Speaker 1: Welcome back, me Hanthon. We've covered so much in the
Speaker 1: past two episodes and it's only been like what four
Speaker 1: years out of Bad Bunny's life. That's insanity. Yeah, if
Speaker 1: you remember, he went from grocery bagger to the biggest
Speaker 1: artist on the planet faster than Leo DiCaprio can find
Speaker 1: a new underaged girlfriend. Oh my god, store that success. However,
Speaker 1: it didn't come easy. It took a lot of hard
Speaker 1: work and as we've told you, there have been a
Speaker 1: lot of challenges along the way because with his success
Speaker 1: came a level of fame and attention that would overwhelm
Speaker 1: most people. And let's be honest, Bad Bunny was no different.
Speaker 1: There was a spotlight on his life now and soon
Speaker 1: it just became too much. So the unthinkable happened. Bad
Speaker 1: Bunny was no Moss. He announced his retirement. Wait what
Speaker 1: that's it, I'm leaving. No, No, I'm done, Joseph. It's okay.
Speaker 1: We'll get through it because we all know that fate
Speaker 1: had a different plan for babies futudo. It was bigger
Speaker 1: than anyone could imagine. I am talking met Gallery. Yes,
Speaker 1: even Anna Wintour cannot escape at conejomalo a sold out
Speaker 1: stadium tour and a night we will never forget at
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty two VMAs. But before any of that
Speaker 1: could happen, COVID cut all of our plans short and
Speaker 1: the world went into lockdown. I'm your host, Liliana Vasquez
Speaker 1: and I'm Joseph Carrillo and this is Becoming an icon
Speaker 1: a weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on
Speaker 1: how today's most famous Latin at stars have shaped culture
Speaker 1: and given the world some extra stable Sit back and
Speaker 1: get comfortable, because we are going in the only way
Speaker 1: we know how, with buenas and a lot of opinions
Speaker 1: as we relive their greatest achievements on our journey to
Speaker 1: find out what makes them so iconic. Um, that's an understatement.
Speaker 1: That is as Joseph yo Ago became the highest charting
Speaker 1: All Spanish album ever on the Billboard two hundred charts,
Speaker 1: well until he released his third album, Ultimotor del Mundo.
Speaker 1: But let's slow down, because we are getting ahead of ourselves.
Speaker 1: Bad Bunny had just delivered a banger of an album
Speaker 1: and then shared that his next album would be his
Speaker 1: last one. Wait what come again? The fanside questions, what
Speaker 1: was he thinking, and the only place we could go
Speaker 1: to get answers was Twitter. There were all of these
Speaker 1: crazy theories. Um yeah, like the wwe excuse me, no, no, no,
Speaker 1: I remember people thought, well he said nine months in
Speaker 1: the song. Is he having a baby? Hell no. But
Speaker 1: here's the thing. We were all thinking this if this
Speaker 1: in fact was going to be his very last tour,
Speaker 1: hold up, hold up, honey, you know I'm going to
Speaker 1: every tour stop I can afford and hoard all the
Speaker 1: merch I can get this hands on in size extra
Speaker 1: smorg exactly. But we knew that the Yagur would be incredible.
Speaker 1: Unfortunately we would have to wait to see it because
Speaker 1: in March twenty twenty, the world came to a standstill.
Speaker 1: Over one hundred countries instituted either a full or partial lockdown.
Speaker 1: The entire world went on pause only one month after
Speaker 1: Bad Bunny released the album. Joagle was meant to get
Speaker 1: peeps into the streets, out of the jando, in the
Speaker 1: garage parties, or in the clerk. Instead, everyone was putting
Speaker 1: on masks and stockpiling hand sanitizer, oh and toilet paper.
Speaker 1: And let's be honest, the pandemic was bad for everyone,
Speaker 1: but imagine if you're a global icon who just dropped
Speaker 1: a critically acclaimed album, and now you're just passing time
Speaker 1: by dancing at home with hold up with who who
Speaker 1: is my puppy? Chuli's shacking up with behind my back,
Speaker 1: Patience Joseph. I will get to all of that. In April,
Speaker 1: Bad Bunny went back to his SoundCloud roots and released
Speaker 1: and Gasita with a very special backup singer, so Navia
Speaker 1: Gadiela Berlinghetti. While Bad Bunny was becoming a worldwide sensation,
Speaker 1: there was one thing he happily kept very very private,
Speaker 1: his relationship with Berlingetti. Now here's what we know. They
Speaker 1: first met while out to dinner with his family in
Speaker 1: Puerto Rico, and then they started talking. They just hit
Speaker 1: it off. It was simple, let may not get cute.
