary Música Cubana (2004), recently acquired by Multicom Entertainment.

Directed by German Kral, the film follows octogenarian singer Pío Leiva, an iconic Cuban performer whose talent —and infectious humor—made him a central figure in the Golden Age of Cuban music.

Blending a scripted narrative with real-life personalities, Pío sets out to create a band named The Sons of Cuba, bringing together a younger generation of rising performers, including Osdalgia Lesmes, Telemari Díaz, Pedro “El Nene” Lugo Martínez, Mario Mayito Rivera, Luis Frank Arias, and Tirso Duarte. 

The film serves as a time capsule of an island whose rich musical traditions—deeply rooted in African rhythms—gave rise to the genres later marketed in the United States under the umbrella of salsa.

Musica Cubana: Live from Tokyo (2007), is a companion piece to the original film, that documents the band’s performance in Japan.

Both titles are currently being remastered for U.S. distribution. In the case of Música Cubana (2004), our archive team has inventoried, inspected, cleaned, and scanned the best available film elements in preparation for digital clean-up and color correction by our in-house restoration specialist.

If there is one big takeaway from Bad Bunny’s performance is that ending with the words “Together We Are America,” he challenged the notion that one must choose between being Puerto Rican and being American. It was also an invitation for the nation to embrace the values of Latino culture, which emphasize inclusivity, connection through music and dance, deep reverence for family and community, and the belief that we are always stronger together. 

The only thing stronger than hate is love.

Looking for even more ways to watch and enjoy excellent movies & TV series?!? Head on over to YouTube and subscribe to Grapevine Documentaries, Multicom Entertainment, and TheArchive. These channels are dedicated to aficionados and lovers of cinema. You’ll find rare, retro, and restored films and TV, ranging from indies and series to Oscar-winning docs, unearthed MOWs, a killer horror library, and MORE!  

TheArchive channel is dedicated to aficionados and lovers of story, craft, and silver screen fun – streaming rare, retro, and restored films and classic TV. From indies and series to Oscar-winning documentaries, unearthed MOWs, and a killer horror library, TheArchive delivers forgotten, never-before-seen gems for free and many in 4K. Marilyn, Karloff, and Orson Welles stream alongside Reese, Keanu, and Samuel L. Jackson. Find true stories of Queen, Hendrix, and Sinatra, an LGBTQ library, MLK bios, and world history docs. TheArchive has the movies and shows you either saw, should’ve seen, or should be watching now!