“...Pero Les Falta Sazón”
CREDIT: Instagram/@badbunnypr
Whether you speak Spanish or not, chances are you’ve listened to a Bad Bunny song. Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, popularly known as Bad Bunny, is the modern face of Latin music. His unparalleled fame has turned the genre into a worldwide phenomenon, and he dominates the scene with ease.
Bad Bunny is grateful to his fans from around the world, but he never forgets where he came from.
He is a proud Boricua; he represents the island of Puerto Rico no matter where he is or who he’s around. He recently became the first non-English act to win a VMA for Artist of the Year — and he gave his entire speech in Spanish.
CREDIT: Instagram/@badbunnypr
His fame has contributed to the emergence of Hispanic/Latinx culture into the mainstream … and he has something to say about that. In his song “El Apagón" from his smash-hit album "Un Verano Sin Ti," he sums up how feels by saying, “Ahora todos quieren ser latinos, pero les falta sazón.” This translates to, “Now they all want to be Latino, but they lack seasoning.” “Seasoning” in this context can mean a myriad of things – rhythm and culture among them.
The point is: Benito knows his success has helped make latinidad more “attractive” to the masses, but he doesn’t want people to think he condones the appropriation of his culture.
After all, the richness and history of Hispanic/Latinx culture is not something that should be deemed valuable whenever the majority sees fit. It is, and has always been, ours to be proud of.
Daniella Conde is an Online Writer at Rowdy Magazine. She's a proud Cuban-American from Miami, FL. When she's not lost in productivity while sipping on an overpriced caffeinated beverage at a coffee shop, you can find her binge-reading romance novels, obsessing over Taylor Swift Easter eggs or attending Harry Styles concerts.