Speaker 1: It's so basic but so romantic. I kind of love it.
Speaker 1: And one thing led to another, and a year later,
Speaker 1: Gabby was in the studio with her man her Man
Speaker 1: Joseph recording references for Jlo's vocals on vegus Thin talk
Speaker 1: about supporting your man's What's insane to me is that
Speaker 1: they met in twenty seventeen and they're still together. We
Speaker 1: found out about this years later. I can't believe they
Speaker 1: were able to keep their relationship quiet and on the
Speaker 1: d L for so long. Even the diehard Bad Bunny
Speaker 1: fans had no freaking clue. Once we started seeing videos
Speaker 1: of them dancing, are wrestling, playing Jenga, making out on
Speaker 1: the set of Jo while Benito was in full drag. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it was at that moment we knew they were the
Speaker 1: real deal. He had a lot of things going on.
Speaker 1: He also graced the first digital cover of Playboy, and
Speaker 1: he was the only other man to ever grace the
Speaker 1: cover other than Hugh Hefner himself, and his song Bano
Speaker 1: appeared in an ad for Joe Biden's twenty twenty campaign.
Speaker 1: He even gave a concert via YouTube on top of
Speaker 1: a flatbed truck as it drove through Manhattan. Hold On,
Speaker 1: Hold On, But he delivered us one last album, even
Speaker 1: though twenty twenty was so rough. In the end, Bad
Speaker 1: Bunny gave the world a gift his album, A Ultimo
Speaker 1: Tour del Mundo. For our non Spanish speaking listeners, it
Speaker 1: means the last Tour of the World. Babe wrote and
Speaker 1: recorded the entire album during Quartee, and it was a
Speaker 1: sharp departure from Joago looking Lagana. Yeah, it feels like
Speaker 1: it was a softer light light you should trademark that
Speaker 1: was designed to be turned all the way effing up.
Speaker 1: Musi guy, you could shake your ass too, But Uti
Speaker 1: Motor del Mundo was meant to be enjoyed at home.
Speaker 1: You know. This was music to chill with with your girlfriend,
Speaker 1: with your man's with your boo. And if you think
Speaker 1: about the album, it was almost like he was imagining
Speaker 1: what his last concert tour would look like. And what
Speaker 1: was really stand out for me was all of the
Speaker 1: different genres that we heard from Bad Bunny. It felt
Speaker 1: I was hearing a little rock and roll, Was I
Speaker 1: hearing a little new wave, maybe some indie music. I
Speaker 1: actually was wondering if he was just kind of switching over,
Speaker 1: you know, because this was so different. Yeah, that question
Speaker 1: is one that everyone was asking, right. We were saying, Okay,
Speaker 1: he's stepping outside of reggaeton into reggaeini right, Okay, but
Speaker 1: hold on, what was your favorite song? Okay? So I
Speaker 1: feel like I have too. So one of them I
Speaker 1: loved because it was the song that converted my mom
Speaker 1: to a Bad Bunny fan, and that was Bekiti. It
Speaker 1: was on repeat at my house, at my mom's house,
Speaker 1: I mean, she finally came around to the Bad Bunny universe.
Speaker 1: And what made me realize that this song would have
Speaker 1: that power not just over my mom but over all people,
Speaker 1: is that I would literally see gringos shazamming the shit
Speaker 1: out of that song. What song is this? So it is?
Speaker 1: It is just so good. It reminds me of, you know,
Speaker 1: just being out and being around people, and it's just
Speaker 1: a really, really really great memory. It was, and I
Speaker 1: loved the pace of that song. But as a Rosalia fan,
Speaker 1: I also have to say their collaboration, Oh, it was
Speaker 1: so good fuego and it was something that the fans wanted,
Speaker 1: so I felt they both listened to their fans and delivered.
