So the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) happened last night. There were plenty of highlights, but we have to talk about THAT moment with Bad Bunny. 

San Benito took to the stage at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York with thousands of fans singing along to his performance of “Titï Me Pregunto”. Surrounded by a cadre of dancers, Bad Bunny took the stage at a wedding that quickly turned into an afterparty once the music started.

The performance was high octane and the 2022 VMA Artist of the Year was in his element. And so was the crowd who continued to sing each and every word. Honestly, you could’ve given the mic to anyone in that audience and they would’ve recited all of the lyrics. 

Of course it wouldn’t be the VMAs without something special in each performance. So, what did Bad Bunny bring to the stage? A makeout session between his two dancers, one woman and one man. With a wedding and a lip lock, the performance felt like  an homage to the 2003 VMAs performance by pop icons Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. But it was also a nod of solidarity towards trans Puerto Rican artist Villano Antillano and queer Dominican artist Tokischa, who kissed on stage and consequently received negative publicity and death threats.

The two-time VMA winner has been known to push many boundaries within his music, whether it be sounds, visuals, and themes. To say the Puerto Rican superstar has had a meteoric rise is putting it mildly. He’s the first non-English language act to be the most streamed artist on Spotify and the first person to have an all Spanish language album sit atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Not to mention, he’s collected several awards. Those include Billboard Music Awards, Grammy Awards, and American Music Awards. Oh, and he’s sold out multiple venues and had one of the highest grossing tours of 2022 (and the highest grossing for a Latine artist) with his tour “El Último Tour del Mundo”. 

Accolades aside, there’s also the collection of thirst traps, magazine covers, and videos of Bad Bunny just being himself and having a great time. A part of him doing so is also him breaking gender and sexuality boundaries within reggaeton and Latin trap, but also in music in general. Need evidence? For music, check his videos for “Caro” and “Yo Perreo Sola” and for fashion, check him out at any event. 

Also, he’s used his platform to advocate for LGBTQ rights, both on and off stage. One performance in particular was on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he performed “Ignorantes” with Panamanian artist Sech wearing a shirt that said “Mataron a Alexa, no a un hombre con falda (They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt)”. This in reference to the murder of trans woman Alexa Negrón Luciano in Puerto Rico, with media reports misgendering her and labelling her as a “man in a skirt”. 

But back to this VMA performance, which sent the internet into a frenzy. 

Well played El Conejo Malo. Check out the full performance below.

 

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