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“Aquí mataron gente por sacar la bandera / Por eso es que ahora yo la llevo donde quiera." (Here they killed people for taking out the flag / that’s why I bring it anywhere I want now.)—LA MuDANZA
Global superstar Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, like many other Puerto Ricans, has lived a life marked by public crises—blackouts, hurricanes, political corruption and oppression, among others—that have exposed the ongoing impacts of colonialism in Puerto Rico. Offering a portrait of the past and future of Puerto Rican resistance through one of its loudest and proudest voices, P FKN R draws on interviews with musicians, politicians, and journalists as well as ethnographic research to set Bad Bunny and Puerto Rican resistance in a historical, political, and cultural context. Authors Vanessa Díaz and Petra Rivera-Rideau—creators of the “Bad Bunny Syllabus”—demonstrate Bad Bunny’s place in a long tradition of infusing both joy and protest into music and honor the many evolving forms of daily resistance to oppression and colonialism that are part of Puerto Rican life.
Global superstar Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, like many other Puerto Ricans, has lived a life marked by public crises—blackouts, hurricanes, political corruption and oppression, among others—that have exposed the ongoing impacts of colonialism in Puerto Rico. Offering a portrait of the past and future of Puerto Rican resistance through one of its loudest and proudest voices, P FKN R draws on interviews with musicians, politicians, and journalists as well as ethnographic research to set Bad Bunny and Puerto Rican resistance in a historical, political, and cultural context. Authors Vanessa Díaz and Petra Rivera-Rideau—creators of the “Bad Bunny Syllabus”—demonstrate Bad Bunny’s place in a long tradition of infusing both joy and protest into music and honor the many evolving forms of daily resistance to oppression and colonialism that are part of Puerto Rican life.
Price: $27.95
Pages: 320
Publisher: Duke University Press
Imprint: Duke University Press
Publication Date:
27 January 2026
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9781478033332
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
“Impressively researched and engaging, P FKN R is a book that offers a critical reflection of Puerto Rico’s history and culture through one of its main exponents, Bad Bunny. The book uses the figure of Bad Bunny to explore Puerto Rico’s colonial history and present. Diáz and Rivera-Rideau critically examine his takes on race and gender in a way that is not only about the singer’s life and career, but about the recent history of Puerto Rico.”—Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, author of, Puerto Rico: A National History
“In P FKN R, Díaz and Rivera-Rideau enlist Bad Bunny’s art to expose the layered crises facing Puerto Rico and their roots in U.S. colonial rule. Drawing on interviews with artists, producers, and industry insiders, they show how he transforms grief and pride into a sonic archive of resistance. The result is a powerful meditation on the stakes of his artistry, his platform, and the future he dares us to imagine.”—Yarimar Bonilla, author of, Non-Sovereign Futures: French Caribbean Politics in the Wake of DIsenchantment
"Did somebody say a book about Bad Bunny? And right before his half-time performance at the Super Bowl? Yes please. An examination of Benito and both his performance of politics and his politics as performance. This is the kind of cultural analysis that makes my heart sing. Well anything that has to do with Bad Bunny makes my heart sing."—Traci Thomas, She Reads
"An insightful consideration of the rapper’s significance and the many ways art can serve as protest."—Publishers Weekly
"Díaz and Rivera-Rideau create an impressive, meticulously researched study of an often-misunderstood artist."—Lisa Henry, Library Journal
"The work that Díaz and Rivera-Rideau have put into understanding Benito feels increasingly necessary, especially as his celebrity and political sway continue to balloon. . . . P FKN R emphasizes listening to Bad Bunny as a radical act, connecting us with the centuries-long struggle and ongoing resistance of the Puerto Rican people."—Reanna Cruz, Washington Post
