March 1, 2023 • 30 mins
In our second episode, we continue with Bad Bunny and examine how his career is intertwined with his passion for his homeland, Puerto Rico. How the events of Hurricane Maria led him to put a pause on his career and endeared him to the island like never before. Then we show the mental toll that Bad Bunny’s advocacy for his island and for causes close to him takes, and the bravery Bad Bunny showed by deciding to stop it all so that he could regain his inner peace.
Lilliana Vázquez and Joseph Carrillo are the hosts of Becoming an Icon with production support by Juan Carlos Arenado, Josie Meléndez, Daniela Sarquis, and Santiago Sierra of Sonoro Media in partnership with iHeart Radio's My Cultura Podcast network. If you want to support the podcast, please rate and review our show.
Follow Lilliana Vázquez on Instagram and Twitter @lillianavazquez
Follow Joseph Carrillo on Instagram @josephcarrillo
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is becoming an icon. Last episode, we told you
all about Bad Bunny and his journey to superstardom, how
he made his way from a small town in Puerto
Rico to SoundCloud to one of the hottest collaborators in
the music industry. Homeboy spread his wings and were featured
on one of the best summer songs of all time.
(00:24):
According to me, I was gonna say, where did you
fact check that? Joseph think just me? I like it
with Cardi b and Jay Balvin had taken Bad Bunny's
career to new heights and beneath them, well, he was
determined to stay there. He rushed to release his debut
album Porcimp before the year was out, and jumped on
(00:44):
collabs with some of the hottest stars in the world.
I'm talking Jlo Maluma. Bad Bunny was not throwing away
his Joseph. Yeah, we don't have Clarence for him on songs.
Oh okay, Well then he wasn't going to lose himself
(01:05):
in the moment. Oh yeah, you know what, we can't
afford eminem either, Like can I just okay, just sin
because we're gonna tell you all about Bad Bunny's career
it was on the rise, and he was on the
verge of kicking off a cultural renaissance. But before the
world heard him Ryme with Cardi b his beloved island
(01:27):
faced a challenge it hadn't seen in generations, and Bad
Bunny put everything in Boosa. I'm your host, Liliana Vaskaz
and I'm Joseph Carrillo and this is Becoming an Icon
a weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on
how today's most famous Latin X stars have shaped pop
(01:48):
culture and given the world some expressable Sit back and
get comfortable because we are going in the only way
we know how. With Buena has resays, sound cheese and
a lot of opinions as we relive their greatest achievements
on our journey to find out what makes them so icon.
(02:09):
It quick trigger warning. We can't talk about bad money
and not mention how a hurricane Madia halted his world domination.
So it's going to get a little emo up in here.
But just for a minute, Hey, not to worry. I
(02:29):
brought the tissues. As you're trusted host, we do have
a responsibility to tell you everything that makes these artists icons,
and this is important. But afterwards, Can we take a
betil break and shake that ass. There's always time for that.
The bond between Beneathal and Puerto Rico runs deep. In
(02:51):
an interview with Apple Music, he said this, I keep
making music from here to the walls. I just want
people to feel like they're really here on the island
in the Caribbean. The best part of all my accomplishments
is when people say, yo, but he's from Puerto Rico.
I just want people to understand that you can be
from Puerto Rico and be a star. This bond was
on display like never before when Hurricane Maria made landfall
(03:15):
in twenty seventeen. Well, the rest of the world kept going.
Life on the island stopped for everyone, three point four
million people with no electricity. Now I still get goosebumps
thinking about Hurricane Maria. Joseph, where were you when you
(03:36):
heard the news? Well, actually I was back in New York,
but I had just been to Puerto Rico, like the
last week of August, and I was seeing all of
this stuff on the news. It was just sad because
I was there, seeing how beautiful it was and seeing
what happened is nuts. Think about how many people on
the island aren't going to have electricity and don't have generators.
(03:57):
This wasn't something that affected a small population. The entire
island was impacted by what happened. And the second I
found out, I just went into action. I'm lucky enough
to work with an incredible board in New York City.
I'm on the board of Montfeur Hospital, and the second
they heard of what happened, of course, the doctors in
Puerto Rico that they're connected to because they have a
(04:19):
huge presence in the Bronx, reached out and they actually
had access to about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars
in a cash grant, and that grant had not been
distributed yet, and so we created an emergency fund and
basically petitioned the Greater Hospital Network of New York City
to redistribute that grant money to Puerto Rico. I still
(04:40):
feel the impact today, Like when I talked to my
uncle's they still talk about it hasn't gone away. It
just brought to light the disparity that exists for these
Americans because we are Americans living on this island. So
it was big, it was scary, it was heavy, and
it was just so sad. You know, when you think
about the impact of the storm, it's a Category story four.
(05:01):
Winds were sustained at one hundred and fifty five miles
per hour. This entire storm washes over Puerto Rico on
September twentieth, twenty seventeen, and bam, the entire electrical grid
completely collapsed. That means that one hundred percent of the
island was without electricity. We go without power in New
York for three minutes and people lose their fucking minds gone,
(05:25):
it's like my fridge, my air conditioning. Well, it's not
three minutes. The island was without electricity or months. There
was no access to clean water, Food was scarce and limited.
People had to cross rivers just to buy water and gas.
People were spending five to six hours of their day
(05:47):
in lining gas stations just to fill up their cars
or get gasoline for all of the generators. A study
by Harvard would later determine that the total number of
Puerto Rican's lost during Hurricane Marie was over four thousand,
six hundred and forty five people. It was the worst
storm to hit Puerto Rico in over eighty years. The
(06:10):
people of Puerto Rico would never forget, and neither has
been Nito. On the one year anniversary of Maria, he
went on to Jimmy Fallon to perform his song Estellas
fian But more than that, he told a story, which
isn't that kind of what artists are supposed to do.
