A brief overview
Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican pop star, is shattering records and transforming the cultural scene with his music and activism. In 2025, he was the most-streamed artist on Spotify, beating out even Drake and Taylor Swift with a mind-boggling 19.8 billion streams. It’s the fourth year in a row he’s topped the list, cementing his status as one of the most impactful artists in the world. It’s even more surprising in light of the fact that he achieved this success with only songs in the Spanish language and not being the most popular artist in the U.S. or UK charts, where he was topped by Taylor Swift.
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The formula for his success? It’s clearly his musical gift, but also his skill at fusing world music with strong politics. Had the world not yet discovered him, the best personification of the main trends in contemporary pop culture, both the globally oriented and the individualist ones, would certainly be the Puerto Rican performer himself. Unlike the previous generation of Latin celebrities, such as Pitbull or Shakira, who managed to gain entrance to the large audience speaking English, even his rise was very much influenced by his ability to remain true to his roots by singing exclusively in Spanish, promoting the “reggaeton,” a type of Latin party music.
Bad Bunny’s reach goes beyond the realm of music. He has been a strong voice for various societal causes, whether it’s the relationship between Puerto Rico and the USA, the rights of the transgender community, or when he publicly showed support for Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election in the USA.
His fashion sense, which has been all over the spectrum, ranging from nail polish to fluid fashion, secures his position in the progressive hall of fame. Apart from his successful musical career, he has been a part of Saturday Night Live, has starred in huge box-office hits such as Bullet Train and Happy Gilmore 2, and has even been part of WWE wrestling.
Bad Bunny: The Politically Engaged Artist
The music of Bad Bunny is deeply rooted in his political ideologies. The album Debí Tirar Más Fotos (“I Should Have Taken More Pictures”) in 2025 reflects the social and political issues occurring within Puerto Rico. This song combines traditional Puerto Rican genres such as jibaro (folk), bomba (African), and plena (a cappella and percussion). This song’s lyrics embody the issues that the Puerto Rican people face. This includes having to move to mainland America because of economic reasons.
Bad Bunny brings to attention that Puerto Rico is an American territory and that they have been dealt with indifference by the American government despite the issues that came with the devastating hurricane episodes of 2017.
His dynamic lyrics point to American exploitation in Puerto Rico and the lack of concern for its people in particular. In “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” he sings, “They want to take me river and me beaches, me neighborhood and for me grandma to leave,” pointing to American exploitation of smaller countries for their resources.
“I will never forget what Donald Trump did or didn’t do when Puerto Rico desperately needed aid and a capable leader,” Bad Bunny wrote in an Instagram post supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. “He abandoned the island, tried to prevent assistance, and offered nothing but paper towels and insults.” Bad Bunny also criticizes former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he blames for a lack of relief that has reached Puerto Rico following the hurricane strikes.
Conclusion: The Power of Protest in Music
The fact that Bad Bunny became a household name around the world is a testament to the democratizing nature of music and its ability to be both a form of art and a form of protest. That he can do this successfully and inspire a generation to do the same, while fighting off the odds and the pressures from figures such as Trump, is a testament to the fact that protesting and success can go together.
