Cultural Identity, colonialism, and gentrification in Puerto Rico: Bad Bunny’s El Apagón as a case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2025)v15i.10enKeywords:
identity, Music Video, Puerto Rico, reggaeton, gentrification, colonialisAbstract
A new phenomenon of Latin music, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, or better known as Bad Bunny, has triumphed worldwide, being the most listened to artist on Spotify in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The Puerto Rican artist's relationship with his country of origin has always been very close since cultural references to the island abound in his lyrics and song narratives. A nationalist feeling almost against the American mentality that thinks of Puerto Rico as a US state, connecting transnationalism in addition to presenting postcolonial cultural differences. Puerto Rican culture presents diversity and heritage, not only musically, but also in popular culture. In this sense, Bad Bunny makes multiple references to characters from Puerto Rico as well as widely known songs from his land.
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