They tell their stories through their music, and that night,
(06:32):
I feel like he chose to tell his a different way,
through his language and his imagery. And for me it
was even more powerful because he opened that performance with
that monologue in English. If you remember, Bad Bunny doesn't
often speak in English. He usually prefers to speak in Spanish.
But that night his message was so important that he
(06:52):
wanted everyone watching across the United States to hear exactly
what his message was. We're looking at you, Nebraska or
my homestate, Texas, pick your poison. He also continued the
strength of his message with that video because a lot
of the images that most people had seen from Maria
were devastating, but on Jimmy Fallon, he was showing us
(07:15):
the real Puerto Rico, the joy that lives on that island.
Look at the people, Look how beautiful and how strong
and resilient. We are, and that's exactly what those images proved.
He was just showing proof of you know what, we
are doing good. But months later, Benito was still pissed,
so pissed that Benito came out wearing a shirt that said,
(07:39):
I mean a literal virtual slable And it was all
because Trump was in a Twitter feud with the mayor
of San Juan. That's giving petty. Trump is giving petty.
But like I would wear that shirt. I wear label
stuff all the time. I have a shirt that says,
f I think I love you. You're making a statement
here and I'm here for it. Benito often crosses that
(08:01):
line between artists and activists, and it's what we love
about him, because when you care so deeply about an issue,
how do you pretend it just doesn't exist. He had
taken a break from performing and social media to focus
on his mental health, but now that he was in
a good place, it was time for some hits. So
(08:23):
let's reset. It's late summer twenty eighteen and Bad Bunny
just stepped off the stage at the tonight show. I
like it is dominating. The chart is almost bien is
an anthem in Puerto Rico. The next obvious step was
that album. I mean, he was collaborating with major players
like Drake and j lo um Babes. Where is the
(08:46):
freaking album? Well, clearly hiding out with rerease album Don't
Get Me started. On December twenty third, Eljolo tweeted that
he would be dropping an album that night. Yes, the
Bad Bunny who stole Christmas. Think like buy Mariah. All
(09:08):
I want for Christmas is Benito exactly. Santa had to
take a backseat to Benito because the entire holiday season
suddenly became all about him. Florimbut was everywhere and it's
now become somewhat of a Christmas tradition on the island,
you know, jingle bells and when Bad Bunny drops a
(09:32):
new album, you can't go anywhere without three or four
cars in the same vicinity, the last in that shit
and on repeat. But here's the craziest part about this
entire album. It had absolutely zero advanced marketing. One day
out of nowhere, all of these eye catching billboards just
(09:55):
went up around Puerto Rico. All they said was Bad
Bunny Orde and of course the iconic eye from the
cover art of the album, which would later become a
fashion signature for the singer. Honestly, I don't think anybody
knew what it was. There was no context, there was
(10:16):
no advance warning. When you saw the Bad Bunny, which
was meant to look like fire burning, right, then you
see the eye and then you have your X one
zero zero pr That shit could be anything. But also
another thing about the billboards that they were only going
around in Puerto Rico. Yeah, it gives you a window
(10:37):
into how beneath the prioritizes his success right exactly, He's
not interested in global superstardom. What he wanted and what
he's always wanted was to make music that represented his island.
And that music is made for Puerto Ricans, right, And
that's just what made it so like organic. Yes, because
(11:00):
while the whole world loves that sound and loves that music,
he did it for his island. He did it for
his Buddhai. So the fact that he focused on very
little promotion just on puer Rico, it really gives you
insight into who he is. All of this was really
kind of an experiment. Bad Bunny said that he wanted
to create something that played with different genres and sounds.
(11:23):
He mixed grunge punk rock with Dembo to create a
totally unique sound. He says that people had tried to
change his concept of what music is, that music is work,
but it's not like that, and he says that in
this album, I said no, I need to do something
that fulfills me and makes me happy. Benico was finally
(11:44):
making the music he wanted to make, but he wasn't
done experimenting, and for his next project, he needed his
partner in crime, his Colombian counterpart, his minister in this
new religion, Bang Bang. On June twenty eight, twenty nineteen,
(12:07):
Bad Bunny released Oasses, an eight track collaborative album with
Jose Alvaro Osorio Baldwin, also known as Jay Balvin. The
two artists met during Bad Bunny's SoundCloud era back in
twenty sixteen. So Jay Balvin was visiting Puerto Rico for
a show at Choli when DJ Luian, already confident in
Bad Bunny as an artist, introduced the two. So on
(12:30):
March third, twenty seventeen, they released Citola Mister and Mister
Stelio Girl Up in Here. The song entered the Hot
Latin Songs Start at number fourteen. It also went on
to earn the two artists a Latin Grammy nomination for
Best Urban Fusion Performance. This video is also such a
(12:50):
great starting point for the evolution of Bad Bunny and
Jay Balvin's personal style. When I've watched the video, I
feel like we were getting like a baby bad Bunny,
like a baby Bunny. There was no denying the chemistry
between Bad Bunny and Jay Balvin, and this was just
(13:11):
the beginning of a beautiful friendship and a string of hits.
Like big hits. The two of them went on to
collab on more tracks like since Bali that with Prince Royce,
I have to say it Royce, and of course I
like it with Cardi B. By the way, I'm still
so fucking angry that Bad Bunny did not hop on
(13:33):
stage at MSG went outside Joy Balvin, that's not cool.
Jay Balvin hinted at a possible album with the Puerto
Rican rapper. Balvin shared, he likes what I like, and
he's all about the culture and he's super humble. I
just love him and I love what he does, and
of course I would love to have him an album
like that. Bad Bunny shared about the album we've been
(13:56):
working on it for a long time and finally we
found its moment. Working with Jay Balvin has undoubtedly been
an unparalleled experience. I've always admired and respected him a lot,
and we have an excellent vibe throughout this whole process.
And by the way, when you hear him say this
in Spanish, it's way better me translating this English like
no is't not good. He says vivid as like ten times,
it's so bad. Bunny in the Puerto Rican accent is
(14:18):
just so good. And then of course Balvin jumps in
and then here's what he said. I am proud to
say I love that Bunny. We always seem to be
on the same wave limb as he likes what I like.
