Bad Bunny wins top Grammy prize
Latino rap star Bad Bunny won the top Grammy prize on Sunday, a first for a Spanish-language album, with “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” a celebration of his Puerto Rican roots.
The 31-year-old performer-producer edged out fellow megastars Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga to clinch his first album-of-the-year Grammy, considered the pinnacle of the music industry’s highest honors.
“I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country to follow their dreams,” the Puerto Rican artist said in his acceptance speech, tapping into expressions of solidarity for immigrants evident throughout the show.
“Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” a musical tribute to Bad Bunny’s Caribbean island homeland, marked his sixth studio set and was heavily favored after winning the Latin Grammys’ album of the year award in November.
Grammy recognition of Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, carried strong political overtones given his outspoken criticism of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps ordered by US President Donald Trump in cities across the country.
The singer-producer skipped the continental United States on his recent concert tour, saying he feared federal immigration agents would show up to arrest his fans.
The Grammy accolades also burnished his reputation ahead of a wider introduction to a mainstream English-speaking US audience next Sunday when he is due to headline the National Football League’s Super Bowl halftime show.
His selection for one of the marquee live sports and entertainment events on US television has rankled some traditionalists, including Trump, who called it “absolutely ridiculous” and said he had never heard of Bad Bunny.
Bad Bunny openly supported Trump’s Democratic opponent Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
“ICE out,” he declared from the stage as he accepted the award for best Latin urban music album for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” one of five awards he received.
Opposition to Trump’s deportation drive emerged as a recurring theme throughout the three-hour-plus live Grammy telecast, in which many attendees, including Justin Bieber, were seen sporting “ICE Out” buttons.