Historian of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Latin America, Professor Jorell Meléndez-Badillo
Recently, Professor Meléndez-Badillo collaborated with global superstar Bad Bunny in the creation of historical narratives that accompanied each song’s YouTube visualizer in DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. He also wrote 40 historical and cultural short texts that are used in the screens of Bad Bunny’s historic residency in Puerto Rico.
In the days leading up to and following Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl, various media outlets featured Meléndez-Badillo about the History of Puerto Rico and the historic impact of Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show at the Superbowl. Here are a few:
- “Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show will be a history lesson for the ages,” De Los by Los Angeles Times, February 5, 2026, https://www.latimes.com/delos/story/2026-02-05/bad-bunnys-super-bowl-halftime-show-will-be-history-lesson-for-ages.
- Patricia Mazzei and Laura N. Pérez Sánchez, “Bad Bunny gives voice to the crisis generation,” New York Times, February 8, 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/us/bad-bunny-puerto-rico.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KlA.Q7Cj.stCnHw5bxBQo.
- “How Bad Bunny took Puerto Rican Independence Mainstream,” NPR Throughline, NPR, February 12, 2026, https://www.npr.org/2026/02/12/nx-s1-5708997/how-bad-bunny-took-puerto-rican-independence-mainstream.
- “Does Bad Bunny’s halftime show mean mean more than music?” NBC Bay Area, February 6, 2026, https://www.nbcbayarea.com/video/super-bowl/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime/4029134/.
- “UW Professor on his Collaboration with Bad Bunny after Historic Win.” WISN News at 4:00pm, WISN, February 2, 2026, https://www.wisn.com/article/uw-professor-collaboration-with-bad-bunny-after-historic-win/70227957.