He's also all about celebrating our culture while remaining super humble.
Working with Beneatho again has been a musical joy. I
am blessed to not only call him my brother, but
(14:38):
now a partner on an album that has even become
a personal oasis. I just love how they really enjoy
each other's company, like you can just tell by what
they're saying like, and this is you know, when people
collaborate in different albums, they don't necessarily speak so highly
about one another, and here that's all they've been doing
the whole time. They have so much fun. When Oasses
(15:02):
came out, I liked it a lot. I thought the
songs were like fire. Now, looking back, I realize how
pivotal and impactful that album actually was. The fact that
we got that album from Jay Balvin and Bad Bunny.
It's like if Taylor Swift and Beyonce did an album
(15:23):
where they were co build together, it's absurd, like it
doesn't happen. So the fact that we had two huge
stars coming together and working together, that is why this
album is just fucking insanity. It is so good. I
listened to this all the time. La Cancion is so
relatable to me. It has that like slow jam vibes
(15:44):
to it. Mmmmmm and how many times have you been there?
Like in your car when like our song with your
Ex comes on and like transports to Joseph is going
through a breakup currently whatever. I'm not even going to
address it, but without a doubt, this collab upped Bad
(16:05):
Bunny's visibility and it also kept Jay Balvin at the
top of the charts. I said this earlier, but the
impact of this album is not something that we understood
in the moment. It's something that we can look back
on now and understand how pivotal it was. And there's
no way that I could sum up how important it is.
(16:25):
So I'm going to defer to Vulture, which wrote this
about Oasis. Oasis marks the first time that a pair
of Latin urbunal stars at the height of their careers
have teamed up for an album designed to shift the
tectonic plates of the global music industry. Beyond that, it's
the official long form union of two titans who have
(16:46):
defied the expectations and confines of Latin artistry by giving
an effective middle finger to the so called Anglo crossover model.
Dam I'm not even done. Yeah, yeah, I'm not even
done done. Let's go back. While some Latin artists have
had to mold their look in music to meet standards
(17:06):
formulated for the Anglo mainstream, I'm getting goosebumps. Bad Bunny
and Baldvin have shown that radically unique esthetics, highlighter colored hair,
painted nails, and eclectic wardrobe choices and sonic innovations sung
entirely in Spanish attract international audiences with magnetic intensity that
they represent different parts of Latin America and the Caribbean
(17:29):
makes Oassi's a broader symbol of Latin unity and evidence
of the role that Latin genres have had in mowing
down music's language and cultural lines. Okay, literally, damn, that's
all we needed to say. That's all. Moving on. Thank
you Vulture, thank you Jay and Bad Bunny. His commitment
(17:53):
to Puerto Rico didn't stop with Hurricane Maria. In twenty nineteen,
Benito dropped everything and went home to march in the
streets with his people. During the Rique Renuncia movement, thousands
and thousands of Puerto Ricans flooded the streets of San
Juan from July eighth to August twelve to Auspricardo Rosseo.
(18:14):
It all started after a series of messages from a
telegram chat between Rosseo and his clique were exposed. In
more than nine hundred pages of messages, the governor and
his inner circle insulted women, members of the LGBTQIA plus community,
including Ricky Martin, and even mocked victims of Hurricane Maria.
(18:36):
People were even calling this Ricky Leaks. It was an
escandalon artists like Bad Bunny Residente and Ricky Martin all
joined the protests in support of their fellow Hinte and
you know, my boy is all about the successes and
Ricky renuncion so Benito could get back to making those beats. Well,
(18:59):
right after a quick stop in Miami for the super Bowl,
like a no big deal. That year's Super Bowl was
in Miami, so you know they had to represent lack Wulguda, Jlo, Shakida,
Jay Balvin, and Bad Bunny. It's going to be insanity, Kane.
(19:21):
When they announced that Shakida and Jaylo were doing the
Super Bowl, I was like, no, what not because they
didn't deserve it, but just because I can't imagine a
bunch of white men at the NFL saying this is
a great idea. But then it was true. It was
Jlo and Chekida and all these other people, so I
(19:41):
couldn't really imagine how they were going to do it. Well,
here's the thing. We've got all the insight on the
Super Bowl when it comes to Shaki and Jlo, but
you're going to have to stay tuned for later episodes.
Let's go back to Bad Bunny because if I remember correctly,
Jay Balvin and Bad Bunny were surprise guests. Usually at
(20:03):
the Super Bowl there's always a surprise in the halftime show. Personally,
I thought it was going to be Pitbull. He's like
the mayor of Miami. He sings the hooks on all
the song and nothing against Pitbull, no shade Pitbull. I
love you, My mom loves you. I thought. At that moment,
I was like, you know what would be so good
is if they brought this current generation's music front and center.
(20:26):
And not that Jlo and Shikida aren't this generation's music,
but they were playing like their old bangers. I wanted
to hear the current bangers. I wanted to hear reggae Thorne.
I wanted to hear Bad Bunny and Jay Balvin. So
can you imagine my delight and surprise when out come
Jay and Bad Bunny. Can we just talk about what
Bad Bunny was wearing, Like, how many hundreds and thousands
(20:48):
of crystals really were on there? The fact that you're
asking me that, thinking that I don't actually know the
exact number as a style expert is pretty amazing. It
had thirteen thousand soroskik He was giving Shakida a run
for her money. He looked a little bit like the
tin Man, not gonna lie stop it. It was a
(21:11):
lot of silver. But the first thing I thought when
I saw his outfit was he's got to be so hot.
I was actually in Miami at the Super Bowl. Now
I didn't actually get to go to the game because
I had to fly home because I had to host
E News at seven am the next day, but I
remember how freaking hot it was in Miami that weekend.
