Music has been a crucial a part of every culture’s identity. It’s a solution to express oneself, whether it was through the fiddler playing in a crowded pub, the salsa dancer listening to the gods speak through the congas or the raw imagination heard in jazz. The experiences of individuals come alive in music, which speaks to their joys and sorrows. In our scriptures, we see Psalms/songs as ways to speak our theology, our experiences and our critiques. Songs can offer space to lament, to hope and to persevere; they call us to withstand the ills and oppressions of our world. Yes, we will find these songs of resistance in our Presbyterian hymnal, but what if we were to lend an ear to the songs of resistance produced today?
Latin music has a protracted history of expressing la resistencia. Ask any salsa dancer and they’re going to inform you they’ve danced to the classic song “La Rebelión” by Joe Arroyo. Behind the intoxicating beat, the lyrics tell the story of a protagonist who resists the horrors of slavery. Once I shared with a friend what this song is about, I remember the shock on his face as he surveyed the room of joyful dancers.
It could be a gross oversight, then, to overlook the Puerto Rican reggaeton star Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – known higher as Bad Bunny – and write him off as just one other artist pursuing fame and glory. Granted, Benito is a two-time most-streamed artist of the yr and the recipient of 26 awards, including 4 Latin Grammys. He has now gone international. Bad Bunny has received two American Grammys and recently made history as the primary non-English-speaking performer ever to win the VMAs’ most coveted “Artist of the Yr” award. While my wife and I watched his live performance and acceptance speech from Yankee Stadium, we were shocked to witness him deliver his speech fully in Español, and it jogged my memory how far Latinx music has are available the last couple of years and the way it has gone mainstream within the (U.S.A.).
I contend Bad Bunny has stepped into the longstanding history – especially throughout the Latin history of reggaeton – of expressing la resistencia through his music; he weaves in themes of political activism, social critique, spirituality and joy as an act of resistance. Allow me to persuade you: In case you take heed to Bad Bunny, chances are you’ll just end up resolved to withstand. I exegete Bad Bunny in three arenas: social, political and spiritual.
Social Arena
In a genre often critiqued for its toxic masculinity and homophobia, Bad Bunny consistently uses his platform to talk against exaggerated male virility, promote queer inclusivity and fight for racial equality. In case you do a fast Google seek for pictures of Bad Bunny, you can see an eccentric, unashamedly authentic artist, while also witnessing his audacious resistance to gender norms and machismo culture. While his appearance challenges gender norms, he also explicitly speaks out against violence towards women and trans people.
In a genre often critiqued for its toxic masculinity and homophobia, Bad Bunny consistently uses his platform to talk against exaggerated male virility, promote queer inclusivity and fight for racial equality.
Songs like “Yo Perreo Sola” function a blunt message against the harassment of girls, clearly stating to go away women alone if they do not want to bop with you. Mind you, the song is a “bop,” yet intertwined within the music are lyrics of resistance towards machismo and toxic masculinity, which we will clearly see within the lyrics of “I Dance Alone.” Moreover, Bad Bunny brought attention to the continuing rise of violence toward trans people when he performed on the “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” Resisting gender norms, he wore a skirt and a shirt that condemned the violence and transphobia committed against Alexa, a transgender woman who was killed in Puerto Rico.
It was not surprising, then, when Benito released a song in support of the Black Lives Matter movement called “Compositor del Año.” Translated, “Composer of the Yr,” an award and title he received on the 2020 ASCAP Latin Music Awards. Here, he sings about how he earned this award for compositon “but not for what matters” as he turns his eye toward resisting the ills of racism and calling Christians to motion. He raps, “It’s 2020 and racism is worse than COVID/ A Black man with a gun/ that’s a criminal/ but when he’s White, they are saying that’s a hobby.” During a time by which the church and the world were confronting the endemic of White supremacy while battling the pandemic of COVID-19, this song expressed for me the inner frustrations I encountered while giving me permission to listen along as I proceed my very own acts of resistance and my very own fight for justice in my local church context. I invite you to look up this song, as he also speaks to the continuing problems with immigration and voting rights.
While I share with you a fast glimpse of Bad Bunny’s impact on the social context, I’d be upset if I didn’t share with you the web Bad Bunny 101 course. Bad Bunny’s social impact is so palpable that his music is used to empower undocumented youth on social and political issues. It brought me joy after I read how “since its start, Bad Bunny 101 has addressed issues resembling toxic masculinity, the history of reggaeton linked to the African roots of the genre, queer visibility and political activism.” Allow us to now turn to the subject all of us are told to avoid on the dinner table.
Political Arena
From all I even have shared to date, if you happen to are wondering whether Bad Bunny was critical of President Trump’s administration, then your inclination is correct. As an lively supporter of voting rights, Bad Bunny lent his voice to President Biden’s campaign by playing his songs in political ads which targeted Latinx communities in battleground states through the 2020 presidential election.
While this speaks to how his music has been used to rally votes in the USA, Bad Bunny can be heavily involved in political activism in Puerto Rico. There have been mass uprisings in Puerto Rico in 2019 when Governor Ricardo Rosselló was embroiled in a corruption scandal. Bad Bunny took to Instagram and Twitter with many other Puerto Rican celebrities to withstand the corrupt governor, using the hashtag “#RickyRenuncia.” Bad Bunny’s activism was quickly paired with a latest song of resistance. A number of days into the protests, he released a scathing critique of Governor Rosselló along with his song, “Afilando los Cuchillos,” with Residente, fellow reggaeton artist. On this latest song, Bad Bunny vocalized the necessity to resist corruption in Puerto Rico, and his latest anthem led to the protests increasing in numbers.
