For those asking “Why Bad Bunny?” no, he’s not the guy behind the collared shirts at Nordstrom. That’s Psycho Bunny. No, the NFL didn’t pull a random name out of a sombrero. They booked the single most globally dominant artist of the streaming era (not a typo, those come later in the article).
If you don’t know him, that says more about you than it does him.
Outpacing Legends
Let’s start with the numerous. Bad Bunny has been Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world three years straight. Not Drake, Taylor or The Weeknd. Finito, it was Benito.
In 2022 alone, his songs were streamed 18.5 billion times. For context, Rihanna’s halftime show, the most-watched in TV history, pulled in 121 million viewers.
His tours? They gross over 400 million dollars a year, making him the biggest touring act on Earth. You know Earth, right? That place where people speak more than English.
So when someone asks, “why him?” the better question is “who else?” (I mean, there is one answer that comes swiftly to mind, but besides her…).
The “Who’s Bad Bunny?” Crowd
To the skeptics: you might have missed the last seven years while nodding off to the same yacht-rock playlist (long live American treasure Michael McDonald). But dismissing him as “some reggaeton guy” is like dismissing Beyoncé as “a good singer.” That’s willful ignorance disguised as taste.
This is the artist who:
- Hit his trademark “Bunny Destroyer” in WWE. Not just a walk-on cameo, he actually wrestled.
- Hosted Saturday Night Live. Delivered sketches, jokes, and live music with the charisma of someone who actually gets irony.
- Popped up in Hollywood. From Narcos to sharing the screen with Brad Pitt in Bullet Train, and recently playing a delightful role in Caught Stealing (when he appeared on screen, my theater marked out).
- Partnered with brands you actually want to buy: Adidas, Apple Music (conveniently the presenting sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime Show), Crocs, Gucci, Cheetos, Burger King.
The Super Bowl isn’t going to make Bad Bunny mainstream. He’s already here. So if you still think Bad Bunny isn’t Super Bowl-ready, congratulations: you’ve officially turned into your uncle who swore MTV was the downfall of America when Yo! MTV Raps debuted (shout-out to Audacy’s Ed Lover).
Halftime Heavyweights
Let’s compare rounds::
- Kendrick Lamar (2024): Pulitzer Prize, generational voice, winner of the beef battle, but his fan base isn’t as global.
- Rihanna (2023): Iconic, billionaire mogul. But her halftime was more brand flex and baby bump reveal.
- The Weeknd (2021): One of my all-time favorite artists, but Bad Bunny out-streamed him 18.5B to 8B in the same year. I’m not Abel to even comprehend that amount of streams.
Bad Bunny isn’t fitting into the mold. He’s remolding the mold; which, by the way, sounds like a Menards slogan. The irony? Half the folks grumbling “this halftime ain’t for us” are the same ones buying grout at Menards (does anyone else find the word “grout” as funny as I do? I should write that down).
Already Mainstream
He moves effortlessly between worlds: from Puerto Rico’s reggaeton clubs to Hollywood sets to Madison Avenue to WrestleMania. If that doesn’t scream “ready for 100 million viewers,” nothing does.
And credit where it’s due: a handful of English speaking U.S. stations ‘hopped’ on his music early (bunny pun intended): KRRL and KIIS in LA, KPEZ in Austin, KKFR in Phoenix, KIBT in Colorado Springs, KSEQ in Fresno, XHTZ in San Diego. But the bigger story is how many didn’t. Radio let DSPs get all the bunny ears while they clung to “Espresso” like a flotation device.
Why It Matters
The halftime show isn’t just about songs. It’s about symbolism, who gets the 12 minutes on America’s most-watched broadcast to say, “This is us.” (which always makes me cry. Milo Ventimiglia, you have a gift and a hell of a dad stache #TeamJess).
Handing that mic to Bad Bunny says:
- Spanish isn’t a barrier anymore. It’s the soundtrack of American life.
- Latino fans matter. Along with women, they’re one of the fastest-growing slices of the NFL’s pie.
- Gen Z matters. A generation that values authenticity, inclusivity, and artists.
Sure, contrarians will moan. DJ Vlad is already tweeting his disapproval like the NFL booked his ex. But that misses the bigger point: Benito reminds us that the U.S. doesn’t own culture, it participates in it.
The Big Picture
When Bad Bunny hits that field, it’ll mark a first: the most-streamed artist on the planet performing on the biggest stage in the world and doing it in his native language.
The only questions left are who wins the game? What commercial steals the night? And (most importantly?) will radio finally give Bunny the spins he deserves? If not, radio will once again be crawling Despacito toward relevance. (And no, that’s not a Bad Bunny track, that was Luis Fonsi. But let’s be honest, most of mainstream America still thinks it was Justin Bieber).
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Phil Becker is a weekly music columnist for Barrett Media who has built his career at the intersection of creativity, strategy, and operations leading brands, marketing, and content teams across more than 200 radio stations worldwide.
Known for being ahead of the curve, he was the first to integrate social influencers into broadcast brands, launch station apps years before his peers, and pioneer AI air personalities before anyone else in the world.
With leadership roles at Clear Channel, Citadel, Cox Media Group, Alpha Media, and international ventures—as well as owning and operating stations—Phil blends entrepreneurial vision with operational discipline in the messaging and marketing space. He also hosts the Phil-Osophy podcast.
