Ricky Martin, the pop singer from Puerto Rico, appeared as a guest at the Super Bowl halftime show and sang Bad Bunny's Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii, which translates to what happened to Hawaii gained massive attention for the meaning it holds and hopes for a better future for Puerto Rico amid negligence from the United States.
Bad Bunny, this year's performer at the Super Bowl, made history and took the opportunity to address the problems of his country, Puerto Rico, which is currently under the governance of the United States. Ricky Martin, a popular Puerto Rican singer, has hits like “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” “She Bangs,” “La Copa de la Vida”, which made him an international ambassador of Latin music.
He appeared as a special guest during Bad Bunny's halftime show and performed Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii (what happened to Hawaii), it's a song by Bad Bunny from his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which has won a Grammy Award.
The song talked about protecting Puerto Rican culture and identity and preventing what has happened to Hawaii. Hawaii is another territory of the U.S. that lost its culture and was subjected to colonisation and outside control.
American and European businessmen occupied Hawaii and overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani (Hawaii’s last monarch). The United States formally annexed Hawaii in 1898. The U.S. influenced the island economically and politically, but dismissed the culture and history of the land.
Sugar plantations became Hawaii’s biggest industry and brought labourers from Japan, China, Portugal and the Philippines. Much ancestral land became Military bases, Resorts, and Private developments. The indigenous language nearly lost its influence, and the island became one of the tourist attractions, which led to Indigenous displacement and raised living costs.