(21:31):
And then there's Bad Bunny in a silver dow rag,
a silver, chunky knit turtleneck with a coat that probably
weighed ten thousand pounds. What a way to go out
with a bang, because that was the last time that
Bad Bunny performed on stage before the pandemic. That's right,
that was pretty much everyone's big last raw before COVID
came to take everything away. So post Super Bowl, Bad
(22:02):
Bunny was writing a big way that crashed right into
the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. On the show, he
hyped up the crowd by revealing the cover art for
y hlq MDLG and announcing it would be released just
two days later. When I said that title, Joseph, did
you catch it? No, I thought there was a glitch
(22:24):
in the matrix because you were just saying all these letters. Well,
apparently it wasn't just you. Jimmy Fallon was also very confused.
And now, of course we all know what it stands
for your Ago lagana. And what's amazing is that Bad
Bunny does this thing where he releases something it's great,
and then he upstages himself with a new project that
(22:45):
makes the old project, while great, look like nad that.
That was the case with your aga. The music was popping,
the video was a lock in. Everything about this era
was poppin and lock in. But something else happened that night.
(23:06):
During the performance of the Noorantez, Benetho paid tribute to
Alexa Negro Muciano, a transgender woman that was stocked and
murdered by three men in Puerto Rico. Singing with such
that night, on stage, Beneito opened his coat to reveal
a message written on his shirt. Mataron Alexa no an
mbre confalda translated to they killed Alexa, not a man
(23:29):
in a skirt. Bad Money made waves again by speaking up.
That's what he does. We don't know. I'm gonna correct
myself it's who he is. Now. Let's get into the album.
If people thought Porciempre was experimental, yhlq MDLG was out
(23:52):
of this world. It was a throwback to parties that
macasin as garage parties for those of you who aren't
in the No yea to and it was filled with
throwbacks to the early auts reggae thone, which of course
means tracks with Daddy, Yankee Joel and Mango Flow, among others.
But what critics loved most about the album was the
(24:13):
musical diversity and its mix of trap, rap and bassa
nova and it was the highest debuting all Spanish album ever.
Think of the impact ever in the history of music.
I don't even know how long they've been keeping musical
records for, however long that is, this all Spanish album
(24:34):
made the highest debut and when you listen to this album,
it's incredible. It's a treat for your ears. The way
that he did all of the videos for the album
are also really part of the impact of the album.
It's almost like the videos have to accompany the songs
and you have to digest the music and the visuals together.
(24:55):
It's art. That's the only way I can really explain it.
It's truly just art. Do you have a favorite song
off the album? I would pick because if you really
dig deep and look at the words about what he's saying,
he always has a message or like a mini story
in each one of these really upbeat songs. So I
think it really sparks an amazing conversation if you're really
(25:16):
into music like that to address mental health or your emotions.
I think a lot of times when people if you
don't know Bad Bunny or you're not understanding the lyrics,
you're not taking the time to look them up. I
think just on the surface, it all sounds like party
music and happy, but when you really get in your
feelings about the songs, you realize how powerful the lyrics are,
(25:38):
and like what a powerful lyricist he is as an artist.
For me, what also struck was the little boy in
all the videos. That little boy is the thread through
all the videos, and I actually thought the little boy
in the videos was a little Bad Bunny like represent him. Yes,
but he did an interview with Pitchfork he actually says
that that little boy could pretty much be any kid
(26:01):
growing up in the United States or Latin America. In
nineteen ninety nine. You know, he sees his parents fighting.
He spends his days in his bedroom, playing in Dundo
sixty four and listening to cassettes of his favorite artist, who,
of course happens to be Bad Bunny. Hello. But the
way he was able to link all of these songs
through this little boy's eyes and experience, it's just a
very cool way to do it. There is one video
(26:25):
that stands out. Wait, I know what you're going to say.
It's three words. Oh, I say it. I freaking love
that song, that video, that hair, that makeup. Now, if
you are just learning about Bad Bunny for the first
(26:47):
time on our episode, congratulations and welcome to the Bad
Bunny world. And if by chance you have not seen
the video for La Joseph, you better work. It is
absolutely amazing. The boots, the makeup, the hair, the breastplates.
(27:10):
Oh yes, Bad Bunny is in full on a door
rag serving looks. My favorite part of that video. We've
talked about this before, is when the flowers start bumping
and tworking next to the car. I literally I couldn't
take it. I was shook because I don't know. When
you're watching the video, you kind of just can't really
(27:31):
make out what's happening, and then they fully stand up
and they start twerking on the car next to him.
I was like, this is this is everything. That video
gives people life. Like you hear that about me, It's like, oh,
the song gives me life. No, that video gives me life.
And you know what that video gave beneath the life
in a new way. I think him being able to
express his feelings about gender norms and breaking through barriers
(27:56):
when it comes to gender norms all came through in
this video and video was perfect timing because it was
released under the album Yo Agua and if Bad Bunny
wants to be in a breastplate in drag red latex
boots to his thighs twerking it out for the whole
world on display, guess what, that's exactly what he did
(28:17):
in the video. Yeah, and you know, he was kind
of making it seem like he q feels like that girl,
you know, like he does he does, and the visuals
are so powerful, but the song and the words are
really powerful. And here's what he said about it. He said,
I wrote it from the perspective of a woman. I
wanted a woman's voice to sing it, because it doesn't
(28:39):
mean the same thing when a man sings it. But
I do feel like that woman sometimes. And even in
the final frame of the video, he denounces sexual harassment
of women and reads, if she doesn't want to dance
with you, respect her. She tworks alone. Y hlq md
LG became Spotify's streamed album globally in twenty twenty. Not
(29:03):
in Spain, not in Mexico or even Latin America. No
Bad Bunny success had no boundaries, Sin Barrera Henny, his
music is global. The world had zero chill when it
came to Bad Funny. He was the world's biggest pop star,
(29:24):
adored by fans and critics alike. But if you listen
to the last song of the album, he was also
ready to call it quits and go out while he
was on top. In that song, he says, in nine months,
I'll release another to retire calmly like Miguel Wait wait, wait, wait, wait,
Little tell me the truth. Did he retire? Well, Joseph,
(29:46):
you'll just have to listen to the next episode to
find out. You the next episode of Becoming an Icon,
Bad Bunny's retirement beneatho at the met Gala and when
Nana se d. Becoming an Icon is presented by Sonoro
(30:07):
and Ihearts Michael Kuda podcast Network. Listen to Becoming an
Icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you
get your podcast
This is becoming an icon. Last episode, we told you
all about Bad Bunny and his journey to superstardom, how
he made his way from a small town in Puerto
Rico to SoundCloud to one of the hottest collaborators in
the music industry. Homeboy spread his wings and were featured
on one of the best summer songs of all time.
