Few artists in recent years have had Bad Bunny’s impact on the music industry, popular culture, mainstream and underground aesthetics, and the economies tied to each of these realms. A remarkable anomaly by any measure, Bad Bunny’s embodiment of extremity comes through in his gender-fluid style, Afro-Caribbean aesthetics, sexually explicit lyrics, and vibrant critiques of colonial politics. As a Puerto Rican colonial subject himself, he has consistently amplified the voices of oppressed groups, while also championing marginalized communities impacted by the effects of colonialism and conservatism, in Puerto Rico and elsewhere. This collection, the first comprehensive publication focused on the Bad Bunny phenomenon, puts the artist, his work, and activism into conversation with various contexts relevant to culture, society, representation, identity, and politics. Bringing together a cadre of scholars – some supporters, others detractors – the collection offers a balanced transdisciplinary look at his work and its influence on intersectional resistance struggles. Part critique, part celebration, the chapters contained within question whether his influence signifies a cultural shift or a flash in the pan. Consequently, this collection aims to understand Bad Bunny as a multifaceted signifier whose meanings evolve depending on the generational, geographical, and sociopolitical perspectives framing the enigma.
"List of Tables and Figures Chapter 1: “Bad Bunny está ‘ien cabrón”: Reflections in Chiaroscuro Chapter 2: The Profane, the Lewd, and the Misogynistic in Puerto Rican Singing: A Historical and Interpretative Primer to Bad Bunny Song’s Lyrics (1900-2022) Chapter 3: (Nada es) ‘Como antes:’ Bad Bunny’s Historical Memory and the Limits of Nostalgia. Chapter 4: Cuir Dialogic Intimacies: Mapping Lo Cuir in Bad Bunny’s Performance Repertoire Chapter 5: Bad Bunny on the Global Stage: The Network Society, Streaming, and the Latin Music Industry Chapter 6: Bad Bunny’s “nueva religión” as a Postmodern Reimagining of the Religious/Secular Paradigm Chapter 7: “Andrea”: Intersectional Struggles of the Puerto Rican Women Revealed Chapter 8: Bad Bunny and the Queer Trans-formation of Reggaeton Chapter 9: Bad Bunny Above Ground: The Aesthetics of Nostalgia and (Black) Aural Citation Chapter 10: Las “Ganas adentro del Explosion”: The New Millennium of Bad Bunny's YHLQMDLG Music Videos Chapter 11: “Esto e’ un ratito, mami, no te acostumbre’”: Bad Bunny and the Reproduction of Zygmunt Bauman’s Liquid Love Chapter 12: More than Spanish to English Code-switching: An Analysis of Bad Bunny’s Translanguaging Practices throughout his Discography Chapter 13: “¿Estamos bien?”: The Affective and Cultural Consequences of Engagement with Bad Bunny Chapter 14. ""Lo $iento Bad Bunny pero no estamos bien"": Bad Bunny's Presence in Chile's 2019 Social Upheaval About the Contributors"
Sheilla R. Madera is professor in the Department of Sociocultural and Global Studies at Florida International University. Nelson Varas-Díaz is professor of social-community psychology in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University. Daniel Nevárez Araújo is assistant professor in the Department of English at the University of Puerto Rico.
Reviews for The Bad Bunny Enigma: Culture, Resistance, and Uncertainty
"""Reading each chapter is to see Puerto Rico through one of the rhythms that has captivated and challenged more than one generation. You are invited to see its slang through the eyes of Boricuas, and from the perspective of a Latin America absorbed in the Bad Bunny effect. It's a walk to be captivated by our identities that are manifested in his music. It is to find how Bad Bunny denounces and expresses what he sees and experiences in the archipelago, and how other people perceive him. It is history, community and academia, dancing to our realities, al ritmo del reguet�n."" --Yarimar Rosa-Rodr�guez, University of Puerto Rico, R�o Piedras"
