It’s been our long-held position that the “mainstream media” doesn’t care about anything or anyone except in service of an agenda. This is particularly true with regard to its coverage of all things related to Puerto Rico, and NBC’s latest fluff piece on trap megastar Bad Bunny is but the latest example.
Watch the report in its entirety, as aired on NBC Nightly News on Wednesday, February 5th, 2025 (click “expand” to view transcript):
LESTER HOLT: Finally, there's good news tonight, about the power of music to bring all of us together and get out on the floor, including our Antonia Hilton.
ANTONIA HILTON: In early January, Brooklyn salsa instructor and studio owner, Will Nieves, noticed a lot of newcomers packing his Salsa 101 classes. Turns out, many were inspired by one man: Bad Bunny.
When you compare your beginner classes, pre-album dropping, post-album dropping. What's it looking like?
WILL NIEVES: Big difference. We were always busy, 30-40, but some of these new classes are like 60, 70.
HILTON: For years, Bad Bunny- whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been at the top of his game. Popularizing Spanish rap and hip-hop globally. But his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should've Taken More Pictures), explores genres like Salsa and Jíbaro. It’s dominating the charts, inspiring Tik Tok dance challenges, and bringing generations together.
Will showed me the basics of the Puerto Rican variation on Salsa. One song has really struck a chord. Baile Inolvidable (Unforgettable Dance).
HILTON: When his music plays on these speakers, what do you see happen in the room?
NIEVES: Oh, my god, I hear clapping, cheering.
DANCE STUDENT: It channels all sorts of emotions in me, from sadness to happiness.
HILTON: Will says after everything his island has been through, from Hurricane Maria to massive protests, he believes Bad Bunny is sending a message.
NIEVES: I think he's saying that Puerto Ricans are here. And Puerto Rico is not dying. We’re going to rebuild and grow even bigger.
HILTON: He just hopes we continue to listen, and dance. Antonia Hilton, NBC News, New York.
HOLT: Love that unabashed joy.
Recall that the media didn’t care about the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic Hurricane Maria until a Trump-averse angle could be found, at which time the story could be Trumpwashed. The media disparaged President Donald Trump’s visit to the island as a photo op and reported the paper towel conspiracy as if it were factual, elevating the socialist mayor of San Juan to Resistance Media darling status.
Likewise, the media didn’t (and still doesn’t) care about Puerto Rico’s severe landfill problems, until roast comic Tony Hinchcliffe addressed it at President Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. Subsequently, the media wishcasted this as being the thing that would finally flip Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, and the presidency for Kamala Harris- aided and abetted by the endorsement of…Bad Bunny, bay bay bay.
And that’s really what this weird item about Salsa dancing is about. It’s less about the dancing than about the mainstream media (a): once again pretending to care about Puerto Rico and (b): sending a signal that Bad Bunny is indeed a part of the broader "progressive" culture.
In fairness, Benito’s done all the things required in order to fit into Hollywood culture. From wearing skirts on the red carpet, to dating a Kardashian sister, to endorsing Kamala Harris for president. But, as always when it comes to the mainstream media and who they choose to elevate, you have to look for what gets left out of the narrative.
There is the issue of Bad Bunny’s raunchy and misogynist lyrics, always paired to beats that are absolute ear crack (especially the trap beats). Because he sings exclusively in Spanish, he is able to evade the scrutiny that befell Cardi B, for example, after the release of W.A.P.
Consider this bit of lyrical poetry from his paean to 90s and early 2000s reggaeton, Safaera (STRONG ADVISORY):
Mi bicho anda fugao’ y yo quiero que tu me lo esconda’/ Agárralo como bonga/ Se metió una pepa que la pone cachonda/ Chinga en lo’ Audi, no en lo’ Honda/ Ey, si te lo meto no me llame’/ Que esto no es pa’ que me ame’ ey/ Si tu novio no te mama el culo/ Pa’ eso que no mame
Which loosely translates to:
My cock is a fugitive and I want you to harbor it/ grab it like a bonga/ She popped a pill that made her horny/ She fucks in Audis, not in Hondas/ Hey, if I fuck you don’t call me/ This ain’t for you to fall in love- hey/ If your boyfriend doesn’t eat your asshole/ He might as well not eat at all
Then, there is the matter of politics and political endorsements. Bad Bunny’s endorsement of Kamala Harris (which had zero effect in Pennsylvania and Florida, as hoped) was touted far and wide. His endorsement of separatist communist Juan Dalmau for the governorship of Puerto Rico, though, did not garner as much coverage.
While visiting Venezuela, Dalmau said that he felt like he was “among family” with President Nicolás Maduro and Comandante Hugo Chávez. Upon the death of the homicidal Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro, for example, Dalmau said:
Fidel Castro was a loyal and invincible follower of (Simón) Bolívar and (José) Martí in his incorruptible and consequential struggle for the independence of our Americas and of Puerto Rico. “Not a single step backwards. Not even to gain momentum.”
Although independence is a noble ideal there is little doubt, as I’ve said before, that a free and independent Puerto Rico would be neither of these for very long before quickly falling into the Castro-Chavista axis- which would cause all manner of problems both in the region and here at home.
As always, when looking at what mainstream media chooses to elevate and promote, you have to ask yourself why and why now. This is especially true with regard to NBC’s puff piece on Bad Bunny, a reminder that the media don’t care about Puerto Rico unless there is an agenda to be served.