(00:24):
According to me, I was gonna say, where did you
fact check that? Joseph think just me? I like it
with Cardi b and Jay Balvin had taken Bad Bunny's
career to new heights and beneath them, well, he was
determined to stay there. He rushed to release his debut
album Porcimp before the year was out, and jumped on
(00:44):
collabs with some of the hottest stars in the world.
I'm talking Jlo Maluma. Bad Bunny was not throwing away
his Joseph. Yeah, we don't have Clarence for him on songs.
Oh okay, Well then he wasn't going to lose himself
(01:05):
in the moment. Oh yeah, you know what, we can't
afford eminem either, Like can I just okay, just sin
because we're gonna tell you all about Bad Bunny's career
it was on the rise, and he was on the
verge of kicking off a cultural renaissance. But before the
world heard him Ryme with Cardi b his beloved island
(01:27):
faced a challenge it hadn't seen in generations, and Bad
Bunny put everything in Boosa. I'm your host, Liliana Vaskaz
and I'm Joseph Carrillo and this is Becoming an Icon
a weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on
how today's most famous Latin X stars have shaped pop
(01:48):
culture and given the world some expressable Sit back and
get comfortable because we are going in the only way
we know how. With Buena has resays, sound cheese and
a lot of opinions as we relive their greatest achievements
on our journey to find out what makes them so icon.
(02:09):
It quick trigger warning. We can't talk about bad money
and not mention how a hurricane Madia halted his world domination.
So it's going to get a little emo up in here.
But just for a minute, Hey, not to worry. I
(02:29):
brought the tissues. As you're trusted host, we do have
a responsibility to tell you everything that makes these artists icons,
and this is important. But afterwards, Can we take a
betil break and shake that ass. There's always time for that.
The bond between Beneathal and Puerto Rico runs deep. In
(02:51):
an interview with Apple Music, he said this, I keep
making music from here to the walls. I just want
people to feel like they're really here on the island
in the Caribbean. The best part of all my accomplishments
is when people say, yo, but he's from Puerto Rico.
I just want people to understand that you can be
from Puerto Rico and be a star. This bond was
on display like never before when Hurricane Maria made landfall
(03:15):
in twenty seventeen. Well, the rest of the world kept going.
Life on the island stopped for everyone, three point four
million people with no electricity. Now I still get goosebumps
thinking about Hurricane Maria. Joseph, where were you when you
(03:36):
heard the news? Well, actually I was back in New York,
but I had just been to Puerto Rico, like the
last week of August, and I was seeing all of
this stuff on the news. It was just sad because
I was there, seeing how beautiful it was and seeing
what happened is nuts. Think about how many people on
the island aren't going to have electricity and don't have generators.
(03:57):
This wasn't something that affected a small population. The entire
island was impacted by what happened. And the second I
found out, I just went into action. I'm lucky enough
to work with an incredible board in New York City.
I'm on the board of Montfeur Hospital, and the second
they heard of what happened, of course, the doctors in
Puerto Rico that they're connected to because they have a
(04:19):
huge presence in the Bronx, reached out and they actually
had access to about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars
in a cash grant, and that grant had not been
distributed yet, and so we created an emergency fund and
basically petitioned the Greater Hospital Network of New York City
to redistribute that grant money to Puerto Rico. I still
(04:40):
feel the impact today, Like when I talked to my
uncle's they still talk about it hasn't gone away. It
just brought to light the disparity that exists for these
Americans because we are Americans living on this island. So
it was big, it was scary, it was heavy, and
it was just so sad. You know, when you think
about the impact of the storm, it's a Category story four.
(05:01):
Winds were sustained at one hundred and fifty five miles
per hour. This entire storm washes over Puerto Rico on
September twentieth, twenty seventeen, and bam, the entire electrical grid
completely collapsed. That means that one hundred percent of the
island was without electricity. We go without power in New
York for three minutes and people lose their fucking minds gone,
(05:25):
it's like my fridge, my air conditioning. Well, it's not
three minutes. The island was without electricity or months. There
was no access to clean water, Food was scarce and limited.
People had to cross rivers just to buy water and gas.
People were spending five to six hours of their day
(05:47):
in lining gas stations just to fill up their cars
or get gasoline for all of the generators. A study
by Harvard would later determine that the total number of
Puerto Rican's lost during Hurricane Marie was over four thousand,
six hundred and forty five people. It was the worst
storm to hit Puerto Rico in over eighty years. The
(06:10):
people of Puerto Rico would never forget, and neither has
been Nito. On the one year anniversary of Maria, he
went on to Jimmy Fallon to perform his song Estellas
fian But more than that, he told a story, which
isn't that kind of what artists are supposed to do.
They tell their stories through their music, and that night,
(06:32):
I feel like he chose to tell his a different way,
through his language and his imagery. And for me it
was even more powerful because he opened that performance with
that monologue in English. If you remember, Bad Bunny doesn't
often speak in English. He usually prefers to speak in Spanish.
But that night his message was so important that he
(06:52):
wanted everyone watching across the United States to hear exactly
what his message was. We're looking at you, Nebraska or
my homestate, Texas, pick your poison. He also continued the
strength of his message with that video because a lot
of the images that most people had seen from Maria
were devastating, but on Jimmy Fallon, he was showing us
(07:15):
the real Puerto Rico, the joy that lives on that island.