Speaker 1: And just like everything that Bad Bunny touches, it turned
Speaker 1: to gold. The album dominated the charts, becoming the most
Speaker 1: streamed album in Latin America. People were calling Bad Bunny
Speaker 1: the world's biggest pop star, so naturally he started exploring
Speaker 1: other creative avenues. He was like, y'all think you know me,
Speaker 1: let me show you bo I really am, And that
Speaker 1: led to a musical guest performance on SNL he got
Speaker 1: cast opposite I don't know, the biggest celebrity on the
Speaker 1: planet grad hit in a movie. Plus, he didn't stop
Speaker 1: with that acting role. He also scored a supporting role
Speaker 1: in Natur's Mexico. Hold On, Hold On, you're forgetting something
Speaker 1: super major? No? Yeah, he started wrestling. How could we
Speaker 1: forget wrestle Mania? Tight clothes and sweaty men. But all
Speaker 1: these extracurricular activities also meant that Benito didn't have as
Speaker 1: much time for his music. Like Ross and Rachel say,
Speaker 1: we're on a break, he needed it for his own
Speaker 1: mental health, But something in me feels like he also
Speaker 1: needed to miss what he loves the most. You know
Speaker 1: that saying if you love something, set it free. If
Speaker 1: it comes back, No, if it doesn't come back, it
Speaker 1: was never yours. It's on a T shirt somewhere. Whatever.
Speaker 1: What I'm saying is that I feel like Benito needed
Speaker 1: to miss the thing that really centers him, the thing
Speaker 1: that drives and fuels his passion, and that's the connection
Speaker 1: that music provides between him and his fans. After taking
Speaker 1: a break from it all, Bad Money was ready to
Speaker 1: come back with a whole new sound and reignite regeton
Speaker 1: yet again. As Bad Money loves to say, he just
Speaker 1: goes with the flow and post mundo, the vibe was
Speaker 1: all about the fashion. No, no, it was about the
Speaker 1: fact shining from the get go. We know that he
Speaker 1: has always been a rule breaker. I mean, he is
Speaker 1: a total individual. He defined trends with his style, challenging
Speaker 1: gender norms and machismo along the way. So it's only
Speaker 1: fitting that he would be invited to the biggest and
Speaker 1: most exclusive fashion event, the MET Gala. Liliana. Not everyone
Speaker 1: knows and is obsessed with the MET Gala as we are,
Speaker 1: so watch the spiel. Okay, well, listeners, you're in the
Speaker 1: right place because the MET Gala takes place once a year,
Speaker 1: I mean, on a normal non COVID schedule on the
Speaker 1: first Monday in May. And what it really is is
Speaker 1: a big fundraiser, right, It benefits the Metropolitan Museum of
Speaker 1: Art Costume Institute a New York City. But it's called
Speaker 1: the Met Gala, and it's only and only one person
Speaker 1: gets to invite you my homegirl, and wait, she's your
Speaker 1: home girl? I mean no, but I do contribute to Vogue.
Speaker 1: You can't really get a ticket. You must be invited
Speaker 1: by Anna herself to buy tables for a hundreds and
Speaker 1: thousands of dollars. Yes, I mean literally everybody wants to
Speaker 1: be there. It has been hosted by the biggest names
Speaker 1: in music, in film, in fashion, in society. I mean
Speaker 1: this is Leachrem de Leachrem. Not even a list, this
Speaker 1: is a plus plus list. It is the list. So naturally,
Speaker 1: given his assent the top of the fashion and music world,
Speaker 1: Anna had no choice but to invite bad Bunny Well,
Speaker 1: I mean she was lucky. He even made it. To
Speaker 1: be honest, I mean, home dude was busy making the
Speaker 1: greatest album of the Summa Summa Summa Time. I like
Speaker 1: that your voice was so smooth on the I do
Speaker 1: love that song. Benito knew the power of walking the
Speaker 1: famous steps at the met Gallen, so naturally he RSVP hell. Yes.
Speaker 1: What I love is that every year they have a theme.