But what happens when one governor leaves and the situation doesn’t get any higher? Hurricane Maria was five years ago, yet Puerto Rico continues to struggle with ongoing blackouts, a disaster further strained by the privatization of the electrical grid. [Editor’s note: This article was written before, but published after, Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, resulting in an island-wide power outage and further infrastructure damage.] The Puerto Rican government has now granted tax breaks – which Puerto Ricans cannot profit from – to incentivize outsiders to take a position within the island, resulting in rampant gentrification. You must now expect my next sentence will describe how Bad Bunny wrote a song of resistance in response to this political upheaval. He did; it’s called “El Apagón” (the Blackout).
To begin his tour last month, Bad Bunny threw the “Party of the Yr” for Puerto Ricans. It is because joy is an act of resistance and it’s spreading like wildfire throughout the entire island in these party-protests. Bad Bunny performed his songs of resistance in front of hundreds of fans, including the various who watched on television via Telemundo PR — we were so mad we couldn’t watch from our U.S. home. I used to be struck with joy after I read Izzie Ramirez’s reporting of those party protests, she comments: “As Bad Bunny’s celebrity exponentially grows, these shows were a refreshing reminder of what – and who – reggaeton is for. Bad Bunny didn’t leave Puerto Rico behind as he ascended the charts. He brought it with him.” Bad Bunny not only provided an area where his songs could express collective grief, sorrow, anger and love for Puerto Rico amid social ills, he provided anthems of resistance that empowered Borinqueños to act for change.
Bad Bunny didn’t leave Puerto Rico behind as he ascended the charts. He brought it with him.
Spiritual Arena
Bad Bunny fans may wonder how on the earth he offers songs of resistance within the spiritual arena. Bad Bunny grew up Catholic and sang within the choir. Yet his music isn’t explicitly “Christian.” Indeed, songs like “RLDNT” from his most up-to-date album, “Verano Sin Ti” (Summer Without You), show his inner struggles about whether he should turn to God or to astrology or if he may simply be lost, not knowing who he’s. This will likely resonate for younger generations and, as many Christians now not discover with mainline denominations, Bad Bunny could function, in line with America Magazine, “a spiritual guide for our postmodern culture.”
Personally, I even have already mentioned how his music brings me joy as an act of resistance which can be a spiritual act. Didn’t biblical characters sing with joy as an act of resistance and a proclamation of God’s liberation — Miriam’s Song, Mary’s Song, anyone? Nonetheless, Bad Bunny’s latest album, “Verano Sin Ti,” convinced me much more that his music might be experienced as a spiritual act of resistance.
Out of all of the wisdom in literature, Ecclesiastes has all the time stood out to me. My dad would quote it, saying “there may be a time for every thing.” As I got older, I used to be capable of discover my experiences throughout the array of what life offers: deep valleys and high mountaintops. Once I explored Ecclesiastes further in Dr. Federico Roth’s class Wisdom Literature, it brought up questions in me resembling: can I enjoy experiencing joy while injustice exists and what’s the purpose of fighting for what is correct if “all is vanity”? I remember being conflicted in asking these questions because I believed my faith would all the time give the proper answers, and it could give me a solution to have a straightforward life. After all, much has modified since then for me. Due to my Presbyterian seminary education, my favorite verse is now Ecclesiastes 3:7 — “I do know that there may be nothing higher for them than to be completely happy and luxuriate in themselves so long as they live.” We all know that even when this joy involves an in depth – when night dawns – our God brings salvation within the morning. It’s due to my faith that I’m capable of resist resigning from the great fight as I’m capable of hold in tension the ups and downs of life.
It’s due to my faith that I’m capable of resist resigning from the great fight as I’m capable of hold in tension the ups and downs of life.
I mention my experience with Ecclesiastes because that is how I encountered Bad Bunny’s latest album. It’s crammed with traditional Latin sounds, resembling merengue, which immediately prompted the query from my mother-in-law, “who is that this?!” Upon the album’s release, and after we gave it a correct listen, my wife and I said, “That is going to be our album of the summer,” the album we’d play as we drive with our automobile windows down.
Yet, while having fun with this music, as I listened more closely, I noticed how Bad Bunny was tackling serious issues resembling femicide and social violence within the song “Andrea,” to disaster relief within the aforementioned song, “El Apagón.” Even “Ojitos Lindos” spoke for the longing of relationship, which tugged at my heartstrings and my gut, leading to a full-bodied and spiritual response — one in all my hopes for my church is that we’re bonded more closely together.
Each time I head into summer I even have high expectations, yet summer doesn’t all the time deliver. If it does, it will definitely involves an end. Summer 2020 is a chief example: it was anticipated as the primary summer after the “lockdown” just for all of us to experience an increase in COVID levels and social uprisings.
That’s when I spotted this “album of the summer” is titled “A Summer Without You.” Throughout the album, you experience the enjoyment of life and feel the heaviness of tackling injustice, to carry in tension the ups and downs of life. The title gives away how this summer album will hold this paradox in tension in an Ecclesiastes-esque way. For me, the album became a medium to practice the wisdom that comes from our faith and spirituality. Ultimately, it became a solution to resist despair, experience joy and trust in our God.
Ultimately, it became a solution to resist despair, experience joy and trust in our God.
I’m wondering: will you lend your ear? Chances are you’ll just find these songs of resistance giving rise to the perseverance that calls you to withstand the ills and oppressions of our world.