Look at the people, Look how beautiful and how strong
and resilient. We are, and that's exactly what those images proved.
He was just showing proof of you know what, we
are doing good. But months later, Benito was still pissed,
so pissed that Benito came out wearing a shirt that said,
(07:39):
I mean a literal virtual slable And it was all
because Trump was in a Twitter feud with the mayor
of San Juan. That's giving petty. Trump is giving petty.
But like I would wear that shirt. I wear label
stuff all the time. I have a shirt that says,
f I think I love you. You're making a statement
here and I'm here for it. Benito often crosses that
(08:01):
line between artists and activists, and it's what we love
about him, because when you care so deeply about an issue,
how do you pretend it just doesn't exist. He had
taken a break from performing and social media to focus
on his mental health, but now that he was in
a good place, it was time for some hits. So
(08:23):
let's reset. It's late summer twenty eighteen and Bad Bunny
just stepped off the stage at the tonight show. I
like it is dominating. The chart is almost bien is
an anthem in Puerto Rico. The next obvious step was
that album. I mean, he was collaborating with major players
like Drake and j lo um Babes. Where is the
(08:46):
freaking album? Well, clearly hiding out with rerease album Don't
Get Me started. On December twenty third, Eljolo tweeted that
he would be dropping an album that night. Yes, the
Bad Bunny who stole Christmas. Think like buy Mariah. All
(09:08):
I want for Christmas is Benito exactly. Santa had to
take a backseat to Benito because the entire holiday season
suddenly became all about him. Florimbut was everywhere and it's
now become somewhat of a Christmas tradition on the island,
you know, jingle bells and when Bad Bunny drops a
(09:32):
new album, you can't go anywhere without three or four
cars in the same vicinity, the last in that shit
and on repeat. But here's the craziest part about this
entire album. It had absolutely zero advanced marketing. One day
out of nowhere, all of these eye catching billboards just
(09:55):
went up around Puerto Rico. All they said was Bad
Bunny Orde and of course the iconic eye from the
cover art of the album, which would later become a
fashion signature for the singer. Honestly, I don't think anybody
knew what it was. There was no context, there was
(10:16):
no advance warning. When you saw the Bad Bunny, which
was meant to look like fire burning, right, then you
see the eye and then you have your X one
zero zero pr That shit could be anything. But also
another thing about the billboards that they were only going
around in Puerto Rico. Yeah, it gives you a window
(10:37):
into how beneath the prioritizes his success right exactly, He's
not interested in global superstardom. What he wanted and what
he's always wanted was to make music that represented his island.
And that music is made for Puerto Ricans, right, And
that's just what made it so like organic. Yes, because
(11:00):
while the whole world loves that sound and loves that music,
he did it for his island. He did it for
his Buddhai. So the fact that he focused on very
little promotion just on puer Rico, it really gives you
insight into who he is. All of this was really
kind of an experiment. Bad Bunny said that he wanted
to create something that played with different genres and sounds.
(11:23):
He mixed grunge punk rock with Dembo to create a
totally unique sound. He says that people had tried to
change his concept of what music is, that music is work,
but it's not like that, and he says that in
this album, I said no, I need to do something
that fulfills me and makes me happy. Benico was finally
(11:44):
making the music he wanted to make, but he wasn't
done experimenting, and for his next project, he needed his
partner in crime, his Colombian counterpart, his minister in this
new religion, Bang Bang. On June twenty eight, twenty nineteen,
(12:07):
Bad Bunny released Oasses, an eight track collaborative album with
Jose Alvaro Osorio Baldwin, also known as Jay Balvin. The
two artists met during Bad Bunny's SoundCloud era back in
twenty sixteen. So Jay Balvin was visiting Puerto Rico for
a show at Choli when DJ Luian, already confident in
Bad Bunny as an artist, introduced the two. So on
(12:30):
March third, twenty seventeen, they released Citola Mister and Mister
Stelio Girl Up in Here. The song entered the Hot
Latin Songs Start at number fourteen. It also went on
to earn the two artists a Latin Grammy nomination for
Best Urban Fusion Performance. This video is also such a
(12:50):
great starting point for the evolution of Bad Bunny and
Jay Balvin's personal style. When I've watched the video, I
feel like we were getting like a baby bad Bunny,
like a baby Bunny. There was no denying the chemistry
between Bad Bunny and Jay Balvin, and this was just
(13:11):
the beginning of a beautiful friendship and a string of hits.
Like big hits. The two of them went on to
collab on more tracks like since Bali that with Prince Royce,
I have to say it Royce, and of course I
like it with Cardi B. By the way, I'm still
so fucking angry that Bad Bunny did not hop on
(13:33):
stage at MSG went outside Joy Balvin, that's not cool.
Jay Balvin hinted at a possible album with the Puerto
Rican rapper. Balvin shared, he likes what I like, and
he's all about the culture and he's super humble. I
just love him and I love what he does, and
of course I would love to have him an album
like that. Bad Bunny shared about the album we've been
(13:56):
working on it for a long time and finally we
found its moment. Working with Jay Balvin has undoubtedly been
an unparalleled experience. I've always admired and respected him a lot,
and we have an excellent vibe throughout this whole process.
And by the way, when you hear him say this
in Spanish, it's way better me translating this English like
no is't not good. He says vivid as like ten times,
it's so bad. Bunny in the Puerto Rican accent is
(14:18):
just so good. And then of course Balvin jumps in
and then here's what he said. I am proud to
say I love that Bunny. We always seem to be
on the same wave limb as he likes what I like.
He's also all about celebrating our culture while remaining super humble.
Working with Beneatho again has been a musical joy. I
am blessed to not only call him my brother, but
(14:38):
now a partner on an album that has even become
a personal oasis. I just love how they really enjoy
each other's company, like you can just tell by what
they're saying like, and this is you know, when people
collaborate in different albums, they don't necessarily speak so highly
about one another, and here that's all they've been doing
the whole time. They have so much fun. When Oasses
(15:02):
came out, I liked it a lot. I thought the
songs were like fire. Now, looking back, I realize how
pivotal and impactful that album actually was. The fact that
we got that album from Jay Balvin and Bad Bunny.
