Dr. Vanessa Díaz on Bad Bunny, P FKN R & Why the Latin Crossover Is Officially Dead

Hosts Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito sit down with Dr. Vanessa J. Díaz, professor of Chicano and Latino Studies at Loyola Marymount University and co-author of P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance, for a wide-ranging conversation about what Bad Bunny's ascent really means — for Puerto Rico, for Latinos in the U.S., and for the future of Latin music. They trace the through line from 2019 — when Bad Bunny abandoned his European tour to join mass protests against Puerto Rico's Governor Rosselló — to his Super Bowl halftime show, where he took the stage holding the light blue Puerto Rican independence flag, the same flag the U.S. government made illegal to own under the Gag Law of 1948. The conversation covers why the 2023 Grammys captioned Bad Bunny's performance as "singing in non-English," how that same erasure played out again during Super Bowl backlash, and why calling him a diversity hire — when he is the most-streamed artist in the world — says everything about how Latinos continue to be othered regardless of their cultural dominance. They also talk about Ricky Martin's appearance at the halftime show, why Vanessa and Suzy call that segment "Lo Que Le Pasó Ricky Martin," and what it means that he got to sing entirely in Spanish about refusing to assimilate. Plus: why Latin music generated $1.4 billion in revenue in 2024 and why the concept of a Latin crossover is not just obsolete — it never made sense. Produced by Los Angeles Times, L.A. Times Studios, and Sonoro. 🎙 De Los Podcast drops new episodes every week on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation. From the Los Angeles Times and Sonoro comes the De Los Podcast — a weekly conversation where music, pop culture and Latinidad collide. Hosted by De Los editors Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito, the show pulls back the curtain on the stories, people and cultural moments shaping the Latino experience in the U.S. and beyond. Every episode is a front-row seat to conversations with the artists, actors, filmmakers and thinkers who are moving the culture forward — not just talking about it. Guests include Leslie Grace, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, Xolo Maridueña, Fabrizio Guido, producer and singer Empress Of, among others. Think of it as the cultural conversation that major American media rarely makes room for — a space where Latinos get to talk, unfiltered, about what they create and who they are. Produced by Los Angeles Times, L.A. Times Studios, and Sonoro. New episodes every week — available on YouTube and all major podcasts.