"This is the rare academic book you can read without a highlighter."—Marisa Maldonado, Latina Media
“In P FKN R, Díaz and Rivera-Rideau enlist Bad Bunny’s art to expose the layered crises facing Puerto Rico and their roots in U.S. colonial rule. Drawing on interviews with artists, producers, and industry insiders, they show how he transforms grief and pride into a sonic archive of resistance. The result is a powerful meditation on the stakes of his artistry, his platform, and the future he dares us to imagine.”—Yarimar Bonilla, author of, Non-Sovereign Futures: French Caribbean Politics in the Wake of DIsenchantment
"Did somebody say a book about Bad Bunny? And right before his half-time performance at the Super Bowl? Yes please. An examination of Benito and both his performance of politics and his politics as performance. This is the kind of cultural analysis that makes my heart sing. Well anything that has to do with Bad Bunny makes my heart sing."—Traci Thomas, She Reads
"An insightful consideration of the rapper’s significance and the many ways art can serve as protest."—Publishers Weekly
"Díaz and Rivera-Rideau create an impressive, meticulously researched study of an often-misunderstood artist."—Lisa Henry, Library Journal
"The work that Díaz and Rivera-Rideau have put into understanding Benito feels increasingly necessary, especially as his celebrity and political sway continue to balloon. . . . P FKN R emphasizes listening to Bad Bunny as a radical act, connecting us with the centuries-long struggle and ongoing resistance of the Puerto Rican people."—Reanna Cruz, Washington Post
"This is the rare academic book you can read without a highlighter."—Marisa Maldonado, Latina Media
Vanessa Díaz is Associate Professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University and the author of Manufacturing Celebrity: Latino Paparazzi and Women Reporters in Hollywood.
Petra R. Rivera-Rideau is Associate Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College and the author of Remixing Reggaetón: The Cultural Politics of Race in Puerto Rico and Fitness Fiesta! Selling Latinx Culture Through Zumba, both also published by Duke University Press.
Petra R. Rivera-Rideau is Associate Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College and the author of Remixing Reggaetón: The Cultural Politics of Race in Puerto Rico and Fitness Fiesta! Selling Latinx Culture Through Zumba, both also published by Duke University Press.
Introduction. “¿Quién Tú Eres?”: Understanding Bad Bunny and Resistance in Puerto Rico 1
1. Las Cosas Están Empeorando: Puerto Rico in the Era of “Soy Peor” 14
2.¿“Estamos Bien”? Hurricane María and Unnatural Disaster in Puerto Rico 37
3. “El Pueblo No Aguanta Más Injusticia”: Bad Bunny and el Verano Boricua 59
4. “¿Por Qué No Puedo Ser Así?”: Bad Bunny and Gender Politics 80
5. “El Mundo es Mío”: Bad Bunny Beyond el Borinquen 107
6. “Puerto Rico Está Bien Cabrón”: The Party Is the Protest 129
7. Singing in Non-English: Bad Bunny Lost in Translation 156
8. “Nunca Antes Hubo Uno Como Yo”: Bad Bunny, Coachella, and Latino Belonging in the United States 179
9. “Prende una Velita”: Continued Hope, Continued Resistance 200
Conclusion. “Seguimos Aquí” 220
Acknowledgments 231
Notes 235
Discography 285
Bibliography 287
Index 299
1. Las Cosas Están Empeorando: Puerto Rico in the Era of “Soy Peor” 14
2.¿“Estamos Bien”? Hurricane María and Unnatural Disaster in Puerto Rico 37
3. “El Pueblo No Aguanta Más Injusticia”: Bad Bunny and el Verano Boricua 59
4. “¿Por Qué No Puedo Ser Así?”: Bad Bunny and Gender Politics 80
5. “El Mundo es Mío”: Bad Bunny Beyond el Borinquen 107
6. “Puerto Rico Está Bien Cabrón”: The Party Is the Protest 129
7. Singing in Non-English: Bad Bunny Lost in Translation 156
8. “Nunca Antes Hubo Uno Como Yo”: Bad Bunny, Coachella, and Latino Belonging in the United States 179
9. “Prende una Velita”: Continued Hope, Continued Resistance 200
Conclusion. “Seguimos Aquí” 220
Acknowledgments 231
Notes 235
Discography 285
Bibliography 287
Index 299