It's like if Taylor Swift and Beyonce did an album
(15:23):
where they were co build together, it's absurd, like it
doesn't happen. So the fact that we had two huge
stars coming together and working together, that is why this
album is just fucking insanity. It is so good. I
listened to this all the time. La Cancion is so
relatable to me. It has that like slow jam vibes
(15:44):
to it. Mmmmmm and how many times have you been there?
Like in your car when like our song with your
Ex comes on and like transports to Joseph is going
through a breakup currently whatever. I'm not even going to
address it, but without a doubt, this collab upped Bad
(16:05):
Bunny's visibility and it also kept Jay Balvin at the
top of the charts. I said this earlier, but the
impact of this album is not something that we understood
in the moment. It's something that we can look back
on now and understand how pivotal it was. And there's
no way that I could sum up how important it is.
(16:25):
So I'm going to defer to Vulture, which wrote this
about Oasis. Oasis marks the first time that a pair
of Latin urbunal stars at the height of their careers
have teamed up for an album designed to shift the
tectonic plates of the global music industry. Beyond that, it's
the official long form union of two titans who have
(16:46):
defied the expectations and confines of Latin artistry by giving
an effective middle finger to the so called Anglo crossover model.
Dam I'm not even done. Yeah, yeah, I'm not even
done done. Let's go back. While some Latin artists have
had to mold their look in music to meet standards
(17:06):
formulated for the Anglo mainstream, I'm getting goosebumps. Bad Bunny
and Baldvin have shown that radically unique esthetics, highlighter colored hair,
painted nails, and eclectic wardrobe choices and sonic innovations sung
entirely in Spanish attract international audiences with magnetic intensity that
they represent different parts of Latin America and the Caribbean
(17:29):
makes Oassi's a broader symbol of Latin unity and evidence
of the role that Latin genres have had in mowing
down music's language and cultural lines. Okay, literally, damn, that's
all we needed to say. That's all. Moving on. Thank
you Vulture, thank you Jay and Bad Bunny. His commitment
(17:53):
to Puerto Rico didn't stop with Hurricane Maria. In twenty nineteen,
Benito dropped everything and went home to march in the
streets with his people. During the Rique Renuncia movement, thousands
and thousands of Puerto Ricans flooded the streets of San
Juan from July eighth to August twelve to Auspricardo Rosseo.
(18:14):
It all started after a series of messages from a
telegram chat between Rosseo and his clique were exposed. In
more than nine hundred pages of messages, the governor and
his inner circle insulted women, members of the LGBTQIA plus community,
including Ricky Martin, and even mocked victims of Hurricane Maria.
(18:36):
People were even calling this Ricky Leaks. It was an
escandalon artists like Bad Bunny Residente and Ricky Martin all
joined the protests in support of their fellow Hinte and
you know, my boy is all about the successes and
Ricky renuncion so Benito could get back to making those beats. Well,
(18:59):
right after a quick stop in Miami for the super Bowl,
like a no big deal. That year's Super Bowl was
in Miami, so you know they had to represent lack Wulguda, Jlo, Shakida,
Jay Balvin, and Bad Bunny. It's going to be insanity, Kane.
(19:21):
When they announced that Shakida and Jaylo were doing the
Super Bowl, I was like, no, what not because they
didn't deserve it, but just because I can't imagine a
bunch of white men at the NFL saying this is
a great idea. But then it was true. It was
Jlo and Chekida and all these other people, so I
(19:41):
couldn't really imagine how they were going to do it. Well,
here's the thing. We've got all the insight on the
Super Bowl when it comes to Shaki and Jlo, but
you're going to have to stay tuned for later episodes.
Let's go back to Bad Bunny because if I remember correctly,
Jay Balvin and Bad Bunny were surprise guests. Usually at
(20:03):
the Super Bowl there's always a surprise in the halftime show. Personally,
I thought it was going to be Pitbull. He's like
the mayor of Miami. He sings the hooks on all
the song and nothing against Pitbull, no shade Pitbull. I
love you, My mom loves you. I thought. At that moment,
I was like, you know what would be so good
is if they brought this current generation's music front and center.
(20:26):
And not that Jlo and Shikida aren't this generation's music,
but they were playing like their old bangers. I wanted
to hear the current bangers. I wanted to hear reggae Thorne.
I wanted to hear Bad Bunny and Jay Balvin. So
can you imagine my delight and surprise when out come
Jay and Bad Bunny. Can we just talk about what
Bad Bunny was wearing, Like, how many hundreds and thousands
(20:48):
of crystals really were on there? The fact that you're
asking me that, thinking that I don't actually know the
exact number as a style expert is pretty amazing. It
had thirteen thousand soroskik He was giving Shakida a run
for her money. He looked a little bit like the
tin Man, not gonna lie stop it. It was a
(21:11):
lot of silver. But the first thing I thought when
I saw his outfit was he's got to be so hot.
I was actually in Miami at the Super Bowl. Now
I didn't actually get to go to the game because
I had to fly home because I had to host
E News at seven am the next day, but I
remember how freaking hot it was in Miami that weekend.
(21:31):
And then there's Bad Bunny in a silver dow rag,
a silver, chunky knit turtleneck with a coat that probably
weighed ten thousand pounds. What a way to go out
with a bang, because that was the last time that
Bad Bunny performed on stage before the pandemic. That's right,
that was pretty much everyone's big last raw before COVID
came to take everything away. So post Super Bowl, Bad
(22:02):
Bunny was writing a big way that crashed right into
the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. On the show, he
hyped up the crowd by revealing the cover art for
y hlq MDLG and announcing it would be released just
two days later. When I said that title, Joseph, did
you catch it? No, I thought there was a glitch
(22:24):
in the matrix because you were just saying all these letters. Well,
apparently it wasn't just you. Jimmy Fallon was also very confused.