Speaker 1: The theme was the guilded Age, and Benito made sure
Speaker 1: to represent Puerto Rico as he always does. The really
Speaker 1: cool thing is he was paired with designer Ricardo t
Speaker 1: Sheet for Burberry. Yes, which I thought was an interesting
Speaker 1: pairing because here's how it worked. So Anna drafts up
Speaker 1: her guest list, right, these are all the celebrities she
Speaker 1: wants to invite, but then she paired them up with
Speaker 1: their fashion quote unquote date, and that designer is responsible
Speaker 1: for dressing that celebrity for the Red Carpet. So I
Speaker 1: found it interesting that Anna for some reason thought that
Speaker 1: Ricardo and Burberry would be the perfect match for Benito,
Speaker 1: and it turns out she was right. That fit Mama
Speaker 1: was everything. Yes, the research that went into it, the artistry,
Speaker 1: it was all a win. I mean he wore a dress. Yeah.
Speaker 1: You know. What was the coolest part about the dress
Speaker 1: is that it was actually two pieces that zipped together
Speaker 1: to create a dress. And I believe his stylist, Storm Pablo,
Speaker 1: mentioned that they had done a lot of skirts in
Speaker 1: the past, but this was the very first time Bad
Speaker 1: Bunny had actually worn a dress, especially at an event
Speaker 1: this big and this major. Oh, it was incredible. I'm
Speaker 1: dead and honestly like, he is someone who can deliver
Speaker 1: this look. He might be one of the only people
Speaker 1: that could deliver this look. He was the only person
Speaker 1: who delivered the look. There, I said it. No, it's true.
Speaker 1: I mean most of these men on the Red Carpet
Speaker 1: just show up in a tux, and Bad Bunny was like,
Speaker 1: excuse me, I'm not basic. I'm not showing up in
Speaker 1: a white tie tucks. I'm going to show up in
Speaker 1: a dress. And he was authentic and he was unapologetically
Speaker 1: Puerto and that is the best part of who he is.
Speaker 1: He's just somebody that always shows up and gives us
Speaker 1: something to talk about. His attendance at the Met gala,
Speaker 1: was it just about hobnobbing with fashion Zelie and you know,
Speaker 1: taking some snaps for the gram. No, no, no, Bad
Speaker 1: Bunny is much smarter than that. He saw this as
Speaker 1: a he huge promotional opportunity. Unvanadocinthi Baby's fourth studio album
Speaker 1: was released on May six, twenty twenty two, just four
Speaker 1: days after the Met gala. Bad Bunny was everywhere post
Speaker 1: Met and it paid off. That album debuted at number
Speaker 1: one on the Billboard two hundred and hasn't left the
Speaker 1: top since. Okay, this album is going to go down
Speaker 1: in the record books. I mean simply. It is the
Speaker 1: longest running number one album in over five years, since
Speaker 1: Drake back in twenty sixteen. It is also the first
Speaker 1: all Spanish language album to hit number one on the
Speaker 1: Billboard two hundred for me, You're saying all these amazing things.
Speaker 1: I'm just kind of like it's the album of the summer.
Speaker 1: It totally is, But why do you feel that way?
Speaker 1: Because it had everything from like mambo and techno and
Speaker 1: rey gae in Coombia and Caribbean. It was he paid
Speaker 1: an ode to the Caribbean culture. True. Yeah. And he
Speaker 1: talks about the album, he says that this album encapsulates
Speaker 1: a feeling, right, and that feeling is of his summers
Speaker 1: as a little boy in Puerto Rico, and if he's
Speaker 1: ever been to Puerto Rico, there really is something about
Speaker 1: the air, about the water, about the people, about the feeling,
Speaker 1: and Bad Bunny was able to bring all of that
Speaker 1: into an album. I mean, it really is and has
Speaker 1: been the go to album this last summer. Okay, but wait,
Speaker 1: what is your favorite song on the album? Okay, So
Speaker 1: I might get some feedback on this, but I'm gonna
Speaker 1: go for it. I say this was the Laplaya and
Speaker 1: I'll tell you why. It starts off classically Bad Bunny, right,
Speaker 1: but then all of a sudden he hits you on
Speaker 1: a live mic over a Dominican band Dahianla Pachao and
Speaker 1: then you have this mambo Marenge fusion and Bad Bunny
Speaker 1: is just going for it. It's raw. It was a
Speaker 1: total surprise. So the album was what a success, which
Speaker 1: of course means that he had to go on the road.
