Description: "Aquí mataron gente por sacar la bandera / Por eso es que ahora yo la llevo donde quiera." (Here they killed people for taking out the flag / that's why I bring it anywhere I want now.)--LA MuDANZA
Global superstar Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, like many other Puerto Ricans, has lived a life marked by public crises--blackouts, hurricanes, political corruption and oppression, among others--that have exposed the ongoing impacts of colonialism in Puerto Rico. Offering a portrait of the past and future of Puerto Rican resistance through one of its loudest and proudest voices, P FKN R draws on interviews with musicians, politicians, and journalists as well as ethnographic research to set Bad Bunny and Puerto Rican resistance in a historical, political, and cultural context. Authors Vanessa Díaz and Petra Rivera-Rideau--creators of the "Bad Bunny Syllabus"--demonstrate Bad Bunny's place in a long tradition of infusing both joy and protest into music and honor the many evolving forms of daily resistance to oppression and colonialism that are part of Puerto Rican life.Review Quotes: "Impressively researched and engaging, P FKN R is a book that offers a critical reflection of Puerto Rico's history and culture through one of its main exponents, Bad Bunny. The book uses the figure of Bad Bunny to explore Puerto Rico's colonial history and present. Diáz and Rivera-Rideau critically examine his takes on race and gender in a way that is not only about the singer's life and career, but about the recent history of Puerto Rico."--Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, author of, Puerto Rico: A National History
"In P FKN R, Díaz and Rivera-Rideau enlist Bad Bunny's art to expose the layered crises facing Puerto Rico and their roots in U.S. colonial rule. Drawing on interviews with artists, producers, and industry insiders, they show how he transforms grief and pride into a sonic archive of resistance. The result is a powerful meditation on the stakes of his artistry, his platform, and the future he dares us to imagine."--Yarimar Bonilla, author of, Non-Sovereign Futures: French Caribbean Politics in the Wake of DIsenchantment Traci Thomas, She Reads "An insightful consideration of the rapper's significance and the many ways art can serve as protest."--Publishers Weekly "Díaz and Rivera-Rideau create an impressive, meticulously researched study of an often-misunderstood artist."--Lisa Henry, Library Journal "The work that Díaz and Rivera-Rideau have put into understanding Benito feels increasingly necessary, especially as his celebrity and political sway continue to balloon. . . . P FKN R emphasizes listening to Bad Bunny as a radical act, connecting us with the centuries-long struggle and ongoing resistance of the Puerto Rican people."--Reanna Cruz, Washington Post "This is the rare academic book you can read without a highlighter."--Marisa Maldonado, Latina Media