And now, of course we all know what it stands
for your Ago lagana. And what's amazing is that Bad
Bunny does this thing where he releases something it's great,
and then he upstages himself with a new project that
(22:45):
makes the old project, while great, look like nad that.
That was the case with your aga. The music was popping,
the video was a lock in. Everything about this era
was poppin and lock in. But something else happened that night.
(23:06):
During the performance of the Noorantez, Benetho paid tribute to
Alexa Negro Muciano, a transgender woman that was stocked and
murdered by three men in Puerto Rico. Singing with such
that night, on stage, Beneito opened his coat to reveal
a message written on his shirt. Mataron Alexa no an
mbre confalda translated to they killed Alexa, not a man
(23:29):
in a skirt. Bad Money made waves again by speaking up.
That's what he does. We don't know. I'm gonna correct
myself it's who he is. Now. Let's get into the album.
If people thought Porciempre was experimental, yhlq MDLG was out
(23:52):
of this world. It was a throwback to parties that
macasin as garage parties for those of you who aren't
in the No yea to and it was filled with
throwbacks to the early auts reggae thone, which of course
means tracks with Daddy, Yankee Joel and Mango Flow, among others.
But what critics loved most about the album was the
(24:13):
musical diversity and its mix of trap, rap and bassa
nova and it was the highest debuting all Spanish album ever.
Think of the impact ever in the history of music.
I don't even know how long they've been keeping musical
records for, however long that is, this all Spanish album
(24:34):
made the highest debut and when you listen to this album,
it's incredible. It's a treat for your ears. The way
that he did all of the videos for the album
are also really part of the impact of the album.
It's almost like the videos have to accompany the songs
and you have to digest the music and the visuals together.
(24:55):
It's art. That's the only way I can really explain it.
It's truly just art. Do you have a favorite song
off the album? I would pick because if you really
dig deep and look at the words about what he's saying,
he always has a message or like a mini story
in each one of these really upbeat songs. So I
think it really sparks an amazing conversation if you're really
(25:16):
into music like that to address mental health or your emotions.
I think a lot of times when people if you
don't know Bad Bunny or you're not understanding the lyrics,
you're not taking the time to look them up. I
think just on the surface, it all sounds like party
music and happy, but when you really get in your
feelings about the songs, you realize how powerful the lyrics are,
(25:38):
and like what a powerful lyricist he is as an artist.
For me, what also struck was the little boy in
all the videos. That little boy is the thread through
all the videos, and I actually thought the little boy
in the videos was a little Bad Bunny like represent him. Yes,
but he did an interview with Pitchfork he actually says
that that little boy could pretty much be any kid
(26:01):
growing up in the United States or Latin America. In
nineteen ninety nine. You know, he sees his parents fighting.
He spends his days in his bedroom, playing in Dundo
sixty four and listening to cassettes of his favorite artist, who,
of course happens to be Bad Bunny. Hello. But the
way he was able to link all of these songs
through this little boy's eyes and experience, it's just a
very cool way to do it. There is one video
(26:25):
that stands out. Wait, I know what you're going to say.
It's three words. Oh, I say it. I freaking love
that song, that video, that hair, that makeup. Now, if
you are just learning about Bad Bunny for the first
(26:47):
time on our episode, congratulations and welcome to the Bad
Bunny world. And if by chance you have not seen
the video for La Joseph, you better work. It is
absolutely amazing. The boots, the makeup, the hair, the breastplates.
(27:10):
Oh yes, Bad Bunny is in full on a door
rag serving looks. My favorite part of that video. We've
talked about this before, is when the flowers start bumping
and tworking next to the car. I literally I couldn't
take it. I was shook because I don't know. When
you're watching the video, you kind of just can't really
(27:31):
make out what's happening, and then they fully stand up
and they start twerking on the car next to him.
I was like, this is this is everything. That video
gives people life. Like you hear that about me, It's like, oh,
the song gives me life. No, that video gives me life.
And you know what that video gave beneath the life
in a new way. I think him being able to
express his feelings about gender norms and breaking through barriers
(27:56):
when it comes to gender norms all came through in
this video and video was perfect timing because it was
released under the album Yo Agua and if Bad Bunny
wants to be in a breastplate in drag red latex
boots to his thighs twerking it out for the whole
world on display, guess what, that's exactly what he did
(28:17):
in the video. Yeah, and you know, he was kind
of making it seem like he q feels like that girl,
you know, like he does he does, and the visuals
are so powerful, but the song and the words are
really powerful. And here's what he said about it. He said,
I wrote it from the perspective of a woman. I
wanted a woman's voice to sing it, because it doesn't
(28:39):
mean the same thing when a man sings it. But
I do feel like that woman sometimes. And even in
the final frame of the video, he denounces sexual harassment
of women and reads, if she doesn't want to dance
with you, respect her. She tworks alone. Y hlq md
LG became Spotify's streamed album globally in twenty twenty. Not
(29:03):
in Spain, not in Mexico or even Latin America. No
Bad Bunny success had no boundaries, Sin Barrera Henny, his
music is global. The world had zero chill when it
came to Bad Funny. He was the world's biggest pop star,
(29:24):
adored by fans and critics alike. But if you listen
to the last song of the album, he was also
ready to call it quits and go out while he
was on top. In that song, he says, in nine months,
I'll release another to retire calmly like Miguel Wait wait, wait, wait, wait,
Little tell me the truth. Did he retire? Well, Joseph,
(29:46):
you'll just have to listen to the next episode to
find out. You the next episode of Becoming an Icon,
Bad Bunny's retirement beneatho at the met Gala and when
Nana se d. Becoming an Icon is presented by Sonoro
(30:07):
and Ihearts Michael Kuda podcast Network. Listen to Becoming an
Icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you
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Lilliana Vazquez
Joseph Carrillo
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