Speaker 1: But y'all, this was not going to be just any
Speaker 1: tour he hasn't performed in over two years. It needed
Speaker 1: to be big, and I mean over the top. Benita
Speaker 1: was booking the biggest stadiums all over the world, and
Speaker 1: they were selling out so fast. But you know, Joseph,
Speaker 1: what I keep thinking when I see all of the
Speaker 1: videos of him performing that fans are posting from his
Speaker 1: concerts that you want to attend my wedding where Benito
Speaker 1: and I walked down the aisle of Roses on a
Speaker 1: ply on Puerto Rico. Wait what? And then I cut
Speaker 1: the cake and then I shoved the first slice into
Speaker 1: his open mouth and then he rubs icing all over him. Joseph, stop,
Speaker 1: he looks happy. He just looks like he's having the
Speaker 1: best time ever on stage, surrounded by all the good
Speaker 1: vibas that his fans are bringing. It's really true, and
Speaker 1: I think it says a lot about mental health now
Speaker 1: and how outspoken. He has been about it. Yeah, you know,
Speaker 1: we've talked about how he continues to fight against gender
Speaker 1: norms with his fashion choices. But I think Bad Bunny's
Speaker 1: also combating the stigma that often exists in Latin culture
Speaker 1: around mental health and getting help for yourself, and the
Speaker 1: way he does it is by just being vulnerable and
Speaker 1: giving visibility to his own struggles. He really doesn't shy
Speaker 1: away from acknowledging how important taking a break can be,
Speaker 1: even for someone like him. The truth of Bad Bunny
Speaker 1: as an artist is that he's always prioritized his well
Speaker 1: being over fame and success. Honestly, he's just making art
Speaker 1: that he can be proud of. Yeah, and that kind
Speaker 1: of authenticity is inspiring, and he makes music with a message.
Speaker 1: In a recent interview with Vogue, Bad Bunny said this, Honestly,
Speaker 1: I'm grateful for the awards and the recognition, but nothing
Speaker 1: I do is with the intention of breaking records, getting
Speaker 1: nominations or being number one again. I'm extremely grateful. I
Speaker 1: don't want it to come off as if I'm not.
Speaker 1: I'm just doing what I'm most passionate about, creating music.
Speaker 1: And he's even making music with his girl Berlingetti. Okay,
Speaker 1: can you stop bringing her up? What are you not
Speaker 1: inviting her to your fantasy wedding? Oh trust me, all
Speaker 1: of the exes are definitely going to come witness my victory. Anyways.
Speaker 1: In the track Alafagon Beer Lingetti sings let them leave,
Speaker 1: this is my beach, this is my land. The song
Speaker 1: is basically a melodic middle finger to the privatization of
Speaker 1: Puerto Rico's beaches and their electrical grid, and the resulting
Speaker 1: displacement of communities on the island. Benito told The New
Speaker 1: York Times, this is a song from the heart. I
Speaker 1: didn't want to get a famous artist. I wanted someone
Speaker 1: to sing it out of love, because it's a sincere message,
Speaker 1: a message about how deeply he loves his island. So
Speaker 1: when Unvananal Sindi dropped, there was no doubt where he
Speaker 1: would be kicking off the tour. We really have come
Speaker 1: full circle, haven't we? M And while we all know
Speaker 1: the lead up to the concert was total chaos, please
Speaker 1: refer to episode one. The best part about this PR
Speaker 1: tour is that you could buy a ticket for as
Speaker 1: little as fifteen bucks. Honestly, I love bad Bunny gave
Speaker 1: San Juan a sneak peek of what was to come
Speaker 1: on his stadium tour, and every single night was packed
Speaker 1: full of guests. Arbnito is always looking up for others.
Speaker 1: The top moment of the night had to be when
Speaker 1: he brought on Viano Antiano, the first prominent trans Latin
Speaker 1: rap artist. The crowd went fuerta de control, but Benizo
Speaker 1: wasn't going to stop there. He also invited queer musician
Speaker 1: Young Nikol and alt Pareo artist Right Now during the
Speaker 1: subsequent nights. Bad Bunny does not shy away from using
Speaker 1: his massive platform to bring more visibility to trans and
Speaker 1: queer artists, and he highlights political issues in Puerto Rico.
