The Super Bowl Halftime Show That Ignited Worldwide X Trends

Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap superstar whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, delivered a groundbreaking performance at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show on February 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. As the first solo Latin artist to headline the event, his all-Spanish set celebrated Puerto Rican culture, queer icons, and historical resilience, blending traditional genres like bomba, plena, and salsa with modern reggaeton beats. The performance, featuring guest appearances and symbolic visuals from Puerto Rico's sugar cane fields, resonated deeply, leading Puerto Rico to pause for 13 minutes of nationwide applause.

This cultural milestone propelled Bad Bunny and Puerto Rico-related topics to the top of worldwide X (formerly Twitter) trending hashtags, sparking millions of posts on identity, colonialism, and global Latin influence. The buzz reflects his evolution from a grocery bagger in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, to a global icon with over 8 billion Spotify streams in past years, now amplified by social media virality.

Academic Research Surge: Bad Bunny Enters University Syllabi and Journals

Higher education institutions worldwide are capitalizing on this momentum, with Bad Bunny becoming a central figure in research publications exploring cultural resistance, gender fluidity, and social media dynamics. Universities from Yale to San Diego State have launched dedicated courses analyzing his lyrics, performances, and impact on Puerto Rican identity amid U.S. colonialism. These programs dissect reggaeton— a genre originating in Puerto Rico in the 1990s, fusing hip-hop, dancehall, and Latin rhythms—as a vehicle for protest against gentrification, machismo, and political corruption.

Recent theses and papers position Bad Bunny as a decolonial activist. For instance, a University of Texas at San Antonio undergraduate study frames him as a contemporary Latinx activist challenging traditional values through reggaeton. Similarly, Pace University's honors thesis examines his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos as anti-colonial protest, linking personal narratives to island-wide struggles post-Hurricane Maria.

Emerson College's Groundbreaking Poll on Music's Social Power

Emerson College Polling's February 2026 survey of 400 Puerto Rico residents provides empirical evidence of Bad Bunny's influence. Conducted November 17-28, 2025, with student involvement, it revealed 85% view gentrification as a serious issue and 94% see gender-based violence as critical. Among listeners, 54% reported positive shifts in gentrification views from his music, and 38% on gender violence. The track "Andrea," inspired by a real femicide, boosted awareness for 69% and sparked discussions for 47%.

Lecturer Owen Eagan noted, "Bad Bunny’s music could play a significant role in creating positive change." This student-led research, including Spanish translation for cultural accuracy, exemplifies hands-on higher ed training. Explore the full findings.

Landmark Book: P FKN R Documents Puerto Rican Resistance

Published January 2026 by Duke University Press, P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance by Vanessa Díaz and Petra R. Rivera-Rideau draws on interviews, ethnography, and discography to trace his role in crises like blackouts and hurricanes. Chapters explore gender politics, non-English global reach, and joy as protest, building on the authors' "Bad Bunny Syllabus." This work solidifies Bad Bunny's place in cultural studies curricula.

Scholars praise its multi-perspective analysis of race, colonialism, and Latino belonging. For academics, it offers models for interdisciplinary research blending musicology, politics, and performance studies.

Challenging Gender Norms: New Journal Insights

A January 2026 Howard Journal of Communications article by Nicholas Uptgrow uses multimodal discourse analysis on Bad Bunny's interviews and videos like "Caro" and "Yo Perreo Sola." Findings highlight themes of gender fluidity, genderlessness, and Black body erasure in masculine genres. This publication underscores reggaeton's evolution as a counter-hegemonic space.

• Fluidity of gender expression through fashion and lyrics.
• Critique of hyper-masculinity in Latin trap.
• Promotion of queer inclusivity in Puerto Rican contexts.

UCSD and Beyond: Performance Studies Decode Global Appeal

UC San Diego's Jade Power-Sotomayor, in forthcoming book ¡Habla! Speaking Bodies and Dancing Our América, analyzes Bad Bunny's choreography as decolonial storytelling—waist movements blending tradition and experimentation. His Super Bowl set, she argues, affirms Puerto Rican history against erasure.

Similar insights emerge from events like UCSD's February 5, 2026, panel with Vanessa Diaz, tying his Grammy-winning album to Afro-Caribbean survival.

Singapore's Higher Ed Lens: Pop Culture and Media Research Hubs

In Singapore, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS) lead in media and cultural studies, hosting the 2026 International Conference on Communication & Media Studies at NTU. While no Bad Bunny-specific papers yet, programs examine global pop trends via East Asian analogies, like K-pop's social impact. NUS Asia Research Institute's workshops on pop culture evolution provide frameworks for studying reggaeton's viral spread.

The Digital 2026: Singapore report highlights social media's role in trends, positioning local scholars to analyze celebrity-driven hashtags. Researchers here blend digital humanities with global musicology, offering career paths in research assistant jobs.

Key Recent Research Publications: A Timeline

This table illustrates the rapid publication pace, driven by real-time cultural events.

Career Opportunities in Emerging Fields

The Bad Bunny phenomenon opens doors in higher ed for cultural researchers, media analysts, and lecturers. Explore lecturer jobs or academic CV tips to enter this vibrant space. Singapore's tech-savvy unis seek experts in social media analytics, ideal for dissecting X trends.

Future Trends: Conferences, Theses, and Global Collaborations

Expect more at 2026 conferences like NTU's media summit and Google Scholar citations rising. Balanced views from stakeholders—artists, politicians, fans—promise nuanced studies on digital celebrity, with actionable insights for policy on cultural preservation. For professors, rate experiences on Rate My Professor.