"I want to cry": Bad Bunny opens up about voter apathy in Puerto Rico and his connection to the country

Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny is often referred to as the king of Latin rap and for good reason. The 30-year-old rapper has propagated Latin culture, dance, and music with his reggaeton sound and chart-topping hits. The rapper’s love for his native country Puerto Rico is evident through his predominantly Spanish songs, some of which address social and political issues.

He appeared on a podcast by Puerto Rican YouTuber El Tony Pregunta released on September 2, 2024, where he addressed issues affecting his home country. At some point, the rapper became emotional as he spoke. He voiced his discontent with the current political state in Puerto Rico—the bad roads, unstable power supply, and poor education systems. He also emphasized the need for youths to vote during the upcoming US elections:

“I really care about Puerto Rico and I don’t know if it’s the weight of ... I want to cry and everything. It's good to go out on the streets to protest, to let ourselves be heard as people, but I think that the biggest act of protest is to vote against the people who have led us to this mess on Nov. 5.”

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More details on Bad Bunny’s political stance on El Tony Pregunta's podcast

The Monaco hitmaker bemoaned the political state of Puerto Rico and how tourists who visit the state, attracted by his music leave without knowing the living realities of its inhabitants. The Puerto Rican rapper was emotional as he spoke:

"Going out there and giving it my all, not just for myself, but always to represent. Knowing there are people around the world, in Japan, in Germany, who know about Puerto Rico because of my music, because of other artists, because of salsa, because of our culture, because of our people,"

He added:

"Tourists come here and say, 'Wow, how beautiful,' but they leave without knowing what happens here, without knowing the suffering of those who live here."

He admonished the Puerto Rican youths to influence change by voting in the upcoming elections on November 5, 2024. Bad Bunny clarified that he disliked politics and didn't want to get involved in it, but at the same time, going to express his discontent with the situation in his home country. He stated:

"I continue to be myself. I'm not getting into politics. Politics gets into my life because politics affects my country, it affects Puerto Rico,"

The three-time Grammy Award winner also took listeners down memory lane to the 2019 protests that resulted in the removal of the governor at that time, Ricardo Rosello while stressing that the same attitude needed to be adopted in the upcoming elections.

Bad Bunny also revealed that he dreamt of a better future for Puerto Rico where the people lived happily.

Bad Bunny’s commitment to his native country goes beyond music as his Good Bunny Foundation recently launched an educational project, Un Verano Contigo to promote art, music, and sports among youths.

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