Speaker 1: On stage, he said, the country belongs to us and
Speaker 1: we are the ones in control. I believe in this generation.
Speaker 1: I want to live here with you forever. That was
Speaker 1: a very direct message to developers and mainland investors who
Speaker 1: are trying to buy out all of Puerto Rico and
Speaker 1: even claiming Puerto Rico's beaches as private property. I mean,
Speaker 1: the beaches belong to Puerto Ricans, not you. Goldman Sachs
Speaker 1: get to step in and all that drama is on
Speaker 1: the album too. If you want to listen to the
Speaker 1: tracks with some rum and potty potty potty on a playa,
Speaker 1: you can do that. But if you really listen to
Speaker 1: the B side of this album, Bad Bunny also asked
Speaker 1: you to pay attention to what's really happening on the island.
Speaker 1: There's actually one song in particular, I'd definitely like to
Speaker 1: pour out a little rum too when we come back. Okay, really,
Speaker 1: why I can't be the mind her own business because
Speaker 1: she's at THEA and it's their job to be nosey
Speaker 1: af honest? Is a bang girl? No, you are so
Speaker 1: right on this one. I mean, this is the perfect
Speaker 1: Bad Bunny song because you can dance to it, or,
Speaker 1: as Joseph likes to say, you can twerk all of
Speaker 1: the above. And he talks about doing this, and you know,
Speaker 1: the song celebrates being with multiple women, cheating, not settling down,
Speaker 1: and if you listen to it, on the surface, it
Speaker 1: mocks more traditional relationships and expectations. But then Bad Bunny
Speaker 1: turns the whole song upside down at the end and
Speaker 1: says that, wait, I actually do want to be in
Speaker 1: a committed relationship. I want stability, I want monogamy. Listen
Speaker 1: the song is complicated, like all Bad Bunny songs are,
Speaker 1: because even though it sounds like he wants a party, party,
Speaker 1: party in the street with dozens of women, at the end,
Speaker 1: it goes back to mental health and to also criticizing
Speaker 1: the machismo that exists and is so pervasive in Latino culture. Right.
Speaker 1: It's this double standard that's set on young boys and girls.
Speaker 1: It's deep. He really addresses so many different things just constantly,
Speaker 1: but it's the same issues he keeps going through. And
Speaker 1: I think it's so cool because it's all written so differently.
Speaker 1: The machismo, the cheating, the mental health, the political issues.
Speaker 1: It's really beautifully told stories. Yes, and visually, if you
Speaker 1: guys watch the video, I mean this video is a
Speaker 1: love song to the Dominican Republic, right, and as of
Speaker 1: Puerto Rican who has oh out of Dominican friends. I
Speaker 1: can tell you we're a little competitive with each other, right.
Speaker 1: We're both small islands, fiercely proud of our music, our food,
Speaker 1: our people are sound. But I love that Bad Bunny
Speaker 1: is such a broad Botigua. But in this video he's
Speaker 1: being proud of Puerto Rico, but also really sharing his
Speaker 1: love for Dominican culture. I mean shot the video in
Speaker 1: the Bronx on the streets. I was like, who are
Speaker 1: you j low Right, he's in the bodega, he's parting
Speaker 1: with the people. It's just it's a really beautiful video.
Speaker 1: And I also live at the end that his real
Speaker 1: life girlfriend Gabby gets beamed down from the sky in
Speaker 1: her gorgeous white wedding dress. So some people even said,
Speaker 1: wait a second, could they be secretly married and we
Speaker 1: not know? Did she steal my dress? I'm done with her?
Speaker 1: So it's only fitting that that's the song he performed
Speaker 1: when he was awarded Artist of the Year at the
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two VAS. Now, this award is the biggest
Speaker 1: award of the night at the VMA's and that moon
Speaker 1: Man lets everyone know who ruled music that year at
Speaker 1: Sharon Camilla, Caabayo, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber have
Speaker 1: all taken home the same award. This is music Royalty
Speaker 1: and now you can add Bad Bunny to that prestigious list.
Speaker 1: This is a big deal because it makes him the
Speaker 1: first non English speaking performer to win the award. Can
Speaker 1: I get fails? Yes, yes, a Bad Bunny? And he
Speaker 1: accepted the award on stage at Yankee Stadium in front
Speaker 1: of a sold out crowd. Girl, those tickets were cralicious.
Speaker 1: We couldn't even afford to get tickets for ourselves. I mean,
Speaker 1: I need to sell my bitcoin. I mean we need
Speaker 1: a raise. The prices were out of control. And you
Speaker 1: know what, Joseph, everything that we've shared about Benetho in
Speaker 1: these past three episodes, well it's all in his acceptance
Speaker 1: speech from that night. From the beginning, I've always said,
Speaker 1: and I've always believed that I could be big, that
Speaker 1: I could become one of the biggest stars in the
Speaker 1: world without changing my culture, my language, or the way
Speaker 1: I speak. I'm Beneito Antonio Martinez forrom Puerto Rico, for
Speaker 1: the entire world. Authenticity is what makes Bad Bunny an icon.
Speaker 1: In his music, through his fashion, or when he's telling
Speaker 1: off some of the most powerful politicians in the world.
Speaker 1: Beneathal speaks his truth. He also works tirelessly to make
Speaker 1: sure that others can speak their truth. He's an amplifier
Speaker 1: for causes important to our community, and he always makes
Speaker 1: sure to extend a ladder to the next generation. Joseph,
Speaker 1: what's the reason that Bad Bunny is an icon in
Speaker 1: rys he has become iconic in what he means to
Speaker 1: me is he's an amazing storyteller, he's an artist, and
Speaker 1: he addresses honestly for me because it's really like deep
Speaker 1: to my heart mental health and mental health issues. And
Speaker 1: he talks so openly about him, kind of like people
Speaker 1: talk about the gym, and so it's his vulnerability of
Speaker 1: just him staying true to himself that is what has
Speaker 1: made him iconic for me. For me, it's always been
Speaker 1: about representation, but representation that isn't watered down to appeal
Speaker 1: to the masses. The fact that Bad Bunny is from
Speaker 1: or Three and that I'm from Puerto Rico and my
Speaker 1: family's from there. He is such a beacon of light
Speaker 1: and hope and joy, and he really represents the love
Speaker 1: that Puerto Ricans have for that island. And him opening
Speaker 1: up the world to how beautiful and magical this small
Speaker 1: island in the Caribbean really is, it just makes me
Speaker 1: feel so loved and embraced in such a real way.
Speaker 1: I feel like in the past, we've had representatives from
Speaker 1: the island, but nobody has represented Puerto Rico the way
Speaker 1: that Bad Bunny has, and it's so beautiful to see,
Speaker 1: it's so beautiful to be a part of. And it
Speaker 1: has really inspired me to reconnect with my family in
Speaker 1: ways that I have it before, and to dig deeper
Speaker 1: into the history of the island. And not many musicians
Speaker 1: or fashion icons do that. Right, he has made me
Speaker 1: really deep dive into Laku Buddha and understand it in
Speaker 1: a very different way than I ever had before. Wow.
Speaker 1: I mean, honestly, that's that's that's deep it is. And
Speaker 1: I hope that other people that aren't Puerto Rican also
Speaker 1: start to see the history and the culture and the
Speaker 1: art and the beauty of that island they have and
Speaker 1: they do, you know, And you know what's the most
Speaker 1: exciting part about Bad Bunny. Tell me it's that he's
Speaker 1: just getting started. I cannot wait to see what he
Speaker 1: does next. On the next Becoming an Icon, I feel
Speaker 1: like you didn't get quite enough Bad Bunny, Well, there's more.
Speaker 1: On our next episode, Joseph and I are joined by
Speaker 1: journalists Moi says Mendes to discuss all of the cheeseman
Speaker 1: we couldn't fit into this episode, Becoming an Icon is
Speaker 1: presented by Sonoro and Ihearts Michael Kuda Podcast network. Listen
Speaker 1: to becoming